via Israel Hayom
During Operation Protective Edge, the Israel Defense Forces used a unmanned armored personnel carrier, a first in history. The vehicle was used to deliver supplies to soldiers on the battlefield.The USMC and US Army have been pursuing this tech for years. Its been ready to go but for some reason neither service has gone forward with it.
"This is history," Lt. Avidav Goldstein, the head of the IDF's unmanned vehicle unit, said. "I feel we really broke ground in this realm. This is the first time in history, throughout the world, that such a thing has been done."
The IDF modified an old M113 APC (the type of APC in which seven Golani Brigade soldiers were killed by an anti-tank missile in Shujaiyya), giving it the ability to carry several tons of supplies to soldiers in the field without endangering lives.
The unmanned APC can travel 50 kilometers per hour (31 miles per hour) and hold around four tons of equipment. It is operated remotely by soldiers in a control vehicle, located inside Israel, which has a steering wheel, pedals and a screen.
The IDF did.
I wonder where this will lead. The obvious would be combat engineer vehicles operating unmanned in a route clearance role. Eventually you might even see a platoon of unmanned tanks being controlled by a command staff in an accompanying APC/IFV.
However this develops it looks like armored vehicles are going to take a step forward into the unmanned field.
We had M60 based unmanned and turret-less mine-clearing tanks in Bosnia; this page says the Army today has a whopping six M1 based versions http://www.military-today.com/engineering/m1_panther_2.htm
ReplyDeletei'm calling BS on those vehicles being used in an unmanned configuration. name of the unit please and the circumstances surrounding it. Big Army would be shouting such an achievement from the rooftops if they had done it.
DeleteI have no proof but recall reading about such a vehicle. Used to sweep roads but I cannot recall where I read this.
DeleteWell 130th Engineer Brigade's has 2 of the 6. They army is mum on the other 4 M1 based versions are assigned.
Deletehttp://www.military-today.com/engineering/m1_panther_2.htm
In Iraq: http://www.primeportal.net/apc/russ/iraq_m1_panther2.htm
User video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hcOdHcupt3M
(sorry about the Kid Rock soundtrack I did not pick it)
Redstone made some for 1st armored Division engineers in 1996 in Bosnia. The wikipedia page on the M60 tank has the PR photo, but the link to the original release is dead. I don't know if 1) these things didn't work (too much too soon) or b) since it wasn't an acquisition deal it died and nobody wanted to point out the corruption that we should have had numbers of these countering IEDs in Iraq and Afghanistan.
ReplyDeleteOr C3. It worked too well and secret squirrel jumped in, kinda like the old flying wing concept that was discovered to be invisible to Radar yet wasn't tech advanced enough to put in production, scared the Soviets might steal it and use it maybe.
DeleteI also read a science fiction story in a collection of stories about future war, it had a vehicle similar to the Stryker that was the command element, there were Infantry haulers that were manned for local security, the Co. Vehicle commanded several other vehicles exactly the same as the Command variant but they possessed vertical launch weapons systems, fire and forget home all the way killers. These were unmanned and semi autonomous.
ReplyDeleteThe idea of the Command vehicle hiding in wadi's while the infantry vehicles taxied around the grunts for local security of the command vehicle with the maneuver and assault element being robotic missile launch vehicles.
Each had a small auto cannon for direct fire defense the Command vehicle never fired any shots and stayed hidden.
This intrigued me!
Once again, when you're manpower-poor and heavy on brains, this is an obvious tech solution to not getting people injured or killed doing stupid stuff.
ReplyDeleteI.e. a robot vehicle's bread and butter mission.
And if they can send tons of supplies in, and they can medevac casualty litters out when air evac isn't an option, same-same.
Just like the IAF pioneering modern UAVs, we'll be watching closely and taking notes.