What the heck, it’s Sunday, a great time to watch videos. This one of the Textron optionally-manned M5 Ripsaw electric tank shows you what it can do thanks to robotic controls. Yep, that’s a UGV coming out of the front of the Ripsaw. It’s a robot that births robots.
Questions, questions….
Did they use bogeys instead of torsion bars? Some hybrid system?
What is the recharge time? Is there a generator onboard for range extension and/or remote recharging?
What role is this expected to fill and how does the mobility/protection/lethality triangle align to that?
Where’s The Chieftain?
I can see one use: dynamic recon. So, you think the forest ahead of you has enemy armor, perhaps ready for an assault? Send in the drones. A squadron of unmanned lightweight, sacrificial armor, accompanied by aerial drones, will force the enemy armor to reveal themselves. then you can pummel the snot out of them with artillery/rockets, before flanking and mopping up.
Or as a tripwire. Leave a squadron of these things behind as you maneuver. if the enemy tries to advance, the drones wake up, signal “targets on site” and shoot until they are greased. You have lost tracked drones, but no people, and you can respond knowing who is where.
It’s so promising, and so rational it will be immediately rejected.
That area denial mission is going to be a big one for UGV’s, some will be smaller than this of course ,but doing what you could to decrease profile and increase loiter time will be important. The mobility and ranged aspects are what will be different than most land based AD options- these things detect and start maneuvering on you.
Garbage. Nonsensical fantasy that has proven over the last 19 years of combat in Iraq and Afghanistan to have a negligible tactical impact. Just like machine guns, barbed wire, strategic air bombardment, and nuclear deterrence this will never erase the need for actual Soldiers actually occupy terrain. Never mind the fact that it’s economically unsustainable in combat with a peer or near peer threat. Money wasted that could be used to improve existing and necessary combat vehicle platforms.
new thing scary and bad old thing good
I kinda want one . . .