As part of Rheinmetall’s commitment to the UK and drive to support the British Army a Logistic Autonomy Demonstration was recently held Millbrook Proving Ground, Bedfordshire, UK, showcasing world-leading autonomous technology ready for integration to deliver greater logistic flexibility on the battlefield. The autonomous leader-follower technology was demonstrated live to our guests, using Rheinmetall MAN Military Vehicle’s (RMMV) HX trucks and Polaris 4×4 MRZR vehicles, illustrating the versatility that the advanced technology can provide in a variety of environments.
The leader-follower technology is readily available to be integrated on existing vehicles and for the next-generation of vehicles. It will be a critical enabler for future force capabilities, and support interoperability between the nations that adopt the kit. The use of a HX truck proves how easily compatible the technology is with many existing trucks in service with NATO countries. The technology enables future force logistics with less soldiers, moving greater volumes, at day and at night.
For the demonstration, a RMMV HX truck was fitted with the ‘leader’ kit, and three following vehicles were fitted with both ‘A’ and ‘B’ kits. This enabled them to wirelessly connect to the convoy autonomously, with the functions of the vehicles operating remotely. Our guests saw both the HX trucks and MRZR vehicles cross tarmac roads, prepared tracks and off-road areas in densely wooded terrain, move over steep gradients and navigate numerous bends while seamlessly connected. This revealed the resilience of the advanced autonomous system’s capability in a range of environments, and demonstrated how this advanced technology can provide dispersed logistics with diverse vehicle types. The reduction in the number of personnel required to deliver effective logistics by using the leader-follower technology also significantly reduces the risk involved.
In the recent European Land Robot Trial 2024 (ELROB) competition, the Rheinmetall InterRoc team won first place in the “Automated Convoy” category. The combination of HX truck and integrated PATH autonomy kit demonstrating Rheinmetall technology.