US Army Develops 7-Ton Robotic Combat Vehicle Equipped with Anti-Armor, Anti-Tank Rockets

The 7-Ton Robotic Combat Vehicle (RCV) is one platform to use in high-risk environments without putting US servicemen in direct danger.

This includes the capability to send out fighting vehicles equipped with anti-armor missiles or to send out different types of guns for a particular target.

Remote, Autonomous Weapons on the Battlefield

The military is getting ready to use 7-ton tank-killing robots as its primary assets in areas best controlled by remote systems, reported Warrior Maven.

When encountering enemy equipment such as light, medium, or heavy tanks or wheeled or tracked vehicles armed with weapons to destroy such vehicles.

In a recent Army presentation at Fort Hood, Texas, troops evaluated the new technology to ultimately fire Javelins and 50-cal machine guns from robotic vehicle designs during one sequence of war planning and weapons research activities, noted Real Clear Defense.

One of the program's officers further stated that the base had completed its second extensive operational soldier assessment, which included 12 robotic platforms and six control vehicles. It represents the result of around four years of effort.

In an interview, Kevin Mills, who is in charge of creating intelligent systems for robotic combat machines, noted that the Army has a huge opportunity to learn how combat robotics can influence future decisions about procuring supplies and engaging in combat, citing National Interest.

As part of the assessment, military weapon systems designers placed armed robots in the control of soldiers to assess weapons, modify strategies, and assist in the rapid development of a new category of robotic warfare made for combat, like the 7-Ton Robotic Combat Vehicle (RCV).

Robotic Platform Classes Established

A sophisticated, interconnected set of unmanned missions is now being established for all the three robotic vehicle iterations being developed for the service: RCV-Light, RCV-Medium, and RCV-Heavy.

It covers manned-unmanned collaborative working efforts in which forward ground drones or robotic vehicles undertake intelligence gathering and scouting operations, makes deliveries and ammunition, or truly track and destroy objectives when instructed by an operator.

One of the forward platforms is a 7-ton platform with 50 RCV-Light vehicles. Cal machine gun for anti-personnel; the Javelin and other unnamed weapon systems are also heavier weapons.

The RCV is a modular weapon system that can be used with various equipment; the RCV-medium can mount a 30-mm turret as the primary weapon.

When soldiers are involved in the operation, other systems are for light or medium robotic systems.

Robotic Combat Vehicle

Robotic Combat Vehicle-Heavy is fairly early in the developmental stage but was utilized in the test with an M113 personnel carrier used as a surrogate for a potentially heavily loaded robot equipped with a 120mm cannon.

According to Mills, larger caliber robotic vehicles will become increasingly widespread in the coming future. He continued: One of the distinguishing characteristics of robotic platforms is that, once the human is removed, they are made solely to function as automated platforms.

As a consequence, it can be smaller while still being able to carry sizable payloads and display sizable middle movement attributes.

Three different weight variants of these weapons are currently being developed for operational use, particularly with soldiers in mind. Systems like the 7-Ton Robotic Combat Vehicle (RCV) are developed to lessen the danger to soldiers out in the field.