Moving supplies and evacuating casualties from the edge of the front lines — the proverbial “last mile” — has becoming increasingly hazardous. In addition to fire from traditional weapons like artillery, machine guns and snipers, drones now present a threat.
So, the U.S. Army would like a robot to do the work.
The service is seeking an unmanned ground vehicle that can handle both casualty evacuation and resupply for tactical units.
“The modern battlefield is characterized by persistent enemy surveillance and rapid application of lethal effects at and behind the forward line of troops (FLOT), making any movement to and from the FLOT highly vulnerable,” according to the Army’s Commercial Solution Opening notice, which has a deadline of April 28. “This environment challenges commanders’ ability to resupply units and evacuate casualties.”
For resupply, the UGV should be able to haul enough cargo to sustain a dismounted rifle platoon and a company headquarters.
“It should be able to transport various classes of supply and operate autonomously across diverse terrains and environments, maintaining reliable communications with supported units,” the Army said.
The UGV should also be easily reconfigured for evacuating casualties. It must be able to transport at least two casualties from the point of injury to a designated collection point — without further harming the wounded, the notice states.
The notice didn’t specify the size nor capacity of the vehicle. However, the Army does want a robot that can function autonomously.
“The UGV must be capable of teleoperation, autonomous navigation, and beyond-line-of-sight communications,” the service said. “The UGV should be able to navigate both on- and off-road routes, including areas without GPS, and support situational awareness. It should minimize detectable signatures and emissions during operations, including in the final approach to supported units.”
The U.S. military has previously used robots for tasks like clearing IEDs. The Army’s current Small Multipurpose Equipment Transport project aims to develop cargo UGVs, such as HDT Robotics’s Hunter Wolf, an ATV-sized vehicle which can carry 2,800 pounds of supplies — and can be armed with machine guns. The Army recently completed a study of requirements for S-MET Increment 2.
For now, the pioneer in last-mile tactical robots is Ukraine. With maneuver in the open rendered extremely dangerous because of Russian drones constantly overhead, Ukrainians are relying more on robots to evacuate casualties and transport supplies.
Michael Peck is a correspondent for Defense News and a columnist for the Center for European Policy Analysis. He holds an M.A. in political science from Rutgers University. Find him on X at @Mipeck1. His email is [email protected].