At the Eurosatory trade show in Paris, U.S.-based company Teledyne Flir debuted the SUGV 325 unmanned ground vehicle (UGV) mounted with its Black Hornet 4 nano aerial drone. The ground robot is light enough to be carried by a single person and equipped with an arm for grabbing objects. The integration of ground and air robots extends their range and enables them to gather information and investigate potential threats.
The U.S. Army is experimenting with the combination of aerial drones and combat robots in fighting units. Footage branded with the U.S. Army’s Sandhills Project logo showed drones launched from a UGV in less than 15 seconds. Another example is the Rheinmetall Canada’s Mission Master CXT armed with a tethered drone from Elistair, which can be controlled by a single operator using the same tablet.
The pairing of robots in warfare allows for standoff distances between threats and military personnel, enhancing situational awareness and response capabilities. Elisabeth Gosselin-Malo covers military procurement and international security, specializing in reporting on the aviation sector. She is based in Milan, Italy.
