The American company General Dynamics Land Systems in April 2021 will deliver to the US Army several wheeled transport ground robots MUTT, which will pass the final tests. According to Jane's, it is planned to start small-scale production of new robots by September of this year, and at the end of the year, the US military may adopt MUTT.
The US military chose the MUTT robot based on the results of the SMET tender, which was held since 2017. In addition to General Dynamics Land Systems, Applied Research Associates/Polaris Defense, HDT Expeditionary Systems, and Howe participated in this tender & Howe. They offered the military a robotic version of the MRZR wheeled buggy, the WOLF wheeled robot, and the RS2-H1 crawler.
The MUTT robot is capable of carrying loads weighing up to 454 kilograms. The device can work for 72 hours, cover a distance of up to 100 kilometers. At the same time, in motion, the device can generate up to 1 kilowatt of electricity to recharge portable devices, and in the parking lot-up to 3 kilowatts. The robot can operate in fully automatic mode or under the control of an operator.
The MUTT can be equipped with a remote-controlled combat module or a launch platform for reconnaissance drones. The robot can also be used to evacuate the wounded. Robot carriers in the US Army will be used primarily to transport part of the equipment, ammunition and provisions of the fighters, as well as for reconnaissance. It is assumed that thanks to such robots, the mobility of departments will increase.
At the end of last year, the American company QinetiQ delivered The US Army's first batch of four RCV-L light ground hybrid robots. These machines will be used to test the system of interaction of robotic complexes with people during combat operations. Such tests are planned for 2022. The larger Textron RCV-M robots will also be used in the checks.
Vasily Sychev