This Robotic Combat Vehicle Will Use Artificial Intelligence to Save Soldiers – The National Interest

The Army is planning to armthe newten-ton Robotic Combat Vehicle-Medium(RCV-M)withthirty-millimeterchain gun cannons, anti-tank missiles and remotely operated guns. This will enable it to conductdirect-attack missionsso thatsoldierswont have to beinthe lineofenemy fire.

Armyanddefenseindustryofficials havestatedthat humans willcontinuetomakedecisions about the use of lethal force.However, thisdoes notrestrictthem frompushing the envelope of autonomy and potentially enabling unmanned systems to process greater volumes of information and perform a widerrange of functionswithout needing human intervention.

We are looking at using unmanned vehicles to expand the network and expand the line-of-sight so we can push these robots out as far aspossible,so soldiers do not have to do that, Maj. Gen. Ross Coffman,the directorof theNext-Generation Combat Vehicle Cross-Functional TeamforArmy Futures Command, told reporters at the 2021 Association of the United States Army Annual Symposium.

TheRCV-Mwill becapable of usinga wide range of weapons, sensors and technologies.AJuly2021Congressional Research Servicereport on the vehicleshows that it willcarryJavelin anti-tank missiles and theXM813 Bushmaster chain gunas well as smoke obscuration measures, the report states. These may includeamphibious kits, electronic warfare (EW) modules, counter Unmanned Aerial System (UAS)systems, and nuclear, radiological, biological, and chemical sensors,according tothe report.

Lethal direct fire missions, such as using a Javelin or Bushmaster Chain Gun, will be closely monitored byArmy and defense industry officials.Also, the RCV-Mcouldhostnonlethal defensive interceptorsand use them to deterincoming munitionsorautonomous launch and recovery of surveillance drones.Additionally, it will be able toaccommodate a wide range of payloads and potential hardware configurationslike clearing minefields.For several years,Army Futures Command has been experimenting withusingrobotic vehiclestoclear minefields or breach obstaclesthat might preventarmored columnsfrom conducting a mission.Thiswill allowsoldiers to operate at a safe standoff distance while robotic vehiclestake major risks.

What we learned is based on their mobility, their excellent mobility and their autonomous behaviors, we can actually have them move on a separate axis of advance and link up with the humans on the objective, Coffman told the National Interest.So,they can autonomously move without humans, link up with the humans, transfer back control, and then execute the mission. This gives the enemy multiple dilemmas.

Kris Osborn is the defense editor for theNational Interest. Osborn previously served at the Pentagon as a Highly Qualified Expert with the Office of the Assistant Secretary of the ArmyAcquisition, Logistics & Technology. Osborn has also worked as an anchor and on-air military specialist at national TV networks. He has appeared as a guest military expert on Fox News, MSNBC, The Military Channel, and The History Channel. He also has aMasters Degreein Comparative Literature from Columbia University.

Image: Reuters

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This Robotic Combat Vehicle Will Use Artificial Intelligence to Save Soldiers - The National Interest