U.S Army to field prototype ARVs in 2010

BAE Systems wins 122.3-million-dollar order from US Army

LONDON (AFP) Aug 15, 2005

British defence giant BAE Systems said Monday it had received a contract modification worth 122.3 million dollars (98.9 million euros) to convert two armed robotic vehicles (ARVs) for the US Army.

In 2003, BAE was selected to design and develop the two ARV variants for the US army.

Under the current modification, the ARV program has been accelerated and BAE is now scheduled to field the first prototypes in 2010, with fielding to units of action scheduled for 2012-2014.

The two ARV variants


5-6 ton remote controlled killer toy.

This is the ARV description from GlobalSecurity.org -

The Armed Robotic Vehicle (ARV) comes in two variants: the Assault variant and the Reconnaissance, Surveillance and Target Acquisition (RSTA) variant. The two variants share a common chasis. The Assault variant will remotely provide reconnaissance capability; deploy sensors, direct-fire weapons, and special munitions into buildings, bunkers, and other urban features; locate or by-pass threat obstacles in buildings, bunkers, and tunnels, and other urban features; assess battle damage; acts as a communications relay; supports the mounted and dismounted forces in the assault with direct fire and anti-tank (AT) weapons; and occupy key terrain and provide over-watching fires.

The Reconnaissance, Surveillance and Target Acquisition (RSTA) version will remotely provide reconnaissance capability in Urban Military Operations in Urban Terrain (MOUT) and other battlespace; deploy sensors, direct-fire weapons, and special munitions into buildings, bunkers, and other urban features; locate or by-pass threat obstacles in buildings, bunkers, tunnels, and other urban features; acts as a communications relay; and assess battle damage assessment (BDA).

The ARV is a 5 to 6 ton unmanned ground vehicle (UGV). The ARV will be part of an organization of vehicles, sensors, C2 hardware and software systems, and communications systems. The ARV incorporates a turret system capable of launching missiles such as the Common Missile or Hellfire and operating a medium caliber gun system such as the 30mm Mk 44 Chain Gun. The ARV provides mobility sufficient to maneuver with the FCS force, and must be compatible with C-130 and CH-47 (internal) deployment. The ARV provides semi-autonomous navigation and mission equipment operations, with man-in-the-loop weapon fire authorization via the C4ISR network.

Ok, cool... they look a bit srtange but... Thanks, now I am a bit wiser again...