Army Assessing Marine Corps Unmanned System.

• Author: Lee, Connie
• Position: NEWS BRIEFS

* A platform designed for the Marine Corps is being tested for the Army's robotic combat vehicle initiative.

The expeditionary modular autonomous vehicle, or EMAV, program started in 2017 and was originally developed for the Marine Corps Warfighting Laboratory, said program manager Brian Barr.

The Marine Corps "had a lot of experience doing autonomy work on current vehicle platforms... and they got to a point where they needed a custom, purposed vehicle to continue the work in off-road autonomy," Barr said. "We developed this robotic platform for that."

The EMAV is a tracked, diesel-electric series hybrid unmanned ground system that weighs 6,800 pounds and can carry a payload of 7,200 pounds, Barr said.

Now the Army has a next-generation combat vehicle initiative to develop a new family of systems that will replace its aging fleet. As part of the service's plan to modernize the force, a cross-functional team was set up to pursue the technology.

Col. Warren Sponsler, deputy director of the cross-functional team, said during the National Defense Industrial Association's Robotics Capabilities Conference and Exhibition in Columbus, Georgia, that the service was preparing for phase 2 of its robotic combat vehicle work.

The service is aiming to develop the vehicles in light, medium and heavy variants. It held a phase 2 demonstration and assessment at Texas A&M...