US ARMY & LOCKHEED
TEST UNMANNED CONVOY
Logistics convoys, especially in today's asymmetrical battlefields, are one of the most risky missions for both manpower and material losses.
US Army TARDEC (Tank Automotive Research Development and Engineering Center) and Lockheed Martin in early January has demonstrated a fully autonomous convoy in Fort Hood, Texas.
This demonstration has proven the feasibility of unmanned convoys.
Watch the video, it is impressive!
Watch the video, it is impressive!
The convoy consisted of M1915 and Palletized Loading System (PLS) - an Oshkosh HEMTT variant.
The unmanned vehicles were equipped with GPS and LIDAR sensors for autonomous operation. LIDAR sensors use infrared or ultraviolet lasers to illuminate the terrain immediately to the front of the sensor and use the reflected light to create a 3D map of the world in front of the vehicle for navigation and obstacle avoidance.
We might expect the convoys in the near future's battlefields roam the countryside without any humans in control.
