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US Army’s ‘Robotic Mule’ Unmanned Vehicle Could Be Armed: Report

The US Army’s “robotic mule” unmanned ground vehicle could be equipped with weapon systems in its next iteration, a senior army official revealed.

Quoting sources, Breaking Defense reported that the second generation Small Multipurpose Equipment Transport (S-MET) will “come with some modular mission payloads that will go on top of that.”

Col. Shane Sullivan denied having specific knowledge about the kind of payload the vehicle would carry.

However, the potential options such as a weapons system, a communications system, extra batteries, or a drone launching platform. He added that the vehicle’s “requirements document” should be issued “in the next year or so.”

Army Planning 2,000 Next-Gen Vehicles

The army is planning to buy over 2,000 next-generation S-METs on top of the 624 present variants that have been ordered as part of a $249 million, five-year contract in 2020.

The General Dynamics Land Systems vehicle is currently undergoing prototyping with the 101st Airborne Division and the army is planning to field them by 2023.

Carries 100 Pounds

The battery-operated vehicle is designed to lighten the infantry soldier’s load by an average of 100 pounds (45 kilograms). This includes “body armor, ammunition, and rucksacks loaded with water and other supplies.”

The vehicle can travel over 60 miles (97 kilometers) in 72 hours carrying 1,000 pounds (454 kilograms), the US Army said in a 2019 statement.

“The army’s looking at, how, how good is this? And what would we change for a larger procurement?” Sullivan was quoted as saying at the NDIA Tactical Wheeled Vehicle Conference.

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