The US Army plans to acquire or develop common software compatible with all its unmanned vehicles.
The service is developing light, medium, and heavy robotic vehicles to support crewed armored vehicles as scouts or escorts.
However, the US Army has announced that it would defer the development of a medium-sized unmanned vehicle to focus on smaller platforms.
Army acquisition official Doug Bush said that as the service shifts its focus to developing small robotic vehicles, it will pay special attention to the acquisition of their software.
“From an acquisition standpoint, we’re focused on … the software, which will be critical for all ground robotic programs going forward,” he told reporters. “Getting that right early is going to be essential.”
‘A Necessary First Step’
Bush revealed that the service is focusing on developing lighter vehicles first because it is seen as a “necessary first step” in modernizing its combat vehicles.
Developing cutting-edge software separately from the advanced platforms is a crucial step in allowing seamless integration across multiple platforms.
The initiative would improve coordination and communication among the unmanned vehicles.
The separate software acquisition will primarily focus on developing autonomy software, control station software, and payload control software.
