28 février 2020 | International, Terrestre

Rheinmetall partners with DST, CSIRO, QUT and RMIT to develop new sovereign automated military vehicle capability

February 27, 2020 - Rheinmetall is pleased to announce the launch of its first Australian research and technology program. Under the Autonomous Combat Warrior (ACW) program, Rheinmetall's Australian, German and Canadian development teams will work alongside research teams from Defence Science and Technology (DST) group, the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), Queensland University of Technology (QUT) and the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT).

The aim is to develop advanced sovereign robotics and automated vehicle technologies. This will create a local automated military vehicle capability.

Rheinmetall Defence Australia Managing Director Gary Stewart said the program would lead the Australian development of next generation automated combat vehicle technologies for integration into the family of Rheinmetall vehicle platforms. “ACW's goal is to fundamentally change the way in which land vehicles support military operations by transforming a vehicle from tool to teammate to provide currently unachievable levels of soldier protection, support and tactical advantage,” Mr Stewart said. “This will see the Australian development of the next generation of land vehicle systems warfighting capability, with an emphasis on developing trusted automated systems which provide human-machine teaming and optional crewed control.”

The program will focus on the automation of driving capabilities. Rheinmetall only develops systems that are strictly compliant with the rules of engagement of its customers. Rheinmetall does not develop, manufacture or market fully autonomous weapon systems. Rather, Rheinmetall is convinced that humans must retain the power of decision and therefore rejects fully autonomous weapon systems that deprive humans of the power to decide whether or not to use weapons against other humans.

Rheinmetall's contribution to the program will take place across its Australian, Canadian and German businesses with the focus of research to take place at the company's Melbourne operations and its new Military Vehicle Centre of Excellence in Redbank, Queensland which is due for completion in the second half of 2020.

Rheinmetall Defence Australia is working with the DST Group under a 5-year strategic R&D alliance agreement to work collaboratively to advance automated vehicle systems. The agreement builds on Rheinmetall's longstanding relationship with DST in the area of simulation and augmented reality. The partnership also includes R&D around novel concepts and technologies that support the new Boxer 8x8 Combat Reconnaissance Vehicle capability Rheinmetall is delivering to the Australian Defence Force under the $5.2 billion Land 400 Phase 2 program.

Rheinmetall Canada has developed Mission Master vehicles that incorporate an eight-wheel drive, skid-steer, electric, unmanned platform operated in either robotic, semi or full autonomous driving modes. These vehicles can be fitted with various payload modules including cargo, protection, medical and surveillance variants.

Rheinmetall Landsysteme Germany has over twenty years of experience in the automation of vehicles. Its system safety and system architecture competencies derive from more than ten research projects, and relevant technologies such as drive-by-wire have been developed to a uniquely high level of maturity. This underscores Rheinmetall's status as a leader in automation technologies.

The Autonomous driving vehicle capability, or “A-kit”, currently integrated into the Mission Master provides the base software architecture for all future stages of the ACW research program and provides the autonomous capabilities including robotic vehicle control (robotic control or semi-autonomous); “follow me” control (semi-autonomous); simultaneous localisation and mapping); autonomous waypoint navigation (semi or full autonomous); and GPS allowed/denied navigation (semi or full autonomous).

Rheinmetall is also upgrading two Wiesel 2 digital vehicles with drive-by-wire architecture and the Rheinmetall Canada autonomous driving A-Kit package. These vehicles, when upgraded with Australian advanced autonomous applied research under the ACW Program, will be used to demonstrate the vehicle-agnostic and integrated payload capabilities of Rheinmetall's Advanced A-Kit.

ACW's research and development objectives are to:

Develop game-changing autonomous technologies in Australia;

Leverage Rheinmetall global research and development efforts and existing vehicle platforms and technologies, to fast track the development of autonomous technologies;

Develop a platform agnostic Autonomous Kit (A-kit), suited for integration into a variety of road and off-road military vehicles;

Partner with the Australian research community and local industry with deep technical expertise to solve complex development problems;

Generate a strong return on investment to the Commonwealth, in the form of employment and sovereign robotics capability; and

Work with Army to support its evaluation and strategy development for the use of autonomous vehicles.

RHEINMETALL AG
Corporate Sector Defence
Press and Information
Oliver Hoffmann
Rheinmetall Platz 1
40476 Düsseldorf
Germany
Phone: +49 211 473-4748
Fax: +49 211 473-4157

View source version on Rheinmetall : https://www.rheinmetall-defence.com/en/rheinmetall_defence/public_relations/news/latest_news/index_23168.php

Sur le même sujet

  • Enjeux de l'exportation française d'armements

    24 novembre 2020 | International, Aérospatial, Naval, Terrestre

    Enjeux de l'exportation française d'armements

    A l'occasion du Paris Air Forum, une table-ronde sur la question des exportations françaises a réuni Thierry Carlier, directeur du développement international à la Direction générale de l'armement (DGA), Philippe Keryer, directeur général adjoint, Stratégie, Recherche et Technologie chez Thales, Alexandre Ziegler, directeur de l'international et des relations institutionnelles de Safran, et Cédric Perrin, vice-président de la commission des affaires étrangères, de la défense et des forces armées du Sénat. Thierry Carlier souligne que l'exportation d'armements représente pour la France, qui est capable de fournir l'ensemble du spectre de matériel militaire, la manifestation d'une volonté politique et l'expression d'une politique étrangère. C'est aussi le moyen de garder les compétences et une industrie dans le pays : un point de vue partagé par Philippe Keryer, qui estime que l'exportation permet notamment de lisser les cadences et de rentabiliser l'innovation, tout en maintenant en France de l'emploi qualifié. Pour Alexandre Ziegler, il est indispensable de trouver des clients à l'étranger en l'absence de préférence européenne. Le sénateur Cédric Perrin insiste sur la nécessité de l'exportation pour garantir la pérennité de la BITD, indispensable à l'autonomie stratégique. Les intervenants se sont montrés optimistes sur le développement des programmes européens de défense : le lancement du SCAF ou de l'Eurodrone, notamment, permettront de mettre en place des règles communes, et de gagner en autonomie stratégique. La Tribune du 24 novembre

  • Northrop Grumman Receives Award to Upgrade US Army Lightweight Laser Designator Rangefinder Systems

    10 juillet 2019 | International, C4ISR

    Northrop Grumman Receives Award to Upgrade US Army Lightweight Laser Designator Rangefinder Systems

    APOPKA, Fla. – July 9, 2019 – Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE: NOC) has received a $17.6 million award from the U.S. Army to upgrade Target Locator Modules (TLMs). The TLMs will be retrofitted with high accuracy capability to modernize the Lightweight Laser Designator Rangefinder 2H (LLDR 2H) man-portable targeting system. “The LLDR has been at the core of Army ground targeting for more than a decade, and the innovations in the 2H provide even greater accuracy to support the Army's missions into the future,” said Bob Gough, vice president, land and avionics C4ISR, Northrop Grumman. The LLDR 2H hybrid sensor solution fuses data from a digital magnetic compass and celestial navigation sensors to provide high accuracy target location and long-range imaging to allow warfighters greater leverage to shape the field of engagement. Interconnectivity within the digitized battlefield enables the operator to use LLDR 2H to quickly acquire, locate and designate high-value targets. The LLDR 2H system also features Northrop Grumman's patented thermal diode pumping technology for designation, which consumes less power than older lasers, yet yields greater output energy and lower beam divergence. More than 2,700 LLDR systems have been delivered and fielded to date. Northrop Grumman is a leading global security company providing innovative systems, products and solutions in autonomous systems, cyber, C4ISR, space, strike, and logistics and modernization to customers worldwide. https://news.northropgrumman.com/news/releases/northrop-grumman-receives-award-to-upgrade-us-army-lightweight-laser-designator-rangefinder-systems

  • Harris Corporation Awarded Contract to Support Boeing’s MQ-25 Unmanned Tanker for the US Navy

    7 mai 2019 | International, Aérospatial, C4ISR

    Harris Corporation Awarded Contract to Support Boeing’s MQ-25 Unmanned Tanker for the US Navy

    Highlights: Onboard computer provides superior processing capacity and enhanced situational awareness Processor, based on advanced open systems and COTS, allows for faster and easier upgrades Reaffirms Harris' strategy to leverage open systems processors into new platforms Harris Corporation (NYSE:HRS) has been awarded a contract by The Boeing Company to partner with Boeing AvionX in supplying the mission management open systems processor for the MQ-25 unmanned aerial refueling program. “Harris and Boeing have invested substantial R&D to develop affordable, high-performance solutions that allow for faster and easier upgrades,” said Ed Zoiss, president, Harris Electronic Systems. “This contract reaffirms Harris' strategy to leverage open systems processors into new platforms.” The mission management processor is based on an advanced open systems architecture solution and commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) technology. The mission management processor manages sensor and communications functions on the MQ-25, providing the onboard processing capacity necessary to support advanced computing needs. Harris will provide hardware and firmware in conjunction with Boeing's open systems architecture solution. The MQ-25 is the U.S. Navy's first operational carrier-based unmanned aircraft and is designed to provide a much-needed refueling capability. The contract supports Boeing's engineering and manufacturing development program to provide four MQ-25 aircraft to the U.S. Navy for Initial Operational Capability by 2024. Harris has been a supplier to Boeing since the 1980s on a wide range of military aircraft, munition, and satellite programs. This latest contract will continue job growth for Harris in Florida, which is a supplier of mission management processors to Boeing and other major aircraft programs. “The MQ-25 program is vital because it will help the U.S. Navy extend the range of the carrier air wing, and Boeing and our industry team is all-in on delivering this capability,” said Dave Bujold, Boeing's MQ-25 program director. “The work we're doing is also foundational for the future of Boeing – where we're building autonomous systems from seabed to space.” https://www.harris.com/press-releases/2019/05/harris-corporation-awarded-contract-to-support-boeings-mq-25-unmanned-tanker

Toutes les nouvelles