The world's battlefields are changing rapidly. With the advent of autonomy, along with electrification and drone warfare, the world's modern militaries need new strategies and tools to fight today and tomorrow's conflicts, as well as protect those at home.
Plus, military equipment tends to be pretty damn rad from an engineering perspective.
Case in point, the Ripsaw M1 UGV, which is an amphibious, all-terrain, all-electric, autonomous ATV that comes with twin missile barrages. Basically, it's a mini electric tank designed to make a path through whatever the Marines want to, along with fight drones, be a pack mule, and oh so much more.
But in truth, it's basically just an all-electric ATV ala the Can-Am Outlander, but with the capability of charting its own path or helping shoot down air-based targets, all while keeping its operators safe from harm. Interestingly, it was built by the same company that recently sold Arctic Cat: Textron Systems.
Textron has long been a defense contractor, as it's built UTVs, ATVs, and even snowmobiles for the U.S. government. It also builds drones, advanced robotics, and does fighter jet training operations to help school, and keep schooled, the next generation of fighter pilots. The company does more than that, too, though if I told you what, I'd probably have to kill you.
JOKING.
What isn't a threat in terms of you knowing about it is the aforementioned Ripsaw M1 UGV, which Textron Systems debuted at the Modern Day Marine expo. According to Textron's release, "The M1 technology demonstrator is the next iteration in the company’s Modular Open Systems Approach (MOSA)-designed UGVs, demonstrating the capacity and capability to scale our family of UGVs. The technology demonstrator is the first variant in the M1 line of vehicles, designed as a robotic force multiplier for the Advanced Reconnaissance Vehicle (ARV) and Amphibious Combat Vehicle (ACV) to support Force Design 2030."
Furthermore, " The UGV can support target missions including hard kill counter-unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) and reconnaissance, surveillance and target acquisition (RSTA). It can also serve as a loitering munition launch platform. The vehicle is envisioned to extend the reach and lethality of the Marines’ existing systems to keep personnel out of harm’s way and protect heavier, and more expensive, ground vehicles."
As for specs, it has a top speed of 43 mph, a payload capacity of 2,000 pounds, and its mission status can be swapped fairly quickly to adapt to whatever the Marines or Army needs from it, including drone defense, exfil operations, or defense. The last one is interesting, as the loitering munition launch platform phrase is why it has twin Textron "Damocles" launch stations, though you can put others on it, too.
Right now, Textron Systems is pitching it to the federal government, so we'll have to wait and see if it'll ever see service. But if that does fall through, I've got a few ideas of how this could help me with my HOA...
KIDDING. Not really.
