Battlefield ‘holy grail’ found on Aussie vets’ paper napkin

The world’s first full functioning battlefield uncrewed ground vehicle has been unveiled and you wouldn’t believe it’s humble Aussie beginnings.

A sketch scribbled on the back of a paper dinner napkin by Australian Army veterans and engineers two years ago has been turned into reality with the world’s first full functioning battlefield uncrewed ground vehicle unveiled today.

Militaries across the world already use drones in the air and above and below the seas but robot ground fighting vehicles have long been considered the “holy grail” of autonomous land warfare.

But during a lull between dinner courses at a Women in Defence Awards ceremony in Canberra two years ago, one table of BAE Systems military veterans and engineers described what they envisaged a future battlefield would need.

They then set about over the next 18 months secretly turning their napkin musings into a real life 8 x 8 fighting vehicle to be unveiled today at the 2024 Land Forces international defence expo in Melbourne.

The Autonomous Tactical Light Armour System (ATLAS) combat vehicle was developed and built by BAE Systems Australia. Picture: Supplied

The vehicle was unveiled today. Picture: Supplied

Critically, it can been programmed to carry out tasks including reconnaissance, armoured overwatch or flank a platoon on the move with remote human intervention required only should it need to engage a target.

“We’ve developed ATLAS (Autonomous Tactical Light Armour System) to give soldiers the advantage on the modern battlefield,” BAE Systems Australia managing director Andrew Gresham said. “This has resulted in an autonomous platform that will deliver the dull, dirty and dangerous tasks expected in a combat environment.”

BAE is now pitching its prototype of the $4-$5 million Atlas to AUKUS allies and other foreign militaries for production; representatives of at least 25 militaries have flown into Melbourne for the premier three-day event.

BAE has already been working with the Australian Army to experiment repurposing its largely obsolete Vietnam War era fleet of M113 armoured personnel carriers into uncrewed fighting vehicles.

The dinner napkin where the future Atlas was being sketched two years ago before it was secretly built. Picture: Supplied

But these are largely considered demonstration of tech only while Atlas is purpose designed lightweight modern platform to support combat operations and work in with the Infantry Fighting Vehicle the ADF has already procured.

Atlas has already been seen by select senior Army future warfare officers but has yet to be formally trialled under conditions.

BAE Business Development Manager (autonomy) and a former 16 Regiment Royal Artillery major Stuart Bryden said it was designed to be interoperable with other platforms in use by Western forces and followed the Defence Strategic Review blueprint for future deployable fighting needs.

BAE Systems Australia managing director Andrew Gresham. Picture: Supplied

It has a 25mm cannon and was designed to be easily transportable with six at a time either on a C-17 aircraft or in the new littoral amphibious assault landing craft currently being built by Port Macquarie maritime engineer group Birdon in consortium with Austal.

“I think it’s the natural evolution of fighting in any environment, if you don’t want to take soldiers out of harms way by replacing a fighting capability with an autonomous capability I think you are in the wrong business,” the 23-year veteran Mr Bryden said

“Our business is to protect soldiers as well as achieving whatever the combat mission is … it is the last thing in all the capabilities in a defence force, we’ve already done it in the air and ships and below sea and missiles and the only thing we haven’t done it with until now is the thing that carries the highest human risk.”

Originally published as Battlefield ‘holy grail’ found on Aussie vets’ paper napkin