Tech trials to see robot tanks on future battlefield

Secret tech trials have revealed there will be less humans and more robots on the frontline with one observer likening new machines to an Arnold Schwarzenegger movie.

Robot tanks could be enlisted into future defence conflicts, with three years of secret trials achieving a “notable advance” in potential combat deployment.

Since 2019, the Australian Army has refitted 20 obsolete M113 armoured personnel carriers with tech to test the limits to which combat vehicles could be crewless.

Last year the program reached a milestone, with four remote controlled uncrewed M113’s being directed from a single vehicle in a live-fire battlefield exercise.

One person familiar with the program said like a futuristic Arnold Schwarzenegger movie, the trials confirmed future war fighting would centre on human-machine teams working both physically and virtually.

Australian Army soldier Corporal Josh Green from B Squadron 3rd/4th Cavalry Regiment, School of Armour, in front of a M113 AS4 and two autonomous M113 AS4 optionally crewed combat vehicle. Picture: Cpl Tristan Kennedy

While the Vietnam War era M113’s life will not be extended, with its Infantry Fighting Vehicle replacement to be announced in the next few months, it is being used to test remoteless command and control capability.

The Australian Defence Force (ADF) would not go into specifics but confirmed trials with the M113 as a “representative platform” had been successful and would “inform future force structure and shape capability decisions”.

Two autonomous Australian Army M113 AS4 armoured vehicles conducted fire and manoeuvre alongside crewed vehicles, UAS and ground robots at the Majura Training Area, ACT. Picture: Supplied

“Autonomy has the potential to remove soldiers from some of the most dangerous tasks on the battlefield,” a ADF spokeswoman said.

“It may enable the generation of greater mass and lethality, without necessarily growing the human workforce.

“Optionally crewed combat vehicle trials have contributed significantly to Army’s understanding of how to responsibly operate autonomous platforms in field settings, promote safety and overcome communications challenges and the human-machine interface.”

For the trials, Army partnered with BAE Systems Australia, which is recognised as a global leader in autonomous systems and solutions; Army will now establish a Centre of Land Autonomy (COLA) to focus on integration with the wider ADF joint force.

Australian Army soldier Sergeant Rana Chandan (centre) from the 1st/15th Royal NSW Lancers operates a Ghost Robotics quadruped robot using a brain-computer interface in May 2022. Picture: Sgt Matthew Bickerton

A spokeswoman for BAE Systems Australia said it was investing significantly to help customers including Defence with developing autonomous systems on land, sea and air.

“The (M113) concept demonstrator vehicles are providing crucial insights into the capabilities of integrated autonomous technologies on future battlefields, helping the Australian Army test concepts of employment for optionally crewed and uncrewed combat vehicles,” she said.

She added: “Ultimately, the goal is to achieve a network of autonomous vehicles that can deliver tactical effects ranging from casualty evacuation to electronic warfare … These technologies will assist soldiers respond in an accelerating warfare environment, increasing their ability to outpace, outmanoeuvre and out-think conventional and unconventional threats.”

Originally published as Tech trials to see robot tanks on future battlefield