{"id":60892,"date":"2020-12-03T20:17:56","date_gmt":"2020-12-03T20:17:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/uncategorized\/2020\/12\/03\/the-air-force-wants-to-buy-a-big-robot-to-help-with-bomb-disposal\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T00:26:15","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T00:26:15","slug":"the-air-force-wants-to-buy-a-big-robot-to-help-with-bomb-disposal","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/air\/2020\/12\/03\/the-air-force-wants-to-buy-a-big-robot-to-help-with-bomb-disposal\/","title":{"rendered":"The US Air Force wants to buy a big robot to help with bomb disposal"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><i>UPDATE <\/i>\u2014 <i>This story has been updated to add comment from L3Harris on its participation in the competition.<\/i><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">WASHINGTON \u2014 A year after the U.S. Army <a href=\"https:\/\/www.defensenews.com\/land\/2019\/11\/15\/heres-who-just-won-a-contract-to-build-the-armys-heavy-robot\/\" target=_blank>awarded a contract<\/a> to build a heavy-duty robot able to dispose of bombs and other explosives, the Air Force is looking for its own system \u2014 and it wants to see what\u2019s on the market before committing to purchasing what the Army buys.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Air Force in October released a solicitation for a large explosive ordnance disposal robot, a commercial off-the-shelf system equipped with a maneuverable arm and a camera system that can function in all terrain types, environments and weather conditions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">An Air Force spokesman declined to confirm how many companies submitted bids for the program, which were due Nov. 20.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">One competitor has already come forward: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.defensenews.com\/unmanned\/2019\/02\/15\/flir-set-to-add-endeavor-robotics-to-its-unmanned-future\/\" target=_blank>FLIR<\/a>, which is set to rake in as much as $109 million building its Kobra robot for the Army\u2019s Common Robotic System-Heavy program. The company <a href=\"https:\/\/www.defensenews.com\/land\/2020\/11\/16\/us-armys-heavy-ground-robot-reaches-full-rate-production\/\" target=_blank>began full-rate production<\/a> of Kobra last month and is confident the Air Force will follow the Army\u2019s example by choosing the same system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cAs the chosen provider for the Army\u2019s Common Robotic System-Heavy (CRS-H) program, FLIR believes its extensively tested and proven unmanned ground system meets the Air Force needs in the large EOD robot category, while enabling commonality of equipment with other services\u2019 EOD forces,\u201d said Tom Frost, who runs FLIR\u2019s unmanned ground systems business.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">QinetiQ, which lost out to FLIR in the CRS-H competition, did not respond to a query about whether it had bid on the Air Force program.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">An L3Harris spokesperson confirmed to Defense News that it had submitted its T7 EOD robot to the Air Force competition. L3Harris said it wanted to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.defensenews.com\/digital-show-dailies\/ausa\/2018\/10\/09\/the-british-armys-new-robot-for-explosive-ordnance-disposal-sails-through-early-trials\/\" target=_blank>be chosen for the CRS-H program in 2018<\/a>. The company <a href=\"https:\/\/www.defensenews.com\/digital-show-dailies\/ausa\/2016\/10\/03\/harris-unveils-intuitive-t7-explosive-ordnance-disposal-robot\/\" target=_blank>unveiled the robot <\/a>at the Association of the US Army\u2019s annual conference in 2016 letting show attendees take a crack at operating the arm on the robot. The controller looks like the back end of a gun making it easy to hold, and is hooked to sensors that transfer information to the robotic arm on the T7.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The United Kingdom is a customer of the T7 for EOD missions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">At times, the Air Force has joined <a href=\"https:\/\/www.defensenews.com\/smr\/unmanned-unleashed\/2017\/04\/12\/army-poised-to-transform-ground-robotics-industry\/\" target=_blank>Army robot programs<\/a> without needing to hold a competition. But in the case of larger EOD robots, the two services have differing requirements that have led the Air Force to seek out its own system instead of jumping into the CRS-H program, said S. Chase Cooper, a contracting officer who is managing the EOD robot solicitation on behalf of the Air Force\u2019s 772nd Enterprise Sourcing Squadron.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThe major difference is that the Army\u2019s mission is primarily to operate \u2018outside the wire\u2019 \u201d \u2014 that is, outside of a secure military installation \u2014 \u201cwhere the Air Force\u2019s mission is primarily \u2018inside the wire.\u2019 These are two entirely different environments,\u201d he said in a statement to Defense News.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Cooper also pointed to additional considerations such as the size and weight of the system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Most Air Force EOD missions occur after bombs or other improvised explosive devices are found at a base or installation. When that happens, teams load robots and other gear into a Base Response Vehicle or Bomb Squad Emergency Response Vehicle, drive out to the location of the explosive device, and safely dispose of the explosive. Whatever robot the Air Force chooses must be small enough to fit inside those vehicles, Cooper said. That includes passing through a 32-inch-wide door opening and parking into a space 91 inches long and 63 inches high.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Air Force\u2019s requirement for weight, which is set at a maximum of 1,000 pounds, is less stringent than the Army\u2019s 700-pound limit. The Air Force also called for a system with a minimum 800-meter, line-of-sight radio range, and a 3-hour runtime that will allow it complete the majority of EOD missions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Cooper noted that the Air Force\u2019s decision to pursue an open competition does not preclude the FLIR robot from being chosen by the service.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cIt is unknown at this time if that system would meet our requirements,\u201d Cooper said. \u201cThrough our contracting process, we are evaluating all of the proposed large robot systems against the Air Force\u2019s requirement so we can make sure the system we purchase is the best one for our airmen.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Air Force has a history of both collaborating with the Army on EOD robots and going its own way. For its medium-sized unmanned ground vehicle, the Air Force opted to use the Army\u2019s existing contract under the Man Transportable Robotic System Increment II program for FLIR\u2019s Centaur UGV, which is also being purchased by the Navy and Marine Corps.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But while QinetiQ beat out FLIR in the Army\u2019s competition for CRS-Individual \u2014 a man-packable robot that is less than 25 pounds \u2014 the Air Force ended up pursuing a separate contract to meet its own unique needs for small unmanned ground vehicles.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>FLIR, which won a similar competition for the Army, thinks it is the company to 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