{"id":65944,"date":"2023-10-09T11:15:00","date_gmt":"2023-10-09T11:15:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/uncategorized\/2023\/10\/09\/robot-army-of-one-service-focuses-on-single-robotic-combat-vehicle\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T01:01:20","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T01:01:20","slug":"robot-army-of-one-service-focuses-on-single-robotic-combat-vehicle","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/unmanned\/2023\/10\/09\/robot-army-of-one-service-focuses-on-single-robotic-combat-vehicle\/","title":{"rendered":"Robot Army of One: Service focuses on single robotic combat vehicle"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

WASHINGTON \u2014 The U.S. Army has adjusted its pursuit of three robotic combat vehicles<\/a> of different sizes, instead moving forward with a single size that fits the mission needs and can keep up with crewed combat vehicles, according to the service\u2019s program executive officer for ground combat systems.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe don\u2019t really need a light or a medium [RCV] as a standalone. What we need is a platform<\/a> that, depending on the mission payloads you choose, would fill a role or another. So it\u2019s really now about payload,\u201d Maj. Gen. Glenn Dean told Defense News in an interview ahead of the Association of the U.S. Army\u2019s annual conference.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThat was something that came out of our experimentation at Fort Cavazos [formerly Fort Hood, Texas], <\/a>with the 1st Cavalry Division\u201d last year, he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Army had decided the heavy capability would be deferred<\/a> because operating a large-caliber, direct-fire weapon remotely was a \u201cvery, very difficult problem,\u201d he noted. The Army did evaluate a heavy capability using old M1113 vehicles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The service entered the experiment with surrogate light and medium robotic combat vehicles, thinking the RCV light, medium and heavy \u201cwere distinct mission roles with distinct platforms,\u201d Dean said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But \u201cthe outcome of the experiment [found] we really need a modular platform that kind of falls in between the two [light and medium],\u201d he added. \u201cIt can be a little bit bigger than we were allowing the light to be, but it doesn\u2019t need to be as big as we were expecting the medium to be because what we found is the available options for payloads that exist in the defense industry right now could \u2026 fit on that smaller platform.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\t