Marines recently tested an unmanned ground vehicle that could transport gear provide mobile electrical charging and add firepower to small units.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Generally, these types of platforms carry gear for troops much like pack animals used to.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Army\u2019s current program for the vehicle is called the squad multipurpose equipment transport<\/a>, or SMET. The Marines\u2019 program is called multi-utility tactical transport, or MUTT.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The 3rd Littoral Logistics Battalion Marines at Marine Corps Training Area Bellows, Hawaii, conducted a foreign comparative test over two weeks in December 2023, alongside U.S. Army researchers, of the Hanwha Arion-SMET vehicle, according to a Marine press release<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n David Keeler, Marine Corps Systems Command project lead, said, \u201cUGVs can supplement tactical vehicle operations since they are highly transportable, can be moved to points of need quickly and don\u2019t require licensed operators.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n