JERUSALEM – Elbit Programs and Roboteam in Israel have introduced “Rook,” a brand new unmanned floor car.
With six wheels, the car is the newest UGV to enter {the marketplace}. The businesses say Rook is a multi-payload army car that options “distinctive design and built-in autonomy suite providing a mixture of larger capability, improved maneuverability and must-have on-field agility which might be key for larger mission effectiveness.”
The Rook UGV was developed based mostly on the operational expertise gathered via fielding of the 4×4 Probot car, the businesses stated. That system is already being utilized in France, the UK, Israel and the USA. Roboteam additionally has contracts in Norway, Italy and Thailand.
Israel makes use of unmanned floor autos with its IDF Gaza Division. One of many UGVs in service with the IDF is named Jaguar and is semi-autonomous and was developed by the IDF and Israel Aerospace Industries. IAI and Marlborough within the U.Ok. partnered to ship a number of UGVs to the UK Protection Ministry earlier this yr. The Probot has been seen in use with Israel’s new IDF Multi-Dimensional Unit.
Elad Levy, CEO and founding father of Roboteam, says there are “tens of techniques” deployed with IDF. Roboteam was based in 2009 and located success in the USA with its Micro Tactical Floor Robotic via the Pentagon’s Combatting Terrorism Technical Help Workplace (CTTSO). He says greater than 130 of the techniques have been deployed with U.S. forces and a contract was executed with the U.S. Air Power.
Elbit has stated that UGVs “present a complete operational resolution that reduces casualties and facilitates long-term personnel reductions.” The businesses stated in a press release on Nov. 16 that Rook was designed from scratch as a robotic UGV platform in compliance with relevant army requirements. It applies a modular construction in order that there is no such thing as a want for authentic producer lab upkeep.
The brand new UGV will weigh 1,200 kg and may carry the identical weight in cargo. It has 24 cm of clearance so it will possibly navigate rocks and hills and different kinds of terrain. That is bigger and gives extra payload than some earlier techniques. The businesses say it has “full compliance with the UGV Interoperability Profile (IOP) [which] turns Rook right into a multi-payload platform offering customers with seamless plug and play payload integration.
It has 8 hours of drive time and may attain speeds of 30 km an hour. The built-in Torch X utility can imply that an operator may management a number of unmanned techniques, equivalent to Rook in addition to aerial drones. Levy additionally informed The Jerusalem Publish that the UGV may act as a “mothership” of unmanned autos.
Pictures launched by Elbit and Roboteam present the Rook car performing duties equivalent to accompanying troopers and carrying electro-optic payloads, in addition to carrying a wounded soldier. It might additionally carry a mounted gun and equipment, in addition to carrying a quadcopter drone.
Seth Frantzman has been overlaying battle within the Center East since 2010 as a researcher, analyst and correspondent for various publications. He has expertise overlaying the worldwide coalition in opposition to the Islamic State group in Iraq and Syria, and he’s a co-founder and govt director of the Center East Heart for Reporting and Evaluation.