WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — The US Army is planning to test unmanned robot supply trucks as early as 2019, Military Deputy to the Assistant Secretary of the Army for Acquisition, Logistics and Technology General Paul Ostrowski told the House Armed Services Committee (HASC).
"[In] 2019-20, we shall place those four standard types into the field," Ostrowski said Wednesday. "That will lead to a decision by our soldiers whether or not to field that particular [robotic] capability."
The technology involved would use a leader vehicle truck that could be directed to drive from a port to a base along highways and it would have the capability to use at least 1,000 pounds of equipment utilizing commercial systems that have already been developed, Ostrowski testified.
This summer, the US Army plans to demonstrate robotic Humvee vehicles operating as "wingmen" to human-driven Humvees, Defense News reported in December 2016. The autonomous vehicle would be a purpose-built platform with fully autonomous navigation capability and tele-operated weapons, it said.
