U.S. ARMY TO DEPLOY UPGRADED UGVS
WASHINGTON -- The U.S. Army will field upgraded unmanned ground vehicles (UGVs). These new robots will perform variety missions. Among the systems to arrive soon are the Common Robotic System - Individual (CRS-I), the Man Transportable Robotic System Increment 2 and the Common Robotic System - Heavy (CRS-H). Another system, the Squad Multipurpose Equipment Transport (SMET), which haul equipment for dismounted soldiers.
QinetiQ North America won a production contract for the CRS-I in March. The production award was valued up to $152 million. The system is scheduled to be fielded by the second quarter of fiscal year 2020.
Meanwhile, the Man Transportable Robotic System Increment 2 (MTRS Inc II) is in production and scheduled to be fielded by September or October. The platform fulfills the Army's medium size requirement for EOD robots. The $158.5 million contract was awarded in September 2017 to FLIR.
The competition for the CRS-H aims to meet the Army's requirement for a large EOD robot. The Army’s acquisition objective for the system is about 70 platforms. The CRS-H is scheduled for fielding in 2020. FLIR, Harris Corporation and QinetiQ are competing in the second phase of the competition.
The U.S. Army is also in the process of examining options for the Squad Multipurpose Equipment Transport (SMET) robot. In 2017, the Army downselected to four vendors, which included General Dynamics Land Systems, HDT Global, Howe and Howe Technologies, and a Polaris-ARA-Neya Systems team. Two brigades will each received 32 systems. A production contract could arrive in August or September.
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