Army Robots Fire Javelin Anti-Tank Missiles

By Brent M. Eastwood, PhD, Former Army Infantry

(Washington DC) You know the age of military robots is here, you just haven’t seen many examples.The U.S. Army is forging ahead with robotic tracked vehicles that can fire Javelin anti-tank missiles and a .50 caliber machine gun remotely.

These robots were tested at Fort Hood, Texas, in September. The vehicles weigh around 7 tons, and their job is to forge ahead of manned columns and root out enemy tanks and armored personnel carriers. They will be especially handy for reconnaissance and surveillance of cities, and for testing enemy strength without putting soldiers in jeopardy.

Robotic Combat Vehicles In Three Configurations

This program has 12 robotic vehicles and six additional vehicles that provide command and control. Engineers and designers have worked on the project for four years. There are three different Robotic Combat Vehicles (RCVs): RCV-Light, RCV-Medium, and RCV-Heavy with a diverse range of combat missions. 

The heavier robots will carry larger weapons such as a 30mm cannon for the medium and a 120mm gun for the heavy version. These vehicles are not autonomous and must be controlled by a human, but the remote-controlled vehicles can perform different duties such as scouting out terrain, examining ambush sites, hauling supplies and ammunition and taking out enemy targets. 

FIRING A JAVELIN WOULD BE USEFUL

The Javelin anti-tank missile has been especially effective during the war In Ukraine, and having a remote vehicle with the weapon system makes the RCV series much more lethal than just deploying a machine gun in battle. 

The RCV could be the “first in” to combat in a contested environment to measure enemy strength. It can also test whether a location is filled with mines or improvised explosive devices.

JAVELIN ROBOTS: DIVERSE NUMBER OF MISSIONS

The robot fleet could also set up ambushes to defend certain areas or lay down suppressive fire while dismounted infantry soldiers maneuver toward an objective. The robots could first draw enemy fire and help determine the size of an enemy unit.