Brisbane-based technology firms Cyborg Dynamics Engineering and BIA5 are using funding from the Australian government to develop an indigenous multirole unmanned ground vehicle (UGV) called the Warfighter.
The company revealed a prototype vehicle on 24 August following 12 months of detailed design and engineering work centring on integrating existing and newly developed systems offered by local defence suppliers.
The Warfighter UGV prototype is derived from BIA5’s ATR chassis and features EOS Defence Systems’ lightweight R150 RWS. Other locally supplied mission equipment and payloads can also be fitted as required. (Cyborg Dynamics Engineering))
According the Department of Defence (DoD) in Canberra, Cyborg Dynamics and BIA5 were awarded up to AUD426,150 in matched funding under the Sovereign Industrial Capability Priorities (SICP) scheme to support the design, materials and equipment outlays, and testing of the UGV.
The SICP, which is funded by the DoD and delivered by its Centre for Defence Industry Capability (CDIC), aims to boost small- to medium-size enterprises (SMEs) that are developing or supporting capabilities regarded as essential for national defence.
The Warfighter UGV is based on BIA5’s tracked OzBot All Terrain Robot (ATR) chassis. Specifications of the ATR platform was not disclosed by either company but Cyborg Dynamics CEO Stephen Bornstein told Janes on 25 August that the Warfighter can support a payload weight of up to 330 kg and has been designed to carry a wide range of mission systems and payloads to address specific operational requirements.
“We have taken the BIA5 base platform and modified it with a specialised [drive system] for the military applications and added optional power generation for endurance,” said Bornstein. “We have also incorporated a lot of advanced autonomy.”
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