Milrem Robotics’ new Type-X Robotic Combat Vehicle (RCV) has passed its initial mobility tests, the company announced on 7 January. Kuldar Väärsi, CEO of Milrem Robotics, told Janes that the tests commenced in October 2020 and were carried out in a testing field in Estonia.
“Milrem Robotics aims to follow and conduct a thorough testing plan to validate the performance of the Type-X against customer requirements for a proof-of-concept system,” said Väärsi. “This plan will be conducted through Q1 this year.”
The Type-X RCV is approximately three to four times lighter than a conventional IFV. (Milrem Robotics)
The development of the Type-X was revealed in May 2020, with the RCV being the first to be produced in Europe. The vehicle is comparable to an infantry fighting vehicle (IFV) in terms of main armament and will become an intelligent wingman that is designed to provide direct support to main battle tanks (MBTs) and IFVs of mechanised forces. “It provides means to breach enemy defensive positions with minimal risk for own troops and replacing a lost RCV is purely a logistical nuance,” added Väärsi.
Various mobility and performance tests are planned to be carried out in the first-quarter timeframe. Included in the test plan will be basic intelligent autonomous functions, such as waypoint navigation, obstacle detection, and follow-the-formation, with artificial intelligence (AI) being part of the algorithms.
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