[Monthly Defense Times Editor-in-Chief An Seung-beom] For over 20 years since 2001, continuous development of defense unmanned robot technologies and products has been underway, with platform diversification driven by 4th Industrial Revolution technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI), deep learning, and autonomous driving. In particular, as manpower resources decrease and non-face-to-face 'untact' interactions accelerate, the development of unmanned systems and defense robots applying advanced scientific technologies is gaining attention.
Defense unmanned robots are weapon systems that perform missions by replacing soldiers in areas requiring survivability such as battlefields and hazardous zones, and transmit acquired information to unmanned systems, manned systems, and command and control systems to efficiently support allied forces on the battlefield.
The representative defense company developing various next-generation advanced unmanned weapon systems is Hanwha Defense. Hanwha Defense’s representative unmanned weapon systems focus on four main types.
▲Multi-Purpose Unmanned Ground Vehicle (Multi-Purpose Unmanned Ground Vehicle)= Currently, Hanwha Defense is at the stage of completing the development of the ‘Multi-Purpose Unmanned Ground Vehicle’ under a civil-military cooperation project (2016?2019).
The 4-wheel drive (4x4) multi-purpose unmanned ground vehicle weighs about 1.5 tons, designed smaller than a compact car, making it possible to be loaded onto medium-sized transport helicopters. It is capable of driving on rough and open terrain and features a compound steering system that allows it to rotate in place.
Hanwha Defense proposed a 6-wheel drive (6x6) multi-purpose unmanned ground vehicle for the Defense Acquisition Program Administration’s rapid demonstration acquisition phase 2 project. It targets domestic, European, and U.S. markets.
The multi-purpose unmanned ground vehicle can carry loads over 200 kg, transporting military gear, ammunition, and other supplies to enhance combat efficiency, as well as evacuate wounded personnel autonomously to rear emergency medical stations. Under normal conditions, it is equipped with regular tires for movement within garrisons or on general roads, minimizing driving power consumption by reducing friction with the ground.
In combat situations, if tires are damaged by enemy fire, ‘airless tires’ can be optionally installed to facilitate continued driving.
The remote firing control system is fixedly mounted, providing a significant advantage in combat support missions. Notably, it features AI capabilities that automatically detect enemy gunfire and turn the weapon’s muzzle toward the direction of enemy fire to counterattack.
Additionally, to prepare for situations where basic wireless operation is limited, it is equipped with long-range remote/autonomous operation functions utilizing 5G networks as auxiliary communication equipment. It can carry drones, and when used for communication relay, the operational radius can expand from about 1 km to 2?3 km.
Last year, under the Army Drone-Bot Combat Unit’s supervision, the multi-purpose unmanned ground vehicle demonstrated various AI and unmanned operation technologies for the first time in Korea during military operational trials, including remote driving, soldier auto-follow mode, autonomous movement to target locations, autonomous return upon communication loss, autonomous obstacle avoidance, and reconnaissance and communication relay using drones.
▲Remote Controlled Weapon Station (Remote Controlled Weapon Station)= The Remote Controlled Weapon Station (RCWS) is a future weapon system mounted on various equipment such as naval vessels, armored vehicles, self-propelled artillery, tactical vehicles, and tanks. Since the weapon system mounted externally on the equipment is operated remotely from inside the vessel or vehicle, it protects allied crew members from enemy attacks.
RCWS can precisely track and strike moving targets during day and night maneuvers using visible light and thermal imaging target identification, stabilization, and automatic tracking technologies. It also integrates with radar, combat systems, navigation sensors, and gunfire detection sensors to provide situational awareness and enemy response capabilities on the battlefield.
The navy’s next-generation high-speed patrol boats and harbor security boats are equipped with RCWS armed with 12.7mm caliber K-6 machine guns, serving as key forces against North Korean maritime provocations.
The composite weapon RCWS to be mounted on the Marine Corps’ KAAV amphibious assault armored vehicles has completed development and will begin deployment next year. The composite weapon RCWS is equipped with both the K-4 high-speed grenade machine gun and the K-6 medium machine gun.
Following the Army’s ‘Army Tiger 4.0’ initiative, RCWS will also be installed on wheeled armored vehicles operated by the Army and Marine Corps.
With independent development and deployment of RCWS for naval vessels and amphibious assault armored vehicles, a lightweight RCWS for wheeled armored vehicles has also been developed. Additionally, Hanwha Defense’s RCWS is exported to Indian tanks and armored vehicles as well as naval vessels.
▲Explosive Ordnance Detection and Disposal Robot (Explosive Ordnance Detection and Disposal Robot)= Development of the explosive ordnance detection and disposal robot has been completed, and system development is underway. It is remotely operated to support attack and defense operations of mobile units in urban and mountainous areas.
It is also used for clearing and expanding minefields in the DMZ. As a surveillance and reconnaissance asset, it can detect and mark expected locations of mines and improvised explosive device threats.
▲Autonomous Exploration Robot (Autonomous Exploration Robot)= Core technology development is scheduled to be completed by 2022 under the supervision of the Agency for Defense Development. It is responsible for the prototype design and production of the robot platform to implement autonomous tunnel exploration technology.
The main mission of the autonomous exploration robot is to autonomously explore and navigate areas where troop deployment is restricted, such as tunnels where GPS signals are difficult to receive, and transmit underground location and information.
The control vehicle carries the ground robot platform and other equipment, autonomously drives inside the tunnel, scans the exploration section, and delivers location and related information to the operator.
At the remote station, information such as tunnel shape, location, and status is received to create 3D and 2D maps.
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