Roke, Industry Alliance to develop UGV platform

Roke Manor Research has joined forces with Marshall Land Systems to provide a mobile surveillance and Electronic Warfare (EW) capability for Marshall's unmanned ground vehicle platforms. The new system will be demonstrated at DSEi's Robotics Showcase being held at the ExCeL Centre, London 13-16 September.

Roke joins a number of defence technology developers in supporting Marshall to develop a sophisticated, market leading unmanned ground vehicle (UGV) system. Providing stand-off surveillance capabilities, the enhanced UGV will give troops advanced surveillance support, particularly when performing dismounted patrols. The new UGV system will also reduce the exposure of personnel to risk from snipers, when searching buildings, thoroughfares and vehicles for threats such as Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs).

Synapse, Roke's intelligent navigation system for unmanned systems, will be integrated into Marshall's two UGV platforms - QUESTAR and TRAKKAR. This enables the platform to roam beyond the operator's line of site as it intelligently optimises its given route plan to avoid obstacles and perform its mission while minimising power use and maximising survivability.

Roke Manor's communications EW system, RESOLVE, will be integrated into Marshall's TRAKKAR platform to provide additional ISTAR capability. Using an unmanned system to carry an EW manpack allows the sensor to be located in regions that would normally present too high a risk to personnel. RESOLVE will provide an additional sensor, enhancing situational awareness by rapidly providing patrols with a position fix for hostile communication equipment.

Others involved in the project to enhance the capabilities of Marshall's UGV platforms include:

- NIITEK's VISOR system will provide ground penetrating radar for IED identification.

- Chess Dynamics's OWL Electro-Optical Director, mounted on a Clark Mast will provide a thermal and optical surveillance camera.

- Cobham's DOMO digital communication and data link.

- Ovation's Gemini-2 video link expander.

Andy Wallace, Programme Manager at Marshall Land Systems, said: "Our expertise in developing UGVs has seen us develop increasingly agile systems that significantly reduce the weight burden of dismounted troops. Working with our partners such as Roke will enable us to offer the most advanced systems on the market, going beyond the weight burden to reducing the exposure of military personnel in hostile environments."

Paul Webb, Unmanned Systems Business Sector Manager, at Roke Manor Research, said: "This partnership is an excellent example of what can be achieved when leading product innovators work together. Between us all we have created a user friendly and highly intelligent asset that offers practical and effective support in the battlefield."

Source: Roke