US armed forces buy more Centaurs
Orders worth almost $100 million have been placed for more than 750 UGVs in last 12 months
The US Army, USAF and USN have collectively ordered more than 250 extra Centaur UGVs from FLIR Systems, in a series of full-rate production orders worth a total of $32 million.
This means that the company has received $97 million in orders for more than 750 Centaurs from the aforementioned three services plus the USMC.
FLIR Systems expects to begin deliveries in Q1 2021.
The award is being sourced from the US Army via the Man Transportable Robotic System Increment II (MTRS Inc II) programme.
Centaur was selected as the MTRS Inc II solution in 2017. It is a medium-sized UGV that provides a standoff capability to detect, confirm, identify, and dispose of hazards.
Weighing about 160lb (72.6kg), the open-architecture robot features an advanced EO/IR camera suite, a manipulator arm that extends beyond 6ft (1.83m) and the ability to climb stairs.
Modular payloads can be used for CBRNE detection and other missions.
According to Shephard Defence Insight, Centaur can use a Robotic Deployment System (RDS to self-deploy from vehicles, thereby ensuring that the operator does not have to leave the protection of their vehicle.
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