Israel’s Ministry of Defense has unveiled a state-of-the-art armed Medium Robotic Combat Vehicle (M-RCV).
Introduced at the Eurosatory defense expo in Paris, the platform will reportedly be used for Israeli Defense Forces forward reconnaissance missions.
According to the ministry, the robotic vehicle can carry a military drone for surveillance operations.
It can also integrate an anti-tank missile launcher, carry heavy loads, and possesses advanced maneuvering capabilities.
Additionally, the M-RCV features an array of passive sensors to help in crucial battlefield data collection through vibration, light, radiation, and heat detection.
BL Advanced Ground Support Systems, Elbit Systems, and Israel Aerospace Industries provided the components for the vehicle.
Additional Capabilities
The M-RCV features Elbit’s Iron Fist Active Protection System, protecting against anti-tank threats and increasing the vehicle’s survivability.
It also has fire control and mission management systems, a robotic autonomous kit, and situational awareness systems.
The vehicle can also launch Rafael’s “Spike” anti-tank missiles to neutralize enemy targets at long range.
“It is operational during the day and night in all-weather scenarios, while emphasizing operational effectiveness, simplicity, minimum operator intervention, and integration into heterogeneous unmanned arrays,” the ministry said in a statement.
Testing for the new robotic vehicle is expected to begin this year, but its official deployment date has yet to be revealed.
Questions Raised
However, a defense correspondent from Israeli-based news outlet i24NEWS expressed skepticism regarding the M-RCV’s capabilities, doubting the robot can operate better than an experienced commander on the battlefield.
“Is there anything better than the eyes of people on the ground? I’m not sure,” Jonathan Regev stated.
Tech blogger Mike Waizman also explained that a fully-autonomous vehicle can be a hacking target for hostile forces.