The Australian Army recently showcased its robotic M113AS4 Armored Personnel Carriers (APCs) equipped with integrated remote weapon systems.
Through a video uploaded on social media, the service showed how its soldiers are learning to operate the optionally manned vehicles.
It also demonstrated the APC’s ability to traverse muddy terrain and autonomously engage threats from long distances.
“I’m very proud of the soldiers I worked with. I think they grew in the last couple of days,” army robotics and autonomous systems official Captain Balazs Bauer said.
Once the training is complete, the Australian Army is expected to have enhanced military readiness and operational flexibility.
About the M113AS4 APC
Australia’s M113AS4 APC is an all-terrain vehicle designed to protect and transport up to 12 military personnel, including two crew members.
It incorporates armor resistance to small arms fire, ballistic protection from mine blasts, and spall curtains to maximize passenger survivability.
In 2022, BAE Systems Australia announced that it would install autonomous technologies into a total of 20 M113s to revolutionize Australian Defence Force operations.
The company installed necessary hardware and software, including a vehicle management system, to enable the vehicles to operate autonomously.
According to BAE Systems official Colin Duff, the primary objective of integrating autonomous components into the APCs is to keep soldiers away from the first line of danger.
The upgrade also lends simplicity to a rather “complex” platform.
“Autonomous technology will assist soldiers to respond in an accelerating warfare environment. It will increase their speed of initiative to outpace, out-maneuver, and out-think conventional and unconventional threats,” the company said.