BAE Systems, the U.S. arm of the British defense giant, and Forterra, a company specializing in „driverless technology,” have announced a partnership to develop a prototype of an Armored Multi-Purpose Vehicle (AMPV) equipped with autonomous capabilities by 2026.
Aiming to „Empower the Army”
„This partnership isn’t about buzzwords — it’s about rolling up our sleeves and presenting tangible options that empower the Army to maintain its dominance on any battlefield against any current or emerging threat,” said Bill Sheehy, Ground Maneuver product line director for BAE, in a company release. He added that bringing together the best in combat vehicle production and autonomous technology development will enable faster progress and provide Soldiers with a competitive edge.
BAE’s Internal Investment in Advanced AMPV Prototypes
This announcement follows BAE Systems’ launch last month of a program to produce „technologically advanced” AMPV prototypes rigged with „different capability kits” using the company’s internal investment funds.
Forterra’s AutoDrive Technology to Integrate Autonomy
Forterra will integrate autonomy into the vehicle using its technology stack called AutoDrive. Scott Sanders, chief growth officer at Forterra, told Breaking Defense in a recent interview that AutoDrive is a suite of software and hardware capabilities that can be either retrofitted onto a platform or built in partnership with an original equipment manufacturer.
Sanders explained that the capability includes „high-performance safety-critical compute, sensors, communications, user interfaces, and networking” to enable remote command and control of the robot, with user feedback to monitor system performance.
„Visual Perception” and Collaborative Operation
Sanders further stated that „AutoDrive is taking all that visual perception, fusing it into an environment that the algorithms can understand, and then creating those paths to operate, both from going from point A to point B, and also collaboratively with the other robots so that you have an effect on target.”
Compatibility with Other U.S. Army Systems
BAE Systems stated that Forterra’s AutoDrive is „also compatible with other modern systems fighting in the U.S. Army’s Armored Brigade Combat Team today, including the Bradley A4 and the M109A7 Paladin Self-Propelled Howitzer.”
Potential Changes to Army’s Unmanned Systems Program
Last month, the Army awarded contracts to three companies, including Forterra, to test the viability of turning Infantry Support Vehicles (ISVs) into autonomous vehicles. However, Breaking Defense confirmed last week that the Unmanned Systems (UxS) program may potentially remove the ISVs from the equation and instead allow industry to bring in their own platforms to host the software. The service may also invite new vendors into the competition.
