The U.S. Army’s 2nd Cavalry Regiment, the largest U.S. Army combat formation in Europe, is at the forefront of testing Unmanned Ground Vehicles (UGVs) as part of the xTech Edge Strike Ground competition. This crucial initiative, which involved evaluating over 17 prototypes, has highlighted a major strategic reality: the delicate balance between the cost of a robotic platform and its utility on an increasingly dynamic battlefield.
The Price Dilemma: How „Attritable” Can a Robot Be?
The main lesson learned from these tests, according to officials, is the difficulty of navigating the burgeoning UGV market, where prices vary enormously. „I think what we found is it’s actually harder to break into the unmanned ground vehicle market because the platforms vary at price points that are a little bit outside of the reach of a brigade combat team level,” explained Major Andrew Kang, the 2nd Cavalry Regiment’s fire support officer. He noted that while there are „attritable” platforms costing between $500 and $1,000, the spectrum extends to platforms that can reach millions of dollars.
Lessons from the Front: Diverse Roles for War Machines
Through its own testing and close collaboration with Ukrainian counterparts fresh off the battlefield, the 2nd Cavalry Regiment has identified a multitude of use cases for UGVs. These include sustainment and logistics operations, medical evacuations, using robots equipped with sensors as „decoys” for the enemy, and sending them on destructive missions with explosives.
Major Kang pointed out that some of these missions require „purpose-built” robots, which entail a higher cost – an investment that can seem pointless if the robot is destined to be destroyed by adversaries. In this area, he acknowledged, there is still a long way to go to find a bespoke solution at a more affordable price point.
Robots on the Front Line: Mitigating Human Risk
For now, the greatest potential for UGVs is seen in „breaching” scenarios, where, „instead of having a manned formation go to the breach point, we could potentially load an explosive on an RC [remote controlled] car-type platform and drive that, mitigating risk to soldiers,” Kang detailed.
Colonel Donald Neal, commander of the 2nd Cavalry, echoed this perspective, stating that while bespoke UGV solutions at a lower price point would be ideal, the Army is currently more concerned with „attritable” systems. „I mean, to be honest – and I’m not saying this to be smart aleck – but I think the cheaper the better, because in most uses for unmanned ground vehicles, we know we’re going to put them in a position where we’re not going to recover them,” Neal told reporters. He emphasized the need for platforms that are as cheap as possible, yet scalable and adaptable to specific mission requirements, criticizing „exquisite” and extremely costly platforms that prove ineffective in this context.
The Future of Procurement: A Race for Accessible Innovation
The initial list of 17 xTech competition finalists was selected earlier this year, and up to five final winners will be announced on March 13 by leaders from the Department of Defense, the Army (with the 2nd Cavalry Regiment’s involvement), and NATO subject-matter experts. Each winner will receive $275,000 and will be considered for inclusion in the Global Tactical Edge Acquisition Directorate (G-TEAD) Marketplace, paving the way for potential follow-on agreements and contracting opportunities.
The xTech competition is not the Army’s first attempt to award contracts for autonomous ground platforms. For example, the Robotic Combat Vehicle program was scrapped for the second time last year, and a few months later, the Army asked industry for cheaper vehicle options under a new name, the Unmanned Ground Commercial Robotic Vehicle. Further movement in this new program has not yet been announced, indicating an ongoing and challenging quest for affordable and effective robotic solutions on the battlefield of the future.
