iRobot declared that the U.S. Army has planned to obtain two more brigade sets of 320 SUGVs (Small Unmanned Ground Vehicles). The approval was given by the Defense Acquisition Board for acquiring some more SUGVs in February under the Brigade Combat Team Modernization (BCTM) Program.
This would permit the delivery of 76 SUGVs for two extra infantry brigade sets. As per the low-rate initial production agreement with the Army, iRobot has already supplied 45 SUGVs for the first brigade set of BCTM.
iRobot
iRobot is currently focusing on developing a follow-on model of the SUGV for the BCTM Program that would offer additional processing, communication and sensor capabilities. This is planned to be completed by 2012.
Robert Moses, President of Industrial Robot Division and iRobot’s Government, has revealed that they were glad to hear about the US Army’s decision to acquire two more brigade sets of SUGVs. This is a great proof about the efficiency of the SUGV and has added to the positive feedback received. According to him, the robots are performing excellently on the battlefield and fulfilling the requirements of the Army.
The SUGV was jointly developed by Boeing and iRobot. The smaller and more compact version of the PackBot would provide war fighters on the spot awareness and knowledge of serious and grave situations and help them in completing dangerous missions from a safe distance.