May 15 2014
Oshkosh Defense, a division of Oshkosh Corporation, has integrated its TerraMax® unmanned ground vehicle (UGV) technology onto an Oshkosh MRAP All-Terrain Vehicle (M-ATV) to demonstrate capabilities for route-clearance missions.
TerraMax UGV technology has the potential to reduce troops’ exposure to threats, such as improvised explosive devices (IED) in route-clearance missions, as well as optimize the number of troops needed for such operations.
Oshkosh Defense M-ATV equipped with TerraMax UGV technology and mine roller leads convoy of Oshkosh MTVRs (Photo: Business Wire)
Oshkosh is attending the Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International (AUVSI) Unmanned Systems 2014 in Orlando, Fla. beginning today through May 15, to demonstrate how TerraMax UGV technology can benefit route clearance and other missions.
“The clearance of threats like IEDs, mines and unexploded munitions pose challenges that global military forces have faced since World War II, and are expected to continue long after Afghanistan,” said John Urias, president of Oshkosh Defense. “Our TerraMax UGV technology can bring autonomous capabilities to existing manned vehicle platforms, like the M-ATV, to remove troops from targeted routes and provide greater standoff distance from explosive threats. It also has force-multiplication benefits with one operator controlling several vehicles, so logistics operations can be successfully completed with fewer troops.”
Equipped on the M-ATV, as well as other heavy and medium tactical wheeled vehicles, TerraMax UGV technology enables one or multiple vehicles in a route clearance convoy to operate autonomously, resulting in fewer troops exposed to threats.
The TerraMax UGV system can be enhanced to intelligently incorporate counter-IED (C-IED) payloads such as ground-penetrating radar and mine rollers. The TerraMax operator control unit (OCU) also can provide over-the-horizon situational awareness to accompanying manned vehicles. The system is highly interoperable, using a widely adopted, non-proprietary open architecture messaging standard that enables modularity and easy integration of new subsystems.
Oshkosh is conducting this work independently and in parallel to efforts within the U.S. Marine Corps and Army to identify opportunities for using UGVs for route-reconnaissance and route-clearance missions. The effort expands on Oshkosh’s efforts with the U.S. Office of Naval Research Cargo UGV project, which seeks to bring UGV capabilities to logistics convoy missions to help reduce troops’ exposure to threats.
TerraMax UGV Technology
Oshkosh TerraMax UGV technology is designed as a modular appliqué kit that can be tightly integrated into modern production vehicles or retrofitted onto legacy platforms. Vehicles equipped with the TerraMax UGV technology can seamlessly collaborate with manned vehicles to carry out missions at full operational tempo. TerraMax UGVs function autonomously across varying terrains and in all weather conditions, day or night—and original vehicle payload and performance are retained.
Developed to support rapid deployment, troops can be trained to oversee TerraMax-equipped vehicles in only a few days to take advantage of an unsurpassed standoff and advance situational awareness capability. The user-friendly operator interface meets the unique demands of troops in the field, enabling warfighters to focus on mission success without undue distraction, and empowering a single operator to supervise multiple autonomous vehicles. Oshkosh is teamed with the National Robotics Engineering Center (NREC) of Carnegie Mellon University for perception system and autonomy software development.
Oshkosh also is transitioning technologies from the TerraMax UGV system to provide active-safety features for the manned operation of vehicle fleets, including electronic stability control, forward collision warning, adaptive cruise control and electric power-assist steering.
Oshkosh representatives will be available to discuss Oshkosh TerraMax UGV technology and the company’s broad portfolio of vehicles, technologies and services at AUVSI booth #1022.
About Oshkosh Defense
Oshkosh Defense is a leading provider of tactical wheeled vehicles and life cycle sustainment services. For more than 90 years, Oshkosh has been mobilizing military and security forces around the globe by offering a full portfolio of heavy, medium, light and highly protected military vehicles to support our customers’ missions. In addition, Oshkosh offers advanced technologies and vehicle components such as TAK-4® independent suspension systems, TerraMax® unmanned ground vehicle solutions, Command Zone™ integrated control and diagnostics system, and ProPulse® diesel electric and on-board vehicle power solutions, to provide our customers with a technical edge as they fulfill their missions. Every Oshkosh vehicle is backed by a team of defense industry experts and complete range of sustainment and training services to optimize fleet readiness and performance.
To learn more about Oshkosh Defense, please visit us at www.oshkoshdefense.com.