EU Seeks Unmanned Ground Systems Teamed With Manned Land, Air Platforms

The European Defense Fund has launched a capability development project to pair unmanned ground systems with manned military vehicles and air platforms.

The 24.8-million euro ($26.5 million) Convoy Operations with Manned-unManneD Systems project will develop a common capability architecture for both manned and unmanned platforms enabling seamless transition in diverse operational environments.

A consortium of 21 companies, led by Sener Aerospace and Defense, will develop the capability for an array of current and future European ground vehicles. 

The three-year project will leverage computer-based processing technologies, machine learning, and AI to develop vehicle capabilities for “unstructured environments, facing degraded or denied satellite signal and communications scenarios,” the European Union explained.

The project aims to upgrade military vehicles, providing more “cooperative intelligent behavior and human-centered ethically aligned services,” complementing manned-unmanned teaming. 

The project’s systems engineering process aims for early de-risking and technology exploitation, including a laboratory and real-scenario mobile demonstrators.