Illinois-based Sabanto has delivered two autonomous tractors to the US Space Force to support the service’s ground maintenance efforts.
Illinois-based Sabanto has delivered two autonomous tractors to the US Space Force to support the service’s ground maintenance efforts.
The vehicles will be operated by the 45th Civil Engineer Squadron at Patrick Space Force Base, Florida.
According to Sabanto, the autonomous technology requires a single operator to drive multiple tractors.
The system is expected to provide the space force with efficient timelines and address labor shortages for associated ground maintenance operations.
"Expanding our market within the Department of Defense represents a big step for Sabanto,” Sabanto Government Products and Services Vice President Eddie Brown said.
"Sabanto is thankful for the opportunity to serve Patrick Space Force Base. We are looking forward to opportunities to advance Sabanto's technology to better support our military partners," Sabanto Product Vice President Cory Spaetti added.
US Air Force Ground-Based Autonomy
Before the delivery, Sabanto integrated its autonomous system into a Kubota M5 tractor for airfield mowing to support the company’s US Air Force planning project.
"Automating our mowers will allow for the reallocation of labor hours to tackle other base priorities," US Air Force Captain Andrew Johnson stated.
"By maximizing our labor hours, we will be able to complete more tasks in-house to support the space launch mission, our mission partners, and the base populace."
