Recently, on January 3, 2020, Major General Soleimani, commander of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps' Quds Force, was killed in an attack from a US military drone near Baghdad Airport in Iraq. The drone used was a U.S. Special Operations Command MQ-9 "Reaper" that took off from a base in Qatar and was remotely controlled from an Air Force base in Nevada, USA.
From large aircraft carrying missiles like the "Reaper" to palm-sized drones used for aerial photography, military and civilian drones that can autonomously fly by judging their surroundings to some extent fly around the world. On the other hand, there are no unmanned vehicles on the ground yet. It is easier for humans to drive a car than to fly an airplane, but for robots it seems to be more difficult to move around on the ground.
Research on robot vehicles that work on the battlefield began before the First World War. In 1915 (Taisho 4), an American inventor unveiled a self-driving car called "Electric Dog". It senses the light source such as the flashlight that the pilot has and steers in the direction of the strong light. When World War I began, it was considered to be used as an unmanned luggage carrier on the front line, but the accuracy was poor and it was not practical.
Pioneer of Robot Fighting Vehicles German "Goliath" and Japan's "I-Go"
The pioneering robot fighting vehicles that became famous were the German " Goliath". It was a "self-propelled explosive" loaded with 100 kg of explosives on a small wired remote-controlled vehicle with a total length of 1.5 m and a width of 0.85 m that moved with tracks (a so-called caterpillar). More than 7,500 units were produced, but because they were wired, they often broke down or broke down, so they weren't very active.
German 'Goliath' remotely controlled vehicle captured by British forces.
At the same time in Japan, a remote-controlled device "I-go" with the same idea as Germany's "Goliath" was created. There is no technical exchange and it is a coincidence.
Although the goal of setting explosives as safely as possible is the same, the "I-go" was a little more extensive. It consisted of four equipment, a generator car, an electric car, a work machine, and a pilot, and was operated in one platoon. Once the explosives are placed, the work machine will evacuate as much as possible, so it is not based on self-destruction like "Goliath".
Approximately 300 sets were produced and equipped by the 27th Independent Engineer Regiment stationed in Manchuria in preparation for the war against the Soviet Union, but they were not used in actual combat. After the end of the war, the US military took an interest and collected materials.
Even after the war, the Defense Agency (at that time) was prototyping an unmanned mine disposal vehicle based on the M24 light tank. You can see how dangerous the work of dealing with mines and explosives is. Since the M24 had an automatic transmission, remote control was relatively easy, and although the prototype vehicle was completed, the important mine disposal equipment was not completed and did not see the light of day.
And as of 2020, small remote-controlled vehicles that support dangerous work such as explosives disposal are already in widespread use, but they have not yet reached what can be called a "robot combat vehicle" that can move autonomously. . In 2018, for example, Russia brought its Uran-9 robotic combat vehicle into the Syrian civil war. In urban warfare, where it is difficult to know where the enemy is hiding, robot combat vehicles were expected, but due to radio interference and operational problems, soldiers had to be nearby to take care of them, so it was too early to put them into practical use. Rated.
Robot combat vehicle Trial and error even after 100 years
However, it does not mean that the realization of the robot combat vehicle has been achieved. In the United States, the RCV (Robot Combat Beagle) is being developed as one item of the Next Generation Combat Vehicle (NGCV) in a project to develop next-generation tanks and infantry fighting vehicles for the Army.
Three categories of robotic combat vehicles published by the US Army. All of them have only image diagrams (Image: US Army materials processed by the monthly PANZER editorial department).
The RCV consists of a lightweight type (RCV-L) for small reconnaissance, a heavy type (RCV-H) that can replace tanks equipped with up to 120mm guns, and a medium weight type (RCV-M) in between. Three types are envisioned. It is intended to be paired with the OMFV, which is being developed to replace the M2 Bradley Infantry Fighting Vehicle, and is not intended to operate alone.
The light type is lightly armed reconnaissance and weighs less than 10t, while the heavy type weighs 20t and is said to be equipped with a tank-like 120mm cannon, making it almost a robot tank. These three types are combined according to the operation content to give flexibility.
The RCV prototype has not yet appeared, but the software research of the remote control technology that forms the basis is undergoing trials by modifying existing armored vehicles. It seems that the priority is to complete the software first, and the hardware production will be started after the software is ready.
When talking about robot combat vehicles, we must not forget who will make the decision to pull the "trigger".
Each country seems to agree that no matter how advanced AI (artificial intelligence) progresses, robots should not pull the trigger. With AI, it has become possible to distinguish between guerrillas carrying anti-tank rockets and civilians carrying luggage, and to judge the degree of threat. It's also a problem.
In 2020, the American RCV will face a trial involving the use of weapons on a testbed that incorporates RCV software into existing armored vehicles. It is planned to decide whether to adopt RCV in 2023, but it is not known whether it will reach the stage of completion by then.
For robots, the ground seems to be a much harsher environment than the sky.