US Army contracts Lockheed for SMSS-KMAX cooperative teaming demonstration

Lockheed Martin has been awarded a contract to conduct a fully autonomous reconnaissance, surveillance and target acquisition experiment using its squad mission support system (SMSS) unmanned ground vehicle (UGV) and K-MAX unmanned air vehicle (UAV).

Expected to be conducted in collaboration with the US Army Tank Automotive Research, Development and Engineering Center (TARDEC) in late 2014, the experiment will involve transportation of a Gyrocam-equipped SMSS by K-MAX through sling load into a simulated area of interest deemed too risky for human presence.

Equipped with the sensors and satellite communications, the SMSS will then assess the area using a combination of autonomous capabilities and tele-operation, which will be managed from a remote site, while the K-MAX will return to a base.

The reconnaissance, surveillance, target acquisition sensor installed onboard the SMSS will locate, observe and obtain coordinates of targets and other objects of interest, which will be relayed through a satellite communications system to a remote operations centre for analysis.

Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control maneuver systems combat director Joe Zinecker said, "We believe this demonstration could lead to expanded missions, such as remote sensing and monitoring of suspected chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear and explosive threats or events."

The contract, whose value remains undisclosed, was awarded by the US Army Robotics Technology Consortium.

The demonstration represents a follow-up to a 2012 exercise conducted at Camp Grayling, Michigan, during which a Gyrocam-equipped SMSS, operated through satellite, successfully conducted a simulated reconnaissance mission.