Unmanned ground vehicles for the Armed Forces

Unmanned ground vehicles (UGV - see fact box) have enormous potential to perform military tasks better, faster and, not least, more securely than personnel and manned vehicles. This especially applies if the vehicle is also self-driving (autonomous).

In the civil sector, there are rapid developments in this field, and it is important that the Armed Forces keep pace. We must explore the potential of the technology – and determine how it needs to be adapted for use by the Armed Forces.

We are now developing our own research platform for autonomous driving in terrain. The objective is to demonstrate autonomous driving and execution of missions in challenging terrain, and facilitate a good technological foundation in this field. In this manner, we can ensure a good starting point for procurements and use of unmanned vehicles in the Armed Forces. 

In the project, we research everything from how the vehicle is operated to how the vehicle perceives its surroundings and how it makes decisions. This has, for instance, been used in a base defence system, where soldiers can send the vehicle out to inspect what triggered an alarm. This will make it possible to defend bases more effectively in the future.

Several trials have been conducted in this regard, including during the Trident Juncture exercise in 2018.