BAE Systems Australia has today unveiled a cutting-edge uncrewed ground vehicle (UGV) that gives military commanders an added tactical option while keeping soldiers out of harm’s way. The Autonomous Tactical Light Armour System (ATLAS) Collaborative Combat Variant (CCV), a new, cost effective, modular, 8×8 uncrewed ground vehicle, has been designed and built leveraging BAE Systems’ world-leading expertise in autonomous technology, armoured vehicles and in collaboration with industry partners. The future battlefield will involve a mix of autonomous, semi-autonomous and human machine teams, generating combat mass and removing soldiers from many of the most dangerous tasks.
Andrew Gresham, Managing Director – Defence Delivery at BAE Systems Australia, said:“We’ve developed the ATLAS vehicle to give soldiers the advantage on the modern battlefield. This has resulted in an autonomous platform that will deliver the dull, dirty and dangerous tasks expected in a combat environment. ATLAS will enable the Australian Army to be fit to fight in the littoral environment. It will help the soldier outpace, out-manoeuvre and out-think conventional and unconventional threats. We have proven expertise in autonomous technologies, built on more than 30 years of complex autonomous projects. We’re excited that this is the first UGV of its kind to be developed in Australia and look forward to working with our industry partners to deliver this capability for our customers.”
ATLAS CCV will operate using high levels of autonomy both on and off-road, complementing crewed counterparts such as infantry fighting vehicles and main battle tanks, at a lower cost. The vehicle incorporates existing, proven technologies to provide a cost-effective capability that is mission configurable and upgradable so that it continues to evolve to counter new and emerging technologies and threats. BAE Systems is continuously exploring innovative technology that provides armed forces with a tactical advantage in an ever-changing battlespace. The autonomy system at the core of the ATLAS CCV will ‘drive’ the vehicle, avoid obstacles, route plan, and make tactical decisions.
ATLAS CCV is armed with a new, lightweight, affordable, highly automated medium calibre turret system called ‘VANTAGE’ ATS™’, designed for use on uncrewed platforms. Importantly, the turret is designed with a ‘human in-the-loop’ targeting system. ATLAS CCV is easily transportable, designed to fit into a standard 20-foot ISO container or 20-foot ISO flat rack. It will also deliver a logistics multiplier effect for companion crewed platforms, effectively extending the combat endurance of vehicles currently in service. BAE Systems has worked with partners including Supacat in the UK/Australia, Valhalla Turrets in Slovenia and Victorian manufacturer Marand to deliver ATLAS CCV.
The brains within ATLAS CCV are provided by our proven autonomous uncrewed systems architecture, which has powered other uncrewed aircraft and vehicle systems and autonomous missile defence technology. The system is capable of uncrewed dynamic vehicle behaviours such as accepting real-time control from a user (akin to remote control), autonomous geometric path following (a string of waypoints defining a path the vehicle follows) and path generation to avoid obstacles and navigate complex environments such as bushland. An advanced sensor suite integrated with the autonomy system enables vehicle self and situational awareness. The ATLAS CCV can identify, classify and understand the complex real-world environment in real-time and formulate appropriate responses to execute its mission.
The ATLAS CCV can perform a wide range of combat and combat support roles that can supplement a traditional main force effort where increased lethality, coverage and battlefield flexibility are required. It can also undertake missions in a stand-alone capacity where the presence of an uncrewed platform is preferred over crewed vehicles. The combination of a proven high-mobility, high-agility chassis and running gear, low-profile 25mm gun VANTAGE Automated Turret System (ATS) and leading-edge autonomy, navigation and command and control systems enables the ATLAS CCV to accompany other combat vehicles on the battlefield and contribute meaningfully to mission success in whichever role it is tasked to fulfil, all using the same base vehicle. ATLAS CCV size and mass also enables multiple vehicles to be easily transported and deployed by fixed-wing transport aircraft and landing craft.
