Anduril Partners With Hanwha on US Army Small Multipurpose Robotic Vehicle
Defense News ,U.S :- Anduril Industries has joined forces with Hanwha Defense USA for the US Army's Small Multipurpose Equipment Transport (S-MET) Increment II initiative.
Incorporating Hanwha's proven Arion-SMET platform, the program will feature an uncrewed ground vehicle (UGV) equipped with Anduril's advanced mission software. Forterra, a ground-based autonomous solutions provider, will contribute its AutoDrive vehicle autonomy solution to enable intricate on and off-road maneuvers.
Arion-SMET, the first Korean military UGV selected for the Pentagon’s Foreign Comparative Performance Test, showcased its capabilities during tests with the US Army and Marine Corps in Hawaii. The platform boasts a payload capacity of 55 kilograms, a range of 100 kilometers, and a speed of 43 kilometers per hour.
The US Army plans to procure 2,000 next-generation S-METs, in addition to the 624 ordered from General Dynamics Land Systems in 2020.
The S-MET Increment II UGV is anticipated to feature substantial load-carrying and power generation capacity, along with a modular architecture to accommodate various payloads. Zach Mears, Anduril’s head of strategy, expressed confidence in the partnership's ability to bring speed, flexibility, and advanced capabilities to dismounted infantry. The collaboration aims to provide a simplified user interface powered by Lattice, enabling users to command and control the S-MET swiftly to support lethal effects at the tactical edge.
