‘Throwbots’ give Marines the drop on the enemy
A drone that rights itself after being deployed is one of several AI gadgets being tested for leaner military
‘The groundbased drones will most likely be used as troops fight in new locations they have not been able to observe’
‘The Future Commando Force concept is to employ the lethality of a traditional company (120 troops) in much smaller teams’
Royal Marines have deployed “throwbots” that allow them to see round corners or into caves during a training exercise in the tunnels of Gibraltar.
Royal Marines of the Fleet Protection Group have been experimenting with new kit and technology to further develop the Future Commando Force.
Troops of 43 Commando, whose primary role is the protection of Britain’s nuclear deterrent submarines based in Faslane, Scotland, have been experimenting with remote controlled ground-based drones capable of being thrown over walls or into caves.
The so-called throwbots will self-right in almost all scenarios, no matter how they have landed. They can be dropped almost 32ft, and thrown four times as far, without damage. A stabilised camera located between two wheels provides live imagery to troops, kept behind cover.
The real-time video images support assaulting forces without the need for soldiers to expose themselves to greater danger.
They will most likely be used as troops fight in new locations they have not been able to observe.
The robot has electronic circuitry that self-calibrates after landing. After two seconds, the gyroscopes stabilise and the throwbot can be deployed on its mission.
In open ground the robot can be operated up to 450ft away from the controller. This reduces to about 148ft indoors or in cave complexes. It can also be submerged for up to 30 minutes in 3ft of water.
The Royal Marines are using Exercise Serpent Rock in Gibraltar to help design the Future Commando Force and adapt to future threats.
It is hoped that trialling cheaper “off the shelf ” technology will help get better value for money out of the Royal Navy’s annual £6.3 billion budget.
Defence chiefs see great potential in artificial intelligence. As the costs of such systems are reduced it is likely that potential adversaries will have developed similar capabilities, meaning British forces have to adapt accordingly.
The Royal Navy, of which the Royal Marines is a part, has launched Project Nelson as the digital backbone of a future technology-enabled force.
Disruptive technology and best practice from industry is seen as the best way to develop modern forces, given the pressure on the Ministry of Defence (MOD) budget.
Navy chiefs have adopted a “fast fail” policy, to learn rapidly from exercises such as the one in Gibraltar to bring new equipment and tactics into service.
The Future Commando Force concept is to employ the lethality of a traditional company (about 120 troops) in much smaller teams.
The Royal Marines believe that achieving this with teams of 12 is possible, but that the new structures will need access to much more information, autonomous support and weapons from other military units.
Future Commando Force work has been developed using £30million for this year. Funding in future years is largely dependent on the Government’s ongoing Integrated Review of security, defence and foreign policy.
The size of the Corps of Royal Marines is considered optimum for such experimentation.
Most of this year’s budget has been used to develop a company-sized force, known as the Vanguard Strike Company. This unit, housed within Taunton-based 40 Commando, will lead on research and development and will adapt civilian equipment for military use.
Other equipment currently under trial, and seen on the Gibraltar exercise, includes ballistic shields to provide protection to troops when moving forward to engage enemies in confined spaces where no other cover from fire is available.
The commandos also used small airborne drones weighing only 11 ounces to provide live video feeds.
The remaining £10 million of this year’s experimentation budget has been used to develop autonomous networked systems, such as drones and other artificial intelligence.
The Future Commando Force work is a rolling developmental project working towards 2035.