This site may be significantly ahead of the front, exposed to the enemy, and be subject to dangerous environmental conditions, not least fast flowing or deep water.
Due to this significant risk to high value assets, the exploitation of technologies to remove humans from hazardous environments was at the heart of a Defence Science Technologies Laboratory (DSTL) programme to understand how novel technologies could assist in autonomously conducting military reconnaissance missions of potential ‘wet gap’ crossing points such as rivers, canals and estuaries.
Expected obstacles include hazards such as fast flowing water, steep drops and submerged objects, for which there is very Limited prior information. Operating at distance and in inhospitable conditions requires the vehicle to be able to autonomously explore the site in a safe and reliable manner rather than being remotely controlled. In addition, all physical measurements of any potential wet gap crossing site (up to 300 metres wide) need to be collected and recorded. It is also important that any solution delivers a sufficient Level of obfuscation, including low EM Signature, to minimise any risk of detection in theatre.
The solution to this demanding set of requirements was DCE’s X4 Unmanned Multi-Domain Vehicle (UMV). This is a high performance, high mobility amphibious tracked platform. As part of this solution DCE used a drone to capture an aerial overview of pre-identified areas of interest in order to locate potential crossing sites. Following identification of suitable sites, DCE’s X4 was used to deploy a set of sensors including LiDAR, Sonar, CPT and an ADCP to conduct the survey. Data from these was fused with positioning information to create the survey output. Data gathered could then be reviewed to strategize the potential crossing point, while the use of autonomy across the system also reduced operator burden.
