Troops from 2nd Battalion, The Royal Regiment of Scotland have been exploring the potential of uncrewed ground vehicles (UGV) in Kenya as part of Exercise Haraka Storm.
Acting as the opposing force during the 4th Light Brigade Combat Team package, members of the anti-tank platoon tested an ARX Robotics’ Gereon platform in various recce strike scenarios.
Successful missions included locating an armoured vehicle and transmitting data to battlegroup headquarters to enable a Helsing loitering munition to hit the designated target.
Carried out under realistic field conditions, the experiment demonstrated how autonomous systems can shorten decision cycles while extending a formation’s range and keeping personnel safe.
Platoon commander Capt Nathan McCrae (Scots) explained how he and his team disguised the vehicle with foliage and sent it forward up to 10km, where its camera could discreetly observe ‘blue force’ units.
“It took about 40 minutes to get it into position with good eyes-on, which is significantly faster than an anti-tank or recce patrol would take,” he said.
“As a commander I’d much rather send it into terrain I’m not sure of than eight soldiers whose welfare I’m responsible for.
“It offers the ability to clear ground before you put boots forward and shortens all of our planning timelines, enabling the blokes to get more rest.”
The user-friendly operating system had also allowed the platoon to deploy the UGV with minimal training, added the officer.
In addition, once camouflaged, the robot had proved extremely difficult for the opposition to spot.
Already in use on the front line in Ukraine, the Gereon has also been trialled by British units in casualty evacuation and resupply scenarios and is part of the multi-million-pound technology accelerator programme known as Taskforce Rapstone.
Capt McCrae said his troops had appreciated the chance to contribute to the procurement phase of potential new equipment.
“Very often in the army, kit arrives and you don’t speak to the manufacturer about why something is the way it is – your only contact is with the delivery team or middlemen,” he said.
“This was a brilliant opportunity, especially for the younger soldiers and sergeants, to give direct feedback about what could be added to the specification.”
