Defense Sector Application

One of the largest levels of military investment is going into procuring equipment that can operate automatically, that doesn’t require human operators and can back up units on the ground. This is funneling into all manner of equipment, from automated attack drones, self-driving convoys, automated submarine hunters and many other types of kit.

Autonomous trucks are a long-term goal that a number of defense companies are working towards. The main purpose is force protection as the more vehicles that can be made autonomous in a convoy for instance, the less soldiers need to be risked driving trucks in dangerous convoys and the more can be made available for different duties.

Autonomous vehicles, drones and robots have the potential to fulfill a number of critical needs on the battlefield and potentially prevent people from being in harm’s way unnecessarily. A number of militaries are looking at support roles and how autonomy can be used to augment and backup the front line.

The next evolution of drone technology is going to come in the form of “swarms”. The concept is that multiple groups of small, relatively cheap drones will operate and speak to each other whilst in flight forming a large swarm of drones that are coordinated and working autonomously to achieve a specific goal.

The demand for solar-powered UAVs is rising as they have a greater endurance than fuel-powered UAVs.

Leading nations have been researching and investing efforts to develop autonomous and semi-autonomous unmanned underwater vehicles (UUVs). The investment areas include artificial intelligence (AI), autonomous navigation, and swarm technologies (similar to drone technology).

Defense contractors globally are competing to introduce automated tanks. While a completely unmanned and automated tanks are headline grabbing vehicles, the automation of various processes in existing manned vehicles is going to be the more important development over the next decade.

A balance between protection, performance, and payload is crucial to achieving operational effectiveness and mission success in modern warfare. Modern armored vehicles and related maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) must incorporate technological advancements in the fields of survivability, connectivity, mobility, maneuverability, lethality, and sustainability.

The last decade has witnessed significant strides in the development of concepts for military camouflage. Investments are being made in materials and technology that can create an invisibility cloak around an object.

The next major advancement in UAV technology is the development of laser-powered UAVs that offer unlimited endurance and continuous surveillance. These UAVs are designed to be capable of staying airborne for their entire lifecycle, as their method of recharging avoids the need to land and refuel.