Hi-tech battlefield robots to be built in Britain for the first time
A leading German military hardware manufacturer is building a new facility in south-west England that will develop unmanned armoured vehicles that can be used on the battlefield.
Drones and AI are expected to feature significantly in this year's strategic defence review, which will set out equipment and manpower priorities for the Armed Forces.
ARX Robotics, a defence tech company, will build the first facility of its kind in the UK to manufacture drones that can be used for reconnaissance, casualty evacuation and transport.
They can be controlled by a person using a tablet away from the battlefield, reducing the risk to troops, and connected to other vehicles and hardware.
The company's Gereon land drone can carry 500kg up to 40km from its operator, and run for 72 hours on a single charge. They have already been deployed by Nato on the alliance's eastern flank, by the German military and in Ukraine.
The new research and development and production plant will cost £45 million and create 90 jobs in the next two-and-a-half years, the company said.
The facility will have capacity to produce 1,800 land drones each year, and will also work on upgrading existing armoured vehicles to operate autonomously, which could be cheaper than procuring entirely new drones.
Drone technology has undergone major development since the outbreak of the war in Ukraine, where both sides have used land, air and sea drones on the battlefield.
Military chiefs have argued ahead of this year's defence review that the Army must become more 'lethal' and deploy more autonomous systems because of a shortage of manpower.
Lord Dannatt, the former head of the Army, said: 'The Army is always looking at technology to improve things. We've seen how glide bombs and attack drones have changed the battlefield as opposed to conventional artillery and we have been using robotic mini tanks for years.
'The question is, why send a man where a machine can go?
'I would hope the tech world is looking at new and innovative ways to conduct warfare and preserving human life is an important part of that.'
The Ministry of Defence (MoD) hopes to triple British fighting power with the use of drones, AI, and a secretive programme known as Project Asgard, which officials have said would 'utilise new and emerging tech to become more lethal and better able to defeat the enemy'.
At least 10 per cent of the MoD's equipment budget will now be spent on novel technologies, ministers have said.
A senior defence source said the expansion into hi-tech equipment had been launched because the defence review must 'avoid hard capability choices'.
'If you cannot fix the present, then best take refuge in the future,' Lord Dannatt said, adding that autonomous systems would be a theme in the highly anticipated report.
Project Asgard has been described as a way of harnessing developing technologies, including artificial intelligence, drones, and advanced sensors, all of which 'will help more quickly discover and process information and strike enemies on the battlefield'.
ARX's land drones have already undergone field tests with the British Army on Salisbury Plain to tailor them to UK-specific needs, although no contract has yet been signed to buy them.
The company is supported by the Nato Innovation Fund, a venture capital fund operated by the alliance to boost the development of defence technology.
The range of military robots it manufactures are designed to be taken apart and upgraded piece by piece, which could save the cost of developing entirely new technology in years to come.
It is the first time modular, autonomous land drones have been made in the UK.
Ministers have said they are concerned about the 'resilience' of British manufacturing, including in the defence sector, in the aftermath of blanket tariffs imposed on the UK by Donald Trump.
John Healey, the Defence Secretary, said: 'ARX is driving defence-tech innovation and I warmly welcome their £45 million investment into the UK which will create highly skilled jobs and support European security.
'With our commitment to spend 2.5 per cent GDP on defence in 2027, this government is determined to make the UK a defence industrial superpower – supporting good jobs and driving growth as part of the Plan for Change.'
David Roberts, CEO of ARX UK, said: 'It is a privilege to lead ARX's expansion in the UK.
'ARX's operationally proven autonomous vehicles deliver an immediate capability boost for the UK Armed Forces.
'Our technology will accelerate the delivery of capabilities to front-line units by providing scalable autonomy across both new unmanned systems and existing army vehicles and platforms.'
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