Rheinmetall Mission Master A-UGV wins third British Army contract

For the third time, the UK Ministry of Defence has awarded Rheinmetall a contract for its Robotic Platoon Vehicles (RPV) program. The RPV program is a three-phase experiment to determine the extent to which unmanned vehicles can boost the combat effectiveness and capabilities of dismounted troops at platoon level. For Spiral 3, the programme’s final phase, the British once again chose to work with Rheinmetall Canada.

The British Army ordered four Rheinmetall Mission Master SP – Surveillance Autonomous Unmanned Ground Vehicles (A-UGV) in an Intelligence, Surveillance, Target Acquisition, and Reconnaissance (ISTAR) configuration and three Rheinmetall Mission Master SP – Cargo vehicles, for a total of seven new A-UGVs. The UK had procured a total of eight Mission Master vehicles in previous phases of the programme. The Rheinmetall Mission Master SP is part of the Autonomous Unmanned Ground Vehicle (A-UGV) family developed by Rheinmetall Canada.

The Mission Master SP is a low-profile A-UGV designed to stealthily follow soldiers anywhere. Agile and highly transportable, the Mission Master SP has a low-signature electric motor, silent drive mode, and compact profile to escape detection under threat. Like all members of the Mission Master family of A-UGVs, the Mission Master SP is powered by the PATH autonomy kit (A-kit). This proven, agnostic, trusted, and autonomous suite of advanced sensors and perception algorithms enables the Mission Master to find the safest routes through dangerous environments and challenging terrain, and to complete its missions seamlessly.

The new order, placed in January 2022, is scheduled to be fully delivered by the end of August of this year. It includes comprehensive training, support services, and spare parts. Rheinmetall Canada is the prime contractor, working in cooperation with Rheinmetall Provectus, its Ottawa-based robotics branch.

Now the owner of several Mission Master vehicles and modules, the British Army possesses a force multiplier that can be harnessed for more complex experimentation, especially related to Rheinmetall’s wolf pack (swarm) concept.

The wolf pack consists of a team of Mission Master vehicles working together to accomplish missions ranging from surveillance to target position transfer and slew-to-cue. The units communicate with each other using their advanced artificial intelligence capabilities to maintain rich situational awareness. The wolf pack is remotely managed by a single operator, who is thereby able to focus on a successful mission outcome rather than on individual UGV tasks. This unique capability is enabled by the Rheinmetall Command and Control Software.

While the delivery of Spiral 3 will mark the end of the RPV Programme, Rheinmetall Canada intends to continue its involvement in the UK’s experimentation with robotic vehicles at the newly formed Expeditionary Robotic Centre of Expertise (ERCoE).