Looks like a step forward. But one can still see that heavily wooded/scrub areas, tight path hill climbs and rocky terrain will still present a problem.
Much more practical than the Darpa LS3 4 legged “pack mule” design, and with hybrid diesel electric power it integrates into the logistics system very easily. The independent tracked modules are a brilliant idea for quick repair and maintenance.
I mean I think they’re for completely different purposes lol. Tracked vehicles are not as “mobile” as you think. 4 legged robots could bring supplies to the most remote/difficult areas.
@@Tounguepunchfartbox Question is: why would soldiers go where that tracked vehicle can't? Also, legged units would sink in soft conditions when carried up to a ton of load.
The 4 legged mule design is still far from reaching its' potential. But I'd say it has more potential in the long run. The tracked design is severely limited from ever being able to climb rocky and steep terrain. It will be unable to travel in thick forest. It's only going to be usable when the terrain is relatively flat with no steep surfaces. A legged design will be able to overcome that limitation. It just requires further advances in battery/power technology, as well as more honing in the programming. Even currently it's able to walk through rougher terrain than tracked drones. It's already able to get back up if it falls. It's able to withstand and maintain balance through shocks and impacts. But it's still not ready for use on the battlefield.
@@Tounguepunchfartbox You do know the army dumped those stupid things cause they would break down and couldn't go hardly any where. They replaced them with real mules....
Or imagine being a pow or civilian being hunted by these machines. Love how ppl assume these things would only be deployed against other militaries or machines.
Worse, they will be dressed to appear like bushes, covered in foliage and hunt in packs. In WWII the hedgerows hid and separated you from the enemy, but in WWIII the hedgerow is the enemy.
The lower the profile a vehicle is the higher it's survivability. This applies to all types of military vehicles. A vehicle that is under 4 feet tall is nearly impossible to spot at 1 km with the trained eye.
Things like this make me glad I have fewer years ahead than behind. I don't want anyone hurt but if soldiers are stupid enough to pursue killing as a career that's their lookout. Meanwhile it's fear of losses that keeps the frequency of conflict in check.
Interesting. The most obvious use I see is in suppressing enemy forces if yours are pinned. Stick one of these out to lay down covering fire without exposing one of your men ... can see how that would be really useful.
I realize they're more or less at different operational role levels, but I think the Ripsaw is more awesome. It's just too bad455 to not be at the top of my list.
@@shanerooney7288 I mentioned CROW because they just put a machine gun on this thing. And the CROW is equivalent. Just like idiots overseas. We'd have these big heavy armored gun trucks, and the guys would mount M249s on them when we had plenty of M2 and Mk19 to use. NEVER arm yourself with the lesser weapon when larger is available. Choosing an M249 when a vehicle is carrying the weight of the weapon, ammo, and recoil, and you have the larger weapons available to use (M2 in this case), is beyond stupidity. The gunners in teh turrets still had their M16/M4, so mounting a M249 or even a M240B in that situation was retarded. But that is what is going on here. We were mounting M249 and M240B to Talon robots decades ago. This robot is much bigger, and they at least added an M2. If it can handle the weight of the 30mm, then it should absolutely consider mounting it. The point is also that the technology to do this has been around for decades. And such ideas have been tried at least as far back as Vietnam War, but there are reasons it hasn't been adopted widespread each time it is tried. Maybe in teh future they'll overcome the issues, but so far it just never pans out the way noncombat personnel that come up with these things think it will.
you guys mentioned this not looking like Terminator.... ...but there's a 1984 movie called "Runaway" with Gene Simmons and Tom Selleck that this reminds me of lol ...except where are the spider-bots?
a lawn mower that can be controlled via a remote + MG 🤔. a common thing for me as a morden farmer. and it comes with an insecticide spray drone with 4K resolution and which can accommodate a load of 85kg is enough for 1 person to fly with a drone.. and we can set the coordination direction via GPS for the location point. and it's cheaper.
Maintenance. Will actual troops using this thing be supplied with spares and be allowed to make field repairs? Or will manufacturer force that they're the only ones that can repair, which can potentially increase downtime from inevitable battle and/or wear damage.
The turret looks like an it could be taken out easily. I like the look of it though. And because it's a drone, hopefully it will mean less human casualties.
ah i see the first terminator prototype is now in production i can't wait for the next move of Skynet :D jokes aside i does make it a lot easier for forces on the ground to be relieved of heavy combat tasks and the aditional firepower such a platform boasts makes it a good support weapon.
Interesting, the Germans in WWII used mini tanks called the Goliath and the Kettenkrad similar roles... sort of. At any rate as these become more autonomous you have to wonder when these will turn on their makers? As long as they don't employ AI algorithms we will stand a chance to keep them under control, but not for long. They already tested the walking variants that use thermal imaging, so hiding form these things won't be easy.
Will be interesting to see what EW protection it has or if its "out of the loop". If not then i can imagine the next arm race step would be looking into "hacking" or disabling it for capture. This would even be great for civil matters like firefighting (building rescue), moutning rescue etc.
@@mastermariner490 Not quite as in theory they have no weight restrictions. Hence the new US Optionally Manned Fighting Vehicles. As a former SNCO soldier I can tell you that these things in all sizes and applications, will be a game changer. They will give ground troops and their commanders options that have only been dreamt of in the past. There simply is insufficient space for me to list and explain all the potential uses I can envisage Better minds than mine will have a field day developing tactics to best utilise these thing in the field. When scaled up to serve as a MBT replacement they will be of strategic importance. The Optionally Manned Tank is underdevelopment now.
@@gusgone4527 imagine this bit of kit with “swarm technology ai”. As you stated these could take on a mbt role but the sight of a tank will always make the combatants think twice, same as a show of force by jets!
@@12G_Pyro Imagine one of the optionally maned MBT's coming towards your foxhole. Not knowing if the monstrous metal beast has men inside or a heartless, soulless artificial intelligence. Then two red eyes illuminate on it's turret and a visible red laser scans your trench. It stops on your chest. A loud robotic voice speaks in your own language, telling you to lay down your weapons or die screaming. Just then, numerous other visible red dots appear on the chests and helmets of your comrades. Coming from every direction including straight up! It reminds me of 1991 when dozens of Iraqi soldiers, surrendered to an Apache helicopter.
It seems like one of it's best features is being able to carry heavy equipment that people can't. So like, yeah, an extra couple missiles, a mortar, extra supplies, etc. The large radio antenna is interesting. The machine gun seems useful too.
It seems like the simple threat of actually having some these armed with guns, grenade launchers is enough to warrant one military from advancing upon another or at least keep a civilian populace from upraising against a dictator if they know they will face remotely controlled death machines.
Speaking as someone who served as a radio operator. It would be a godsend to let drones do the tedious and dangerous work of keeping relay stations operational. You are basically transporting a lot of equipment just to make yourself into a easily found and tactically important target.
Had any jams on your M2 or Mk40? I know I did. Who's going to clear the chamber of a simple stove pipe? Drive over to the nearest unit and effectively show exactly where the troops are trying to stay out of sight? Go back to the TOC?
@@anderlillemaa4392 That has been the expectation since the Maxim gun. Consider for a moment the tens of thousands of wonder weapons during the ages who have turned out to be completely useless in actual use in the field. Unfortunately, careers and funding are built on the musings of The Good Idea Fairy. Nice video though. I wonder how many times they had to yell cut to clear a malfunction during the recording.
I feel like people here are not really appreciating the fact that this high tech futuristic drone is carrying a machine gun that's been in service for over a 100 years.
@@williemcdowell6319 engineering a solution to that would be rather simple. Especially if the gun it’s carrying is designed specifically for its use. Why have a human trigger assembly if a human will never shoot it?
I've always loved these things. Imagine putting one in every squad. It would serve as a communications platform, a logistics/ammo carrier, a heavy RWS, and a medevac all at the same time.
We used DoKings, ATVs, and John Deere Gators in exactly this way in Afghanistan back in 2010 (we mounted M240B to the Gators and DoKings). The DoKing and Gators could pull a trailer we made from parts. We used them to carry gear, ammo, water, up to 2 stretchers each, etc. This machine is just a large Talon robot with a CROW turret attached. Technology we had in Iraq and Afghanistan many years ago. We also had a few "bomb bots", Traxxas T-Maxx trucks with platforms for mounting explosives to. We didn't really find any practical uses for them over there though.
I'm not surprised that there are so many sophisticated lawn mowers nowadays. My neighbor just bought a drone that can lift 85kg. to insecticides the fields. You can fly with that thing.
What happens if you spray paint all over its lenses and sensors? Maybe a military grade paintball gun is what guerilla fighters will use to fight Skynet.
The major issues with this type of technology is the enemy being able to jam the frequencies that the drone gets its control and video feeds from. AKA RxTx. Judging by the size of the antennas , I would say it’s on 900Mhz or 1.3Ghz. Easy to jam.
Hence why they wouldn’t just use bog standard tx. Pulse modulation, key shift frequency, list goes on. However the question is are they “out of the loop” I’m sure they would even have a unit setup with ecm just to combat any chance of EW.
@@VisibilityFoggy link 16 speeds are not up to par. At least according to what I have read. In 2007, tests by Northrop Grumman, Lockheed Martin, and L-3 Communications enabled the Active Electronically Scanned Array system of a Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor to act like a WiFi access point, able to transmit data at 548 megabits per second and receive at gigabit speed; this is far faster than the Link 16 system, which transfers data at just over 1 Mbit/s.
could you imagine a system that mounter weapons like javelins and stinger launchers to accompany troops on the ground. protecting soldiers from.land and ground vehicles if it worked.
As more armies rely on highly trained professional soldiers rather than poorly trained conscripts, vehicles like this will become more essential. The inevitable shortage of human soldiers means that every possible technology must be explored. A modular jack-of-all-trades assistant like this would be ideal.
This thing would probably be very effective with combat modules that have ATGM or AA missiles, as well as the machine gun for infantry threats. Since it can run with only the electric motor, only using the diesel motor in a pinch, it most likely won't be significantly noticeable in thermal sights. So things like enemy armor or helicopters won't see it like they would see an armored vehicle glowing hot. It would be able to flank and disable enemy armor, or position aggressively for air defense without risking lives. It's going to be harder to detect with current optics, when visually camouflaged.
having been trained in infantry tactics, i can say that i would not ride on top of it, because if there's enemy contact, the soldier can't drop to the ground for cover. however, it has a gun and a camera and would be a great distraction. and sending that thing to provide suppressive fie instead of sending live bodies makes a lot of sense. furthermore, it would serve as a portable platform for lots of stuff. well done.
would it not just be destroyed by enemy fire if it tried to give fire support? As far as I understand its not armored and has a much higher frame than a soilder laying on the ground. Its nice for carrying your stuff around but other than than I dont know how usefull it would be for the infantry.
@@hex5874 Exactly. Unless this thing is cheap as bullets these "sacrifice plays" will deplete the stock at the start of conflict. Then we'll ask "were they ever even there?"
These mini- tanks are fascinating to see, thank you for the video. God bless Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, and Finland! May they always be kept free of Russian invaders. Slava Ukraini
@@Ghastly_Grinner What is your point? the battle ebbs and flows when the Russians decide to reinforce another area, yet the Ukrainians still hold strong. Ukraine will only be conquered if you kill a few hundred thousand of their soldiers. I side with Ukraine against an invader, the exact same way I would side with Russia if someone invaded them. All the best.
@@justinwaters8679 Russia has already destroyed Ukraine millions have fled to the EU their economy is destroyed their soldiers are defecting and accepting Russian citizenship they have started the trials for the azov nazis
@@Ghastly_Grinner yes, Ukraine of the future will be unrecognizable from the past. All that UXO, unexploded bombs and mines, they will keep killing Ukrainians for the next 100 years. Keep celebrating the death of a Nation and it's people, I'm sure karma or God or whatever you believe in will like that. The "Azov nazi's" are the greatest proven fighting force in the world right now. Oh, gee, they use the wolfsangel (a thousands years old symbol, from the ancient Runic Alphabet.) You should look up the Runic alphabet, and you will see that the Mustached Madman Hitler used all of the Sigils in the alphabet for his Evil Wehrmacht and SS divisions as their insignia, you say "dere nahtsees" with the only proof being a few ancient symbols. You want Nazi's? look up the "Russian Spring" and you will find your Russian nazis as they heil hitler and march down the street, in Russia. No, they are simply Ukrainian nationalists trying to keep their country free of Russian influence. Nationalism is a human belief, as natural as patriotism and love of homeland, and it exists in EVERY nation on earth. If you studied proxy- wars, you would know that it always ends up with Communist Nationalists like in LDPR vs Right wing Nationalism that is the philosophy of the Azov Battalion. Proxy wars always end up far right vs. far left, because it takes extreme beliefs to die in a war for any cause. I pray for an end to the Violence, all the best.
What's the bet that It suffers from the same problem as Boston Dynamics great big cow that the Marines turn down because it was too noisy. But seriously, this thing could have a lot of Civilian applications as well. You don't have to be very imaginative to figure out where something like this would come in handy.
Sounds strange - but if there was a civil version of it - I would buy it, if I had the money. This would be a great helper for people who are disabled.
They needs to send some to Ukraine, we need to see what it can do in a real war, and need to make it better from the knowledge you can only get in a real conflict.
What happens if the RWS develops a misfeed? MG's jam all the time and presumably the robot isn't tactile enough to clear its own chamber. A simple stove-pipe would turn it harmless.
Probably order the platform back to the cover where the operator is, clear the weapon for operation and then send it back out again. This doesnt make crew operated platforms obsolete, it merely supplements the infantry situation.
@@Pilvenuga I don't know how much this system would cost in terms of price, maintenance, logistics, manpower etc. I think I would prefer those resources allocated to another heavy weapons squad or practically anything else. This is nothing more than bling for the procurement officer to get wined and dined over.
Fun fact - Estonia has many many computer programmers and machine technicians. Unfortunately there isn't much work in that country for these great people. So often these guys turn to computer and bank machine fraud. Please check this out. It's a rabbit hole well worth diving into.. Love the show ❤.
nice propaganda piece there mate. There is always an lack of Programmers and machine technicians in Estonia, if you know anything about the country. It's the biggest industry there. Computer and bank machine fraud is very rare to come by in Estonia. And Estonia has one of the lowest Crime rates in the world (the lowest in 2019) according to the European Crime Index. If you are referring to those money laundering scandals with Swedish and Danish banks, then be aware that information can be bent. In those terms it wasn't the Estonians doing the laundering but the Estonians finding out about it. And that turned into an international scandal, that got bent by the Swedish and Danish states to turn blame away from them onto smaller countries.
I mean it's not armored, so it will be relatively easy to disable with normal firearms. Or at least blind it if you hit the weapon module's sensors. But you may have argued for suppression, which is true. The operator of this thing won't get the natural instinct to take cover when shot at, and will be able to shoot back regardless of being shot at, as long as the vehicle is not disabled.
@@samisuhonen9815 There is an armored version to THeMIS, the version France tested. Could hold up to heavy gun fire, and only real way to take it out was with rockets.
Think about one of these with a .50 like we see in the vid. Then have 6-10 switchblade loitering munition launchers mounted onto the back of it with javelin warheads. You'd have suppression for infantry, AT capability, ability to carry more ammunition, even evac like seen. For a group that wasn't as worried about being seen or heard easily it could be a big deal.
Considering the number of troops that end careers due to heat casualties this would have been a great asset to soldiers operating in extreme heat. Not to mention a heavy weapons platform that doesn't have to take cover and can actually cover troops while they react to contact. With so many uses for such a platform it could become vital to operations.
It would have to take cover in a fire fight situation. It's not indestructible. If it's out in the open firing a machine gun, it's a sitting duck. If it's so useful, is Ukraine getting some?
@@williamromine5715 Yes, its not indestructible but as it would be on patrol with units the platform can take damage instead of the troops while they react. Not saying it will stay out in the open like a terminator. Not sure why you think that. Ukraine? I doubt they are in mass production and am not even sure if they are in service on a mass scale. You think companies just build hundreds and keep them in storage?
@@rickjames18 I must have heard him wrong. I thought he said they were being used by some of the NATO countries. As to not being indestructible, they are too big to go to ground. They would be difficult to hide by trees, rocks etc. Someone would have to be operating its defense fire, and he is going to find cover and set up a firing line before before he starts figuring were and how he starts directing return fire from the robot. During that time, somebody with a RPG or similar weapon is going to take out or at least disable the robot. The machine would be useful in carrying gear for the infantry and evacuate wounded, setting up peremiter defense and such. But unless its allowed to operate autonomously, I think it's a little early to think it's the battle changer the manufacturer claims. Ukraine would be the perfect place to see how useful it is in real life operations.
@@williamromine5715 I don't think an RPG would be needed to kill this robot, that would be overkill. It doesn't seem to have any armor to speak of. A burst of machine gun fire would disable it pretty easily. Even rifle fire could probably do the job, though it might take multiple hits.
@@dark7element I agree. I think it has some uses such as a "mule" for carrying gear &such for the troops, or an ambulance, or even as perimeter defense, but it's not the "game changer" stated by the narrator. But, he is prone to overating things in his videos.
Having machines fight wars is weird... I understand it (using machines). But, if you don't have your own ass on the line (at risk), then what is the point? I say if a politician votes for war, then that politician needs to be on the FRONT-line himself!! ....and then we'll see how many wars we all get into!!!
The most obvious point of possible improvement of this robotic vehicle is to replace the stiff road wheel suspension system with a softer, more reactive suspension system. One that doesn't shake the entire vehicle -- and any litter cases that it might be carrying -- while traversing even slightly uneven terrain.
The thing that scares me is that the moment armies becaome fully or almost fully automated you will likely see politicians far more willing to go to war since there will less risk to human life in combat.
