With modern warfare increasingly moving towards an era of complex technologies such as stealth and network-centricity, there is an increasing trend amongst modern land forces to evolve themselves into lighter and more responsive forces that are at once lethal and survivable

Machines have always been known to supplement human efforts in diverse walks of life. However, the quest for intelligent machines by armed forces across the globe is aimed at reducing human interface with machines on the battlefield. With modern warfare increasingly moving towards an era of complex technologies such as stealth and networkcentricity, there is an increasing trend amongst modern land forces to evolve themselves into lighter and more responsive forces that are at once lethal and survivable. Intelligent machines are useful strategic assets as they can be used for a variety of land operations including search and rescue missions, surveillance, carrying additional loads (mules) and self-contained killing machines.

Low Visibility

While unmanned aerial vehicles or ‘drones’ have been around for quite sometime and these are also increasingly becoming norms with a growing number of air forces around the world, unmanned ground vehicles (UGVs) are yet to make their presence felt on the battlefield with the same force as their aerial counterparts. Despite their low visibility, UGVs have proved their combat worth in Afghanistan and Iraq by saving precious human lives. With their ability to see the threat around the corner, UGVs are proving themselves as an important asset for the soldier by increasing his personal safety and enabling him to neutralise the threat quickly and accurately without too much of collateral damage. The terrorist attack of 26/11 in Mumbai is a case in point to underline the importance of combat UGVs for the special operations forces. If the special operation forces that were used during 26/11 attack only had access to military robots, equipped with laser cameras and machines guns, the operations could have resulted in fewer casualties and completed much earlier than they did. Following the dastardly terrorist attack on the twin towers of the World Trade Center in New York on September 11, 2001, ground robots fitted with laser cameras saved many innocent lives that remained trapped under the debris of fallen twin towers. Later, during the Afghanistan war, the US army used Talon UGV effectively to gather useful intelligence about Al-Qaida operatives hiding in the Tora Bora caves near the Pakistan-Afghanistan borders. Inputs gathered from Talon were subsequently used for mopping up of terrorists hiding in those caves.

Alternatives to Human Soldiers

Robots, including unmanned ground vehicles (UGVs), have many valuable attributes that will aid and complement soldiers on the battlefield. They are well suited to perform routine and boring tasks. They are fearless and can work tirelessly 24x7 without knowing hunger or fatigue. They do repetitive tasks with speed and precision. They can be designed to avoid or withstand enemy armaments and to perform specific military functions. Robots can reduce casualties by increasing the combat effectiveness of soldiers on the battlefield. More importantly, they don’t demand salaries and perks. The US military’s success with unmanned combat systems, especially on the battlefields in Afghanistan and Iraq has galvanised global focus towards research, development and purchase of unmanned systems in order to add them to the fabric of their armed forces. It is estimated that currently there are about 50 countries, including India that are pursuing robotic technologies for their armed forces. As the modern warfare becomes increasingly irregular in nature and the threat of terrorism remains globally rampant, there is growing demand for technologies that help keep human soldiers including other law enforcing personnel, out of harm’s way.