WASHINGTON – A new unmanned battle tank designed to operate as a “wingman” for other armored combat vehicles was unveiled earlier this month at the annual Association of the U.S. Army conference in Washington. Popular Mechanics reports. Continue reading original article
The Military & Aerospace Electronics take:
28 Oct. 2019 -- The Ripsaw M5, originally featured on a reality TV show, has been transformed into a heavily armed combat drone equipped with an autocannon and two drones of its own.
Armored unmanned wingmen will operate alongside U.S. Army tanks and armored vehicles, doing dangerous jobs to keep humans out of harm’s way. Developed by Textron Systems, it is based on the Ripsaw one-man tracked vehicle. The Ripsaw was developed by brothers Mike and Geoff Howe, who starred in the reality TV series “Howe & Howe Tech.”
The Ripsaw robotic main battle tank is equipped with a 600 horsepower Duramax diesel engine, giving it a top speed of 60 miles an hour. The Army tested the Ripsaw from 2010 to 2017, but never actually bought significant numbers of the tiny tank.
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John Keller, chief editor
Military & Aerospace Electronics
