A Salute to Military Robots
By Scott Clay, Bishop & Associates Inc.

As technology advances, the use of robots of all types within the military will continue to grow and increase in importance. All the services use ground and aerial robots, and the Navy and Coast Guard are developing robots for underwater use. Robots have been used for many years, but the next generation will be used for search, surveillance, security, and interdiction, if necessary. Companies such as General Dynamics are especially interested in this sector, and are building several platforms for the Navy, such as a 22-foot fast-boat that has various onboard cameras, sensors, and other electronics, and can move in excess of 50 knots to catch up with and interdict illegal boats often used by drug smugglers. They are also working on several underwater surveillance robotic systems for ship security while in port.

Ground robots have already made a major contribution to U.S. efforts in Iraq, and are now especially used in Afghanistan. Small exploratory robots can examine caves, dugouts, buildings, even individual rooms to look for threats or potential danger to our troops. Other robots also assist the troops in missions; carrying gear, additional equipment, extra ammunition, and other weapons.

In the war zones, the number of robots has grown from 150 in 2003 to well over 6,500 today, and the number is growing. From small, one-man systems to the large UAVs that are constantly used all over the war zone, robots vigilantly give troops on the ground updates on what is happening around them. Many of these large UAVs can be controlled from bases in the U.S., with their signals and commands relayed to various satellites. These large UAVs are armed with anti-tank/vehicle missiles, and can engage targets of opportunity at will, without having to wait long periods to call in air strikes, move ground troops to that area, or allow the enemy to escape. Armed robots also participate in ground combat. Several companies, including BAE Systems, offer a heavily armed ground robot system that carries a 30mm cannon, machine gun, or 40mm grenade launcher. It is a fully tracked, highly mobile infantry support or patrol and surveillance robot that can be fully programmed to follow other troops or vehicles, or a set path, such as access roads around bases, airfields, or other areas.

This market is growing and opportunities for connector applications are extensive. These systems all use large numbers of cables and connectors, avionics, and electronic boxes full of various card systems to record, interpret, and relay the data to base and command and control locations. These command systems’ locations have to have all the equipment to interpret the signals from the robots and UAVs, and allow them to transmit information and pictures to the people who need it. At last year’s AUVSI (Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International) meeting, there were over 250 exhibitors showcasing various robot platforms, and the numerous components that are used to create and operate them. Thousands of attendees from over 31 countries and all sectors of the marketplace took part in the event. This organization has meetings all over the world, at various levels, covering all aspects of unmanned platforms, from ground to air to sea.

The use of connectors extends from the obvious power systems and wiring harnesses to the engines, transmissions, and other running gear parts, as in most vehicles. But beyond that, a UGV (Unmanned Ground Vehicle) requires a series of electronic systems to receive its commands, to start the engine, engage the drive system, steer a course, and move down the road (or off-road). Other systems and computers define what the system does, which cameras turn on, what signals are received and sent, and if armed, which weapons systems are engaged, and show what it is shooting at.

Also, companies are organizing entire divisions focused only on this market sector. Militaries from all over the world want to invest in this technology, as their use accomplishes several key factors. It gives the command structure a much clearer picture of the overall situation, in some cases from very far away. It also is, in the case of UAVs, less expensive to fly a UAV over an area than to fly a manned aircraft, in many cases with several crew members aboard. Also, some of the long-range UAVs can loiter or “fly in large circles” at very high altitudes for hours at a time, keeping constant surveillance over an area. Manned aircrews have endurance limits, and without the need for the cockpit for a pilot, an unmanned aircraft can be designed to be much lighter and carry more cameras, sensors, and other equipment. Also, in especially dangerous missions, while losing an unmanned aircraft is not the ideal, if one malfunctions or is shot down, no pilot or crew persons are lost.

Aerial UAVs are basically aircraft without a pilot or the needed support equipment for a pilot. So, many of the components that are used at Lockheed Martin for building an F-16 manned fighter/attack aircraft are also used at General Atomics to build the Reaper long-range UAV. Wiring systems, circular connectors, and avionics boxes of all types go into each platform. And at times, the UAV will have even more of the newest style of interface connectors, as the amount of data to fly and operate these systems is significant. In this situation, weight is very important, as less weight means more range, a bigger fuel load, additional systems, and even a large payload of weapons, cameras, and sensors.

Aerial UAVs can also be powered as rotorcraft or helicopters. The Coast Guard is looking at a small aerial UAV which the Marines are currently using for duty on their cutters and patrol ships. This platform gives them another asset to work on their mission of sea surveillance. This smaller helicopter is controlled from the ship, and its cameras and sensors allow it to cover a larger area and stay in the air for longer periods of time than the manned helicopters the Guard currently has on active duty. While it cannot do all the missions that manned rotorcraft can do, it does make fiscal sense to use them on some missions.

This technology has also increased the building of new command and control platforms, from small computers used to control one-man UAVs or UGVs, to larger vehicle mounted “central control and command “ centers that are mounted on the back of HUMVEEs or the larger medium-duty truck made by BAE in Sealy, Texas. These mobile systems require even more connector applications to build the control systems needed to fly or steer the unmanned platform in its mission. BAE, AAI, and several other companies are very busy building these systems, with new orders coming in all the time, as more and more unmanned systems are being used in the field.

Scott Clay
Director Military & Aerospace, Bishop & Associates Inc.
Scott Clay has worked for more than 25 years in the connector and wiring systems markets. He has held various positions in field applications and marketing for Molex, Tyco, Methode, and ITT. For the past 15 years, Clay has focused on the military/aerospace sector, and five years ago formed his own company for consulting and application engineering. He has worked on design-in and electronics on F/A-18E/F, F-22, F-35, C-130J, C-5M, C-27, P-8, A-10, and numerous other aircraft. Some of the Navy programs Clay has participated in are SSN-774 Virginia class subs, CVX, DDG-1000, and the Littoral Combat Ship class. He has extensive expertise in land vehicle systems, and has worked closely with the worldwide locations of GD, BAE, AM General, and other key manufacturers. He is currently working on variations of MRAP, JLTV, upgrades for the Bradley fighting vehicle, M-88 recovery vehicle, FMTV, and other platforms in the wiring and systems areas, plus portions of the future combat systems.