Mary-Louise Hoffman
The U.S. Army looks to procure as many as 20 robotic mules from industry for operational test and evaluation by the military service’s brigade combat teams, National Defense Magazine reported Friday.
Stew Magnuson writes Bryan McVeigh, project manager for force protection at the Army, said the service branch will publish a request for information soon to seek input from interested manufacturers on what and how long it would take to build a prototype.
McVeigh noted the Army wants a robotic mule that has capacity to carry at least 1,000 pounds of materials, travel approximately 60 miles for up to 72 hours and produce one kilowatt of power while underway.
The Army seeks to build an initial configuration similar to previously tested vehicles and a second configuration that will feature a seat and steering wheel for optional manned operations, according to the report.
The report noted the branch will invite eight to 15 companies to participate in a squad multipurpose equipment transport rodeo slated to be held in August.
