Outlook 1. Development proceeding 2. U.S. Army will acquire S-MET from General Dynamics 3. Procurement could exceed 5,000 robots 4. RCV program includes light, medium and heavy versions 5. Army could receive RCV-L by 2026 6. U.S. Army studying driverless trucks for resupply operations Orientation Description. Tactical unmanned ground vehicles. Sponsor. The U.S. Department of Defense is sponsoring UGV design programs, as are a number of foreign governments. Status. Research and development work continues. General Dynamics selected as contractor for the S-MET program. QinetiQ NA and Textron are participating in the Robotic Combat Vehicle (RCV) program. Total Produced. Production of the S-MET has begun. Other systems will enter production in the future. Application. The various applications under consideration include reconnaissance/surveillance; target designation; nuclear, biological, and chemical (NBC) hazard assessment; mine countermeasures; communications relay; and cargo transportation. Price Range. The Gladiator TUGV could cost about $150,000 apiece once production begins, though one source said the unit price of this UGV could be in the $300,000-$400,000 range. Prices for other TUGVs range from $400,000 to $950,000. The MULE-type system may cost between $300,000 and $400,000 apiece or as high as $800,000.
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