WASHINGTON — The U.S. Army is reviewing the development of an
unmanned military truck for duty in Iraq.
The truck has been presented at the army Tactical Wheeled Vehicle
Component Technology Demonstrations in Yuma, Ariz. The truck is to make a test drive with cargo seven miles in the Arizona desert.
The unmanned truck has been developed by Oshkosh Truck Corp. in
cooperation with Rockwell Collins and the University of Parma, Italy, Middle East Newsline reported.
Oshkosh has submitted an unmanned version of its Palletized Load System
vehicle for the army demonstration in a desert environment similar to that
in the Middle East.
"Our technology allows soldiers to be taken out of convoy resupply
missions or to be re-assigned to other tasks within the convoy," Oshkosh
executive vice president John Stoddart said.
The current manned Oshkosh PLS, a 10-wheel drive, has been deployed in
Afghanistan and Iraq. The truck was designed to transport containers of
ammunition or large tanks of fuel or water.
Executives said the PLS Unmanned Ground Vehicle has the same 16.5 ton
payload capacity
as the manned platform. The unmanned vehicle also contains an on-board
material handling system that quickly unloads and loads cargo.
"I believe this technology can revolutionize the transport of logistics
in future conflicts and contribute to increased soldier survivability,"
Stoddart said.
The Pentagon has awarded a $44.2 million order to Oshkosh Truck for work on existing manned vehicles. The contract is for
rebuilding the M1076 Palletized Loading System Trailers as well as other
vehicles. The vehicles were identified as the M1070 Heavy Equipment
Transporter Trucks and M1074 and M1075 PLS trucks.
The Pentagon said the work would take place in Oshkosh, Wis. and
completed by December 2006. The contract would be overseen by the Army
Tank-Automotive and Armaments Command, based in Warren, Mich.
