54 In operation | Rheinmetall Canada Mission Master medevac As the XT runs principally on diesel, it needs even less preheating and thermal management than the CXT. Additionally, ironic as it may sound (as one of the primary motivations of vehicle electrification is to reduce maintenance), Rheinmetall Canada reports that the absence of a battery pack contributes to easier maintenance for the XT than its smaller counterparts, as any standard garage can maintain or repair the diesel powertrain, and there is no large and expensive battery to repair or replace. Tactically, the fully electric SP powertrain, CXT hybrid powertrain and all-diesel XT powertrain each have their own advantages. While the SP will take longer to recharge than the CXT and XT will take to refuel, it can naturally take electricity from a wide range of grid sources, and it is the stealthiest option – not only for its relatively small size, but also for its lack of emissions (exhaust, heat and noise included), making it harder to detect when carrying vulnerable casualties or being recharged in contested areas. “With all three Mission Masters, downtime really is limited to recharging and refuelling, or changing flat tyres,” Tremblay says. “Unless you know for a fact that a critical system is damaged, you don’t need to perform any maintenance checks, as the self-diagnostic subroutine enables each Mission Master to keep checking itself; thus it can just be sent back out for another mission.” More missions to master In addition to the ongoing development of its software (with safety certification to ISO 26262 and ASIL-D being end goals), Rheinmetall Canada is eyeing expansion into a number of key related technological areas, including wider capabilities across swarming to enable teams of UGVs to work together towards mission goals; these are likely to come before high-production outputs of the Mission Masters are prioritised. “The UGV industry and market have come a long way over the past five years, but there isn’t huge requisitions of UGVs being placed yet, not in the way that companies today order 100 UAVs at a time for logistics, ISR or asset inspection,” Tremblay observes. “But what we do see right now is a large and growing body of interested nations, who are exploring UGV technology and coming to understand what it is capable of. The first really large contracts for UGV orders will probably start happening between 2025 and 2027. That will likely be when nations have figured out what they want to do with UGVs and where they want to take them. “For now, we can confirm that the USMC is very satisfied with the performance of the Mission Masters and their autonomous capabilities, such that they will be used in further exercises with the USMC, mainly in that Medevac capacity, although there will also be some ISR and weapon-platform testing too.” February/March 2024 | Uncrewed Systems Technology Mission Master SP Battery-electric Eight wheeled Dimensions: 2.95 x 1.55 x 1.33 m Weight (without payload): 1000 kg Payload capacity: 600 kg Maximum endurance: eight hours Maximum ground speed: 30 kph Maximum amphibious speed: 5 kph Maximum climb angle: 40° Ground clearance: 24 cm Mission Master CXT Hybrid diesel-electric Four wheeled Dimensions: 3.16 x 2.25 x 1.53 m Weight (without payload): 2200 kg Payload capacity: 1000 kg Maximum range: 450 km (50 km on battery alone) Maximum ground speed: 40 kph Maximum amphibious speed: 4 kph Maximum climb angle: 35° Ground clearance: 50 cm Mission Master XT Diesel engine with hydrostatic transmission Four wheeled Dimensions: 3.72 x 2.57 x 1.9 m Weight (without payload): 2217 kg Payload capacity: 1000 kg Maximum range: 750 km Maximum ground speed: 40 kph Maximum amphibious speed: 5 kph Maximum climb angle: 35° Ground clearance: 50 cm Some key suppliers Chassis and wheels (Mission Master SP): ODG Chassis and wheels (Mission Master XT): Zeal Motors Autonomy kit: Provectus Robotics Solutions GCS: UXV Technologies Specifications Wider forms of uncrewed teaming are among Rheinmetall’s development plans
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MjI2Mzk4