Robots

Army seeks robots to supply its big guns with ammunition

Before a howitzer can fire a shell, a series of humans have to put it in place. For all the advancements made from early cannons to modern artillery, it is still humans that do the transportation, lifting, loading, and launching of the explosives. The Army is looking to automate more of this process.

Through the Field Artillery Autonomous Resupply (FAAR) cohort, the Army is looking to change how resupply happens from the Battalion Supply Area forward to the artillery crew. This process leaves intact existing supply chains that develop and make the munitions, instead focusing just on how those munitions can get from their in-country warehouse to where they’re most immediately needed.

“The way artillery is resupplied has not changed much in the last 40 years,” said Chris Isch, an artillery officer working in long range precision fires. “This is a physically demanding task and can be time consuming. What’s more, all along the way, Soldiers must maintain paper inventory sheets to track the number and types of rounds. “