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Tracked Robot 10-ton (TRX)

Part of the Robotic Combat Vehicle-Medium (RCV-M) class, Tracked Robot 10-Ton (TRX - pronounced T-rex - Tyrannosaurus Rex = King of the Thunder Lizards) takes the next step in manned/unmanned teaming (MUM-T). On 13 October 2020, on the first day of the AUSA 2020 Washington Virtual Military Equipment Exhibition (Association of the United States Army), the American company General Dynamics Land Systems (GDLS) presented for the first time a prototype of a 10-ton TRX. TRX features innovative thinking, ranging from its AI-enhanced design to advanced, lightweight materials and a hybrid-electric propulsion system. TRX sets a new best-in-class payload capacity to accommodate any mission equipment package. TRX’s power and size make it an ideal platform for multirole MUM-T on today’s battlefield. TRX is positioned to provide superior performance as an enabling technology in a myriad of critical battlefield roles, including direct and indirect fire, autonomous resupply, complex obstacle breaching, counter-unmanned aerial systems (C-UAS), electronic warfare (EW), reconnaissance and other battlefield missions.

TRX is an independent research and development project that GDLS has carried out over the years. The project is based on its successful Squad Multifunctional Equipment Transportation (SMET) robotic vehicle program. After protests after the competition, GDLS won the SMET competition in 2020. GDLS also won the original contract. According to GDLS, this 10-ton heavyweight car has a lightweight chassis and can use some advanced design technologies jointly developed by the company and its partners, as well as some unique manufacturing technologies and advanced materials to carry many things.

GDLS said the robot can operate semi-autonomously and is fast enough to keep up with the pace of high-speed mobile formations such as the Stryker brigade combat team and armored BCT. At GD's virtual booth at AUSA 2020, TRX represents an indirect shooting configuration, demonstrating its partnership with drone manufacturer Aerovironment. RCV has a large payload, including various Switchblade loitering ammunition.

Pearson Engineering revealed its latest developments for Unmanned Ground Vehicles (UGVs) at the US Army’s Maneuver Support, Sustainment and Protection Integration Experiments 2021 (MSSPIX 21). The new approach from the company marks a determination to provide a wider range of mobility, counter-mobility, and survivability equipment to a broader range of armoured vehicle types, including multi-role unmanned ground vehicles (UGVs). The ‘Modular Mission Pack’ designed by Pearson Engineering, and on display at MSSPIX, is a prototype development to demonstrate the ‘art of the possible’ for the future of unmanned battlefield manoeuvre.

The prototype, subject to extensive research & development by the company, features a set of palletised, ground-engaging tools. In comparison to Pearson Engineering’s usual integration method to the front of the vehicle, the roof-mounted pallet allows UGVs like the Tracked Robot 10-ton (TRX), from General Dynamics Land Systems, to maintain high levels of mobility, keeping the overall mass of the combat engineering tools closer to the vehicle’s center. This is made possible by the lack of requirement for crew compartments.

The prototype shown at MSSPIX is mounted on General Dynamics Land Systems’ TRX, which is a medium-sized robotic combat vehicle (RCV-M). The Pearson Engineering equipment is integrated with the 10-ton chassis using a high strength integration kit to enable rapid fit, removal, and interchange of the mission pack. The particular mission pack shown at MSSPIX includes a General Purpose Blade and an Excavator Manipulator Arm for urban obstacle clearance.