It both carries cargo and fires at drones: a driverless vehicle was presented in the US
US companies Forterra and Hypercraft have presented a vehicle designed for driverless delivery of military cargo to dangerous areas. The Razorback platform can carry up to 1,800 kilograms of cargo and is equipped with an armed turret to counter small drones.
Carries cargo and shoots at drones: An driverless vehicle was demonstrated in the US
The project combines Hypercraft's Razorback off-road vehicle, the AutoDrive autonomous control system developed by Forterra, and 9 Mothers' Edda turret.
The vehicle is designed to deliver cargo in situations where supply routes are under fire. Performing such tasks driverless aims to reduce direct risk to humans.
The Razorback is the first complete vehicle created by Hypercraft, based in Provo, Utah. The company was previously involved in developing electric powertrains for commercial transport and later started defense-oriented developments.
The vehicle is over four meters long and has a payload capacity of 1.8 tons. According to Hypercraft, its range is nearly 800 kilometers. In addition, the vehicle can provide external equipment with up to 38 kilowatts of electric power.
The design allows for the installation of additional sensors, radio stations, weapons, and other equipment depending on the mission. Since the Razorback was designed for autonomous operation from the start, installing the AutoDrive control system was facilitated.
The Edda turret installed on the vehicle weighs approximately 23 kilograms. It detects small drones by the sound of their propellers, tracks them via cameras, and fires from a shotgun. The system is designed to target drones at distances from 10 to 100 meters.
Thus, the new platform combines the capabilities of autonomous military supply delivery and anti-drone defense in a single vehicle.