Squad Mission Support System

Squad Mission Support System is an unmanned all terrain wheel vehicle being developed by Lockheed Martin.

History

The SMSS is being developed for the US Army as transport and logistics support by Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control division.

The SMSS can travel up to 25 miles/h and carry up to 1000 pounds in gear.

Unloaded, the SMSS weight up to 2000 pounds and can be parachuted from an aircraft.

The SMSS can be driven by an operator or remotely operated. Currently the SMSS is unarmed, but there are plans to arm it with either RPG or small missile systems.

No SMSS are in service as of yet. Testing is expected to begin in Afghanistan sometime in 2010.^[1]

References

^ Kris Osborn (2009-03-15). "Army Robots: Will Humans Still Be in Control?". Time magazine. Retrieved 2009-03-16. Meanwhile, the mountainous terrain and high altitudes of Afghanistan have led the Army to increasingly emphasize rapid delivery of anything that can lighten a soldier's load. As a result, the U.S. Army Infantry Center at Fort Benning, Ga., is experimenting with a 4,000-lb, six-wheeled semiautonomous, supply-carrying robot vehicle called the Squad Mission Support System (SMSS), which will likely head to the mountains of Afghanistan for testing sometime next year.

External links

[1] Kris Osborn (2009-03-15). "Army Robots: Will Humans Still Be in Control?". Time magazine. Retrieved 2009-03-16. Meanwhile, the mountainous terrain and high altitudes of Afghanistan have led the Army to increasingly emphasize rapid delivery of anything that can lighten a soldier's load. As a result, the U.S. Army Infantry Center at Fort Benning, Ga., is experimenting with a 4,000-lb, six-wheeled semiautonomous, supply-carrying robot vehicle called the Squad Mission Support System (SMSS), which will likely head to the mountains of Afghanistan for testing sometime next year.

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