The risc potential will be considerable reduced if, for dangerous missions, unmanned ground vehicle can be used.

In order to promote the relevant technologies the German Federal Ministry of Defence, Director General of Armaments placed in April 2005 a study with BTSE called “Concept for the realisation of a land robot system within the 3000 kg class”.

After 8 months the study results were demonstrated to the German MoD and the German Federal Office of Defence Technology and Procurement (BWB) at the military airbase of Erding, Germany.

• The concept for the landrobot system RoboScout was comprehensively prepared and the vehicle resulted, named Gecko.

• By use of a landrobot demonstrator, a carrier for technology called KLT, evidence was gained that a UGV can be controlled and steered over long distances via satellite communication.

• A metal mockup was produced to show the user a possible configuration of a future UGV based an the principles studied under this contract.

From December 2005 to April 2006 the Gecko KLT was refurbished with a different motor, wheel motors, generator system, exhaust system and camera system to enable the participation at the German ELROB 2006. The vehicle had only one drive shaft at the rear.

The exeptional advantages of a robotsystem can be summarised as follows:

• Reduced risc potential for the operating soldier based on the possibility that dangerous missions can be taken over by a robot

• The system is able to be integrated into today's and future Network Centric Warfare

• Sensor to Shooter Fusion capability

• Real-time transmission of reconnaissance information into the command post

• Reduction of operating personnel for routine operations

• Longer operating time - shorter breaks than with soldiers

• Cost reduction by elimination of safety measures to protect soldiers - and no constructive ergonomical elements in the vehicle - a real robot

• Wide area of use by modulare payloads

In September 2008 all driving tests to perform a convoy mission will be presented to the customer.

The vision system steers the Gecko autonomously or partially autonomously while the vehicle is in the selected mode.

Based on the positive study results of the landrobot system from the years 2005/06 the German Federal Office of Defense Technology and Procurement (BWB) placed an additional study contract in March 2007 for a “System Demonstrator unmanned landrobot vehicle of the 3000 kg class”.

As a result the customer will receive by mid 2010 a System Demonstrator consisting of two UGVs and one Command Post including all commmunication means.

This System Demonstrator shall, as a Research and Development enterprise, demonstrate the user the possible technical solutions at the state of the art and its usability for different tactical missiones. It shall allow the estimation of technical and operational riscs using UGVs in the field up to a possible production run.

In accordance with the system concept there are six competence categories. In paralled there are the first tactical investigations to support the tank troops and the army reconnaissance division. The following competences from the categories

• Mobility

• Sustainability and protection

• Effective engagement

• Intelligence and reconnaissance

are used for the assignment with these branch of services.

The landrobot system RoboScout comprises of the vehicle Gecko, a modular payload and the command post. In the basic configuration the vehicle is in the position to extend a sensorarm with integrated optical reconnaissance components and a platform to mount different payloads.

During the performance of this study there will be no payloads investigated. However there will be a selected set of electrical and meachanical interfaces to the platform.

As growth potential recoilless automatic cannon, ground to ground missiles, HPM Systems, laser target designator, SIGINT, non lethal weapon or jammers for electronic warfare can be seen.

The landrobot system is however fully integrated into the Network Centric Warfare system.

The Vehicle Gecko features:

• hybrid diesel/electric vehicle power train with electrical hub wheel motors and integrated immobilisation brake

• low noise driving to an observation point using lithium-ion batteries with a nominal capacity of 15 kWh

• high manoeuvrability due to 4-wheel steering, including full turn on the spot

• optimal acceleration, no gear shifting required

• optimal traction, each wheel controlled separately

The vehicle can be operated remotely from the RoboScout Communication Center (RCC) in a command post via satellite or terrestrial communication link or via WLAN. It is able to communicate with other vehicles and to act as a relay station for the Future Force Warrior.

A laser scanner system and a vision system provide the capability of autonomous or semi autonomous driving.

In order to deliver the System Demonstrator in 2010 with the vehicles Gecko D1 and D2 the realization of two additional concept proving vehicles was mandatory.

• The Driving Lafette

• The Gecko Technology Reference System (TRS)

The purpose of this Driving Lafette is

• the integration of hardware and software for the drive and steering elements

• the fine tuning of the drive and steering elements

• to verify the multi-body simulation models including the calculation results

• to gain telemetry data to optimize the D1 and D2 vehicles

The purpose of the Gecko TRS is

• the analysis of the different technologies integrated into one mechanical body

• to investigate the temperature dynamics within the body including the electronics

• to investigate the EMC constraints

• to study the interaction of five different subsystems on the data bus

• to investigate the design results versus the thinking concept

• to investigate the operational use of the vehicle in an early stage

• to understand the riscs as early as possible to draft and implement corrective actions

• to test the communication link between RCC and Gecko TRS

• to analyse the autonomous capability and develop it further