As more and more car manufacturers focus on becoming eco-friendly, the U.S. Department of Defense is looking to advance their military vehicles as well.
Perhaps most interesting example is the Ripsaw M5-E unmanned ground vehicle (UGV), which has been in the making for about a decade.
The first unmanned, multi-mission Robotic Combat Vehicle
A team at Textron Systems has led the way in developing the all-electric Ripsaw M5-E that’s currently in its fifth-generation prototype.
The Ripsaw’s special features are that it can operate unmanned, can run on electricity, and can be customized.
Textron is collaborating with the U.S. Army’s Combat Capabilities Development Command Armaments Center (CCDC) to achieve developments in engineering and analysis.
A more eco-friendly way to build military vehicles
The Ripsaw is currently being assembled in two versions – the lightweight 7.5-ton version and the heavier 10.5-ton “medium” version. Both can use diesel or hybrid-electric drivetrains (the components that power the wheels).
According to Textron, the Ripsaw is an “unmanned, multi-mission, and multi-domain platform” that can perform a wide variety of missions such as mine-clearing and surveillance.
In addition, it can also hold heavy machine gun remote stations, medium caliber cannons, or even anti-aircraft missiles.
The Ripsaw also features more customizable options, such as armor and suspension, depending on the mission.
Janes reported that “The M5-E test platform will ship as a flat-top, lacking a remote weapon station or turret in order to allow the Army to test integrating different weapon systems.”
Rollout is soon – but concerns still loom
Textron hopes to have the all-electric Ripsaw available for experimentation in 2021.
But even though they made significant progress in developing this vehicle, the electric drive (ED) development still has a few concerns.
One of them is making sure there is enough battery energy to power the electric motors. Another looming concern is figuring out the electrical efficiency and charge rates for the machines.
Textron hopes to resolve these issues with advancements in technology over time.
A Textron spokesperson told Janes that the company’s experience “has allowed us to continually refine our [electric drive] systems and incorporate these lessons learned into the M5-E.”
So, what do you think? Should the military adopt more environmentally-friendly equipment, or do you think it would be too costly?
Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!