Robots

[Kirkhill]

"This Canadian product not used in Canada" - a theme

LAVs - 50 years of production in London and 11,000 built, 2000 for Canada
Roshels - 5 years of production in Brampton and 2000 built, zero for Canada.

Arguably we only became LAV fans after they were bought by the USMC (LAV25-Bison Coyote) and the USArmy (Stryker-LAVIII etc)
We were no fans of the original LAV (AVGP-Grizzly Cougar)

When do we start to believe in ourselves?

 

[Kirkhill]

Ukraine has gone from accepting just about any old weapon to showing Western militaries how modern war is fought

Ukraine started Russia's full-scale invasion accepting any help it could get, and now it's helping allies prepare for new ways of war.

www.businessinsider.com

Further to....

Zelensky Plans Large Drone Factory in Britain, Pushes New UK Defense Partnership

Zelensky hopes to launch a new phase in UK-Ukraine relations centered on joint drone production, technology sharing, and defense cooperation.

www.kyivpost.com

The UK seems to be getting major benefits from its association with Ukraine which are putting it at the forefront of the drone evolution.

Necessity is a mother. The lack of money means that invention is a necessity to the UK as well as Ukraine.

The UK is repeating the innovation strategy of WW1 and WW2 without commiting troops on the ground.

 

[Kirkhill]

We are a bit behind....

The United States significantly lags behind Ukraine in the production of combat drones - Pentagon

УНН News of the World ✎ Deputy Pentagon Director Travis Metz stated that Ukraine produces up to 7 million drones per year, while the US is only at the initial stage. The Pent…

unn.ua

"Travis Metz, Deputy Director and Chief Operating Officer of the Pentagon's Defense Innovation Unit....emphasized that Ukraine currently produces up to seven million small attack drones per year, or approximately 500,000 per month. For comparison: a Pentagon program worth $1.1 billion provides for orders of just under 200,000 drones by February."

....

In 2022 Ukraine deployed less than 10,000 drones of all sorts.
On Dec 19, 2023 Zelenskyy announced a 2024 target of 1,000,000 drones
Currently Ukraine is deploying between 8 and 10,000,000 drones annually.

....

I can't believe it is the technology that is lacking in the US.
I can believe it is bureaucracy and administration and security and corporate protection.

Eisenhower's Military Industrial Complex is an anchor

 

[Kirkhill]

Pentagon calls for cheaper long-range strike weapons, with testing in just 3 months

The Pentagon is seeking long-range weapons that cost less than $250,000 each and can be ready for demonstration within three months.

www.defensenews.com

Related - a need to extract the digit.

" the Pentagon is in a hurry. The Iran war has exposed the problem of relying on costly long-range missiles such as the Tomahawk. To remedy that, DoD is putting out a call for long-range, autonomously guided Ground-Based Affordable Mass, or GBAM, weapons that cost less than $250,000 apiece.

"The Pentagon also wants the GBAM munitions to be ready for demonstration within three months, and full-scale production within 18 months.

"The goal of the GBAM initiative is to supplement expensive smart munitions with “affordable, scalable long-range effects, and “enable commanders to service a broader target set, preserve exquisite munitions for their intended purpose, and sustain operational tempo throughout a prolonged conflict.”"

 

[Kirkhill]

Robomule contest

US Army Selects Five Firms to Develop Medium Autonomous Tactical Logistics Platforms

The US Army has selected five firms to develop medium-sized robotic platform prototypes for tactical logistics under a new program.

thedefensepost.com

"AM General, American Rheinmetall, Carnegie Robotics, HDT Robotics, and Stratom will develop prototypes to automate battlefield logistics.

"Under Project Sustainment, the US Army’s Capability Program Executive Office Mission Autonomy aims to keep soldiers off high-risk resupply routes while ensuring 24/7 logistics support in contested environments."

....

The American Rheinmetall offering will likely be the Canadian MissionMaster SP favoured by the USMC.