Rheinmetall’s autonomous unmanned ground vehicle Mission Master SP has demonstrated its capabilities during a demonstration in the presence of representatives of six European allies. The Mission Master SP used FZ275 laser-guided missiles from Thales in a live firing exercise.
The demonstration took place at the Trängslet field camp of the Swedish procurement authority Försvarets Materielverk (FMV) near Älvdalen. The vehicle is part of the Autonomous Unmanned Ground Vehicle (A-UGV) family developed by Rheinmetall Canada. The Mission Master SP – Fire Support used in the demonstration was equipped with a remote-controlled Rheinmetall Fieldranger Multi weapon station. This was equipped with two 70-millimeter rocket launchers from Thales Belgium. Each launcher had seven barrels. For the demonstration, the A-UGV fired the laser-guided 70-millimeter missiles at a 4×4 vehicle four kilometers away from the firing point. The FZ275 LGR is one of the lightest and longest-range 70-millimetre LGRs in its class and offers meter-accurate precision. This makes it suitable as a fire support component for armed forces.
The demonstration marked the end of the successful qualification process for the Fieldranger Multi weapon station in the Thales 70-millimeter missile launcher variant. The Mission Master SP is now capable of delivering area-wide and precise strikes at distances of up to seven kilometers against fixed and moving targets – while minimizing collateral damage. This was previously only possible from airborne platforms. The new Fieldranger Multi configuration can be integrated into other platforms and armored vehicles. In addition to the variant shown in Sweden, many other configurations are also possible for the Mission Master SP – Fire Support. Thanks to its modular architecture, this A-UGV can also be equipped with other weapon systems. For example, with heavy machine guns in 12.7 millimeter calibre, the Dillon Aero M134D multi-barrel weapon or 40 millimeter grenade launchers. During the demonstration in Trängslet, a secure, custom-made and remote-controlled tablet was used, which operates in a digitized scenario. The firing was controlled via Rheinmetall’s command and control software. Both companies – Rheinmetall and Thales – emphasized the importance of a “human-in-the-loop” configuration. This means that the operator has complete control over the weapon system – from target acquisition to final authorization to fire.
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