America's Robot Army: Are Unmanned Fighters Ready for Combat?

Lockheed Martin MULE



Customer: U.S. Army ordered more than 1700 for 15 brigades, a potential human-to-robot ratio of 29:1 Deployment: Ready for combat as early as 2014 Models: Half will be armed; the rest will clear minefields and haul gear Cargo capability: 1800 to 2000 pounds Weapons: Four antitank Javelin missiles and a turret-mounted M240 machine gun. (Photograph by Chad Hunt)



SWORDS

Weight: 200 lb.
Speed: 4 mph
Weapons: M249 light machine gun
Notable feature: First armed robot deployed to Iraq; didn’t fire a shot

Warrior X700

Weight: 250 lb.
Speed: 10 mph
Weapons: A .30-caliber machine gun
Notable feature: Articulated arm that can lift 150 lb. swaps in for weapons.

MAARS

Weight: 235 lb.
Speed: 7 mph
Weapons: M240B medium machine gun
Notable feature: Programmable no-fire zones to prevent fratricide.



Continued: The Armed Robot Debate >>>