Explosive ordnance disposal robots outfitted with weapons.

In a live demonstration last month, the U.S. Army Armament Research Development and Engineering Center tested the performance of an armed robot, called Talon.

Explosive ordnance disposal experts at the New Jersey facility operated the robot with a remotely-aimed weapons mount and a new fire control system.

The Talon has attracted the attention of several potential users looking to supplement sensor payloads with lethal weapons. "It's small. It's quiet, and it goes where people don't want to be," explained EOD Sgt. 1st Class David Platt.

The Talon robot, made by Foster-Miller Inc. in Waltham, Mass., is authorized for EOD by all four U.S. armed services and has been employed successfully in Bosnia, Afghanistan and elsewhere. The tracked robot was one of four types used to search the World Trade Center rubble in 2001. It carries a 300-pound payload of sensors, tools or weapons, said Foster-Miller vide president Amis Mangolds.

The company is now integrating the Talon robot and various armament systems under a Small Business Innovative Research contract. Electrical and electromagnetic testing now underway will make the Talon fully safety-certified to fire weapons and/or explosives.

Though Foster-Miller prototyped mortars, grenade dispensers and other weapons for the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency in the late ]990s, early government interest in armed robots faded. Of the approximately 60 Talons in the Army today, nearly all are used for explosive ordnance disposal.

However, a high-recoil arm tested with an EOD shotgun at Picatinny inspired technicians in the ARDEC Explosive Ordnance Division to conduct a new armed robot demonstration last summer. According to armed robot system manager Stephen Trentanelli, "this program came about because these NCOs were experimenting with equipment they had on hand to satisfy future requirements."

The follow-on demonstration last month was designed to show the capabilities of lethal robot payloads. It also will help provide a database for unmanned ground vehicles under the Future Combat System program.

In the preliminary trials, the radio-controlled robot accurately fired 12 Flame- (incendiary) and 16 HEAT- (High Explosive Anti-Tank) LAW (Light Anti-tank Weapon) rockets from a four-round M202 launcher.

The robot weighed 126 pounds, including 51 pounds for the rockets. New lithium batteries in the follow-on demonstration weighed 20 pounds less than the original lead-acid batteries. The new power supply will also extend robot running time from two or three hours with lead-acid cells to 10 to 12 hours, depending on terrain.

In early trials, the M202 four-round rocket launcher was mounted on the 53-inch long robot arm. Just bolting it on the vehicle isn't good enough," noted Mangolds. "You want to aim it in pitch and yaw". Using the elevating arm nevertheless required the original armed robot to turn to the firing azimuth.

The follow-on demonstration included the TRAP (telepresent rapid aiming platform) gunnery system made by Precision Remotes Inc. of Port Richmond, Calif., and a new fire control system by Duke Pro, Inc. in Atlanta.

"The TRAP replaces the arm and has pan and tilt capability," said Mangolds. "It's a little bit more sophisticated, a little more fine-tuned than the arm."

The quick-change modular system will accommodate a four-round M202 rocket launcher, six-round 40 mm grenade launcher, M2 .50 caliber machine gun, M240B 7.62 mm machine gun, M249 squad automatic weapon, or M16 assault rifle. The robot manufacturer is also working on modifications that will point if not shoot weapons on the move. As an additional safety feature and an aid in coordinated attacks, controlled pointing will keep weapons directed at the enemy no matter what path the robot takes.

The Talon operates up to 1,800 m from its operator control unit with a radio frequency link or at distances of 10 km or more using fine optical fibers. The robot has four cameras. In the initial trials, the "elbow" camera on the articulated arm provided the sighting field of view seen on the 4-inch display of the OCU.

The follow-on demonstration used the standard vehicle cameras to aim weapons. Though the Picatinny team has considered thermal imagers and image intensifiers, night targeting sensors are not required for the proof-of concept effort. The robot manufacturer is nevertheless working on a new camera adapter to see around the bulk of an elevated six-tube grenade launcher.

The original fire control fired four rockets in a leisurely four seconds. The more sophisticated rocket interface now in place makes it possible to ripple-fire rockets in rapid succession or select individual rounds from a mix of HEAT and Flame LAW rockets. The new control system enables one operator to ripple-fire weapons on one to five platforms simultaneously. "It gives a single operator a lot more capability in terms of command and control of his remote assets," said designer John Nodine.

Duke Pro is an electronic engineering firm specializing in high explosive detonation equipment. The new package includes a remote firing and control system, an antenna control unit, and a weapons interface platform. Mounted on the Talon operator control unit, the RAFCS is about the size of two cigarette packs and uses a full duplex command and control radio link independent of the Talon OCU. Arm and fire switches on the RFACS give feedback on the weapon status.

The antenna control unit on the robot receives and decodes the RF firing signal and relays it to the weapons interface platform receiver. With 256-bit signal encryption, the new fire control maintains greater security than the 6-bit encrypted system used in initial trials.

Army EOD operators consider the Talon with its ruggedized OCU the easiest to control of the current robots. "A laptop doesn't work on the back of a Hummer," said Platt.

Potential future payloads include the Javelin anti-tank missile, a 0.50 caliber sniper rifle, and various mine detectors and electronic countermeasures.