A MAPS UGV. (Praesidium Global)

The Australian Army will acquire four more Unmanned Ground Vehicles (UGVs) from Praesidium Global at a cost of $2 million for use by Army as part of a 12-month user evaluation trial.

The release announcing the acquisition did not identify which of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland-based Praesidium Global UGVs will be acquired, but the company offers a range of different UGV capabilities.

These include the MAPS (Mission Adaptable Platform System) which is a medium semi-autonomous platform with different modules which can support a variety of missions; the smaller Scout UGV which has been designed for internal carriage in armoured vehicles; and the Pathfinder air-droppable UGV for operations in non-permissive areas.

“We are committed to building stronger relationships with defence industry and encouraging new innovative technology,” Minister for Defence Industry, Christopher Pyne said in a statement.

“Unmanned Ground Vehicles will enhance the Army’s capability through assisting our soldiers with a range of manual handling tasks, such as moving heavy loads and field equipment, and casualty evacuations.”