BAE Systems Australia and the Australian Army have successfully tested and demonstrated two M113AS4 Armoured Personnel Carriers (APC) modified for optionally manned operations.

The two vehicles were converted by BAE Systems with new hardware and software to demonstrate autonomous technologies, and the battlefield simulation at the Majura Training Site near Canberra was observed by Chief of Army, LTGEN Rick Burr.

“This project highlights our commitment to leading the development of new technologies and collaborating across industry and academia to advance autonomous capabilities,” BAE Systems Australia CEO Gabby Costigan said in a statement. “Autonomous technologies will support soldier responsiveness in an accelerating warfare environment – increasing their ability to outpace, out-manoeuvre and out-think conventional and unconventional threats.”

The vehicles will also be used as test technologies developed by the Commonwealth’s Trusted Autonomous Systems Defence Cooperative Research Centre (TAS-DCRC) which was announced in 2017 under the Next Generation Technologies Fund to deliver trusted, reliable and effective autonomous systems.

A video of the autonomous M113 demonstration can be viewed here.