The contract includes in-country support, maintenance, training and follows L3Harris’ delivery of Project STARTER, a program that replaced the legacy fleet of large EOD robots with 122 T7 systems that have been operational since 2019.
Able to navigate narrow urban spaces, the T4 can operate in aisles of planes, trains and buses and can also climb stairs.
In a statement, Ed Zoiss, president, Space and Airborne Systems, L3Harris said. “The T4 robots offer many of the same capabilities and intuitive control as the T7 robot but in a more compact footprint, allowing operators to safely access threats in much smaller spaces.”
Advanced controls, high-definition cameras and fast datalinks will enable the operator of the T4 to perform tasks like unzipping bags and opening glove boxes from a safe distance.
At just over 100kg, the T4s are smaller and nimbler than the 300kg T7 UGV and will be used as the rapid response system for emergency situations as it can be transported in a standard 4x4 vehicle.
Both models use ‘advanced haptic feedback’ which allow operators to feel their way through the process of disarming devices.
The T4’s will enter service with the 29 EOD & Search Group and the Diving Threat and Exploitation Group, Royal Gibraltar Regiment and Cyprus Operational Support Unit.
Lt. Gen. Simon Hamilton, director General Land, Defence Equipment and Support, MoD, said: “Like the T7, the T4 robots will play an integral role in enhancing the EOD capabilities leveraged by the British Army.
“Critical to the MOD’s land modernisation ambitions is the prioritisation of agile, modular and highly capable technology built to tackle the demands of the future threat environment. The versatile T4 is a significant step forward in achieving this.”
L3 Harris Technologies will deliver the first T4 units before the end of 2024.
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