The Ministry of Defence (MoD) has appointed Northrop Grumman’s Remotec
The CUTLASS programme will provide the next generation of unmanned ground vehicle for explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) to be used by the MoD for anti-terrorism operations worldwide. The bulk of deliveries will take place in 2010.
The CUTLASS system has a modular design, enabling the user to deal with the full range of military and improvised explosive devices. Its boasts a rugged, versatile design that allows it to accommodate a wide range of payloads, sensors and tools.
The CUTLASS manipulator arm is equipped with a gripper and has nine degrees of freedom for range of movement and agility inside limited spaces, such as the interior of a car. The robot is able to creep along at deliberately slow speeds for delicate operations and may accelerate to high speeds to enable rapid travel. The six-wheeled design offers mobility on all types of hard and soft terrain and in all weather conditions.
Qinetiq is providing the vehicle command and control systems. Qinetiq’s operator command console will combine manual commands with advanced software to provide the functionality required for a demanding mission environment.
The logistics support effort will be led by LSC Group. LSC will also have responsibility for the CUTLASS programme’s risk management and tracking activities.
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