RMMV, automated drive now, autonomous operations in the future
What many refer to as the “transparent battlefield”, transparency being provided by the numerous sensors, airborne but not only, which allow the two sides to have a clear view of the opponent assets, is changing many aspects of warfare. Logistic is one of those, as convoys carrying resupplies to front-line units are a priority target, even the best soldier being unable to fight without ammunition, move without fuel, and survive without water and food, not mentioning spares, medical supplies and so on. While in the past concentrating logistic depots close to the front was a possible solution, transparency make it too dangerous now, “distributed logistics” becoming a frequent definition. Manpower, especially in western armies, is an issue, and even asymmetric operations have shown how much logistic personnel is at risk. Beside designing and manufacturing trucks, RMMV is looking ahead, considering automated drive for its logistic trucks, reducing manpower and associated risks
Travelling on a 4×4 vehicle fitted with an automated driving system, the safety driver keeping is arms crossed over his chest, his feet off the pedals, the car moving off-road at slow speed, has always been quite a hectic experience. Doing it on board an 8×8 HX2 RMMV truck on a quite difficult terrain adds adrenaline to the test. EDR On-Line could experience this at the Offroad Zentrum Stotzing during the RMMV Mobility Days 2025.
The RMMV approach is to continue building standard trucks, which can then be converted into automated drive/autonomous platforms adding specific kits, in a spiral approach. What could be seen and tested on the dirt tracks of the Stotzing proving ground was the current level of automation, which is based on two kits, the “A Kit”, developed by Rheinmetall Canada, and the “B Kit”, produced by RMMV. In fact there is a third kit, the “Leader Kit”, also developed by the Canadian arm of Rheinmetall, the one which is designing and producing the Mission Master family of unmanned ground systems (UGVs), of which the CXT was deployed and demonstrated at the Mobility Days.
For the time being RMMW is concentrating its efforts on reducing the manpower in a logistic convoy, adopting a leader-follower architecture. The Leader Kit records the path and mobility data of the leading vehicle, and send these to the followers, the aim being to have the latter moving on a path which is as close as possible to that of the manned truck. The A Kit, installed on the followers, receives the path information, and compares those with the truck situation, provided by a set of sensors, GNSS, IMU inertial platform, speedometer, LIDARs, radars, cameras, depending on requirements. This generates a set of commands, which are provided to the B Kit.
While the A Kit comes from the Canadian automation wizards, the B Kit comes from the platform manufacturers, who intimately know their trucks, hence RMMV. While the A Kit is platform agnostic, the same sensors in different layout were used on the CXT UGV, the B Kit is obviously dedicated to the type of truck it has to be installed, although of course the family concept ensures strong commonalities.
The B Kit aims it to act as a bridge between the information provided by the A Kit and the platform itself, integrate with information coming from on board sensors, providing the speed, wheel spinning, and all data giving the situation of the truck. B Kit functions are subdivided in two main groups, primary and secondary; the former are the key driving functions, steering, throttle, brake, gear, shift, while the latter include lighting management, wipers and so on. For those who have seen normal vehicles transformed into remotely piloted vehicles in the previous decade, forget finding systems that clutter the driving cab; this remains identical to normal, and switching back to the manned configuration is instantaneous. Only a couple of actuators can be found on the steering column while all other systems are located with the vehicle vetronics. Depending on the command, the interface can be mechanical or electronic. Clearly with the HX2 trucks family interfaces are partly analog and partly digital; this will change when the HX3 will enter service, the new electronic architecture making interfacing easier, although this will come at a cost, the need to cybersecure the whole truck ecosystem to avoid interferences by the enemy.
At Stotzing the automated rive demonstration included three platforms; a 40M-0004 4×4 with the Leader Kit, then the manned truck, the 44M-191A –“White Pony”, an 8×8 44 tonnes truck with a 191 hp engine, fitted with the A-Kit, the B-Kit and the mobile control station, and finally the follower, the 44M-387A –“Hulk”, also an 8×8 44 tonnes truck but powered by a 387 hp engine and fitted with the A- and B-kit as well as with an automated load system device, that will be described later.
The automated drive system can be configured in different ways, for example the distance, or the time lapse between the leader and the follower, and between each follower, can be set, or it can be imposed to followers to adopt the same behaviour of the leading truck, a useful mode when dealing with difficult obstacles. Vehicles position is provided every half meter, modes can be changed dynamically according to the situation, and the convoy commander can be located in any of the vehicles, or even be sitting in a remote location teleoperating one of the trucks via a fully kitted console with large screens, that represents what the driver would see if seating in the leading vehicle.
RMMV representatives pointed out that if an automated truck is in the lead, it only needs those information about the path that can be provided by a leading vehicle, but can also be recorded in advance by an advanced party, say an engineer route clearing package, these info becoming a sort of digital route to be followed by the truck. The company does not foresee convoys made only of automated trucks, at least for Germany, the Bundeswehr being more keen in having an experienced driver on board. Moreover convoy self-protection may require some soldiers on board, not necessarily for driving but for manning remotely controlled weapon stations and/or counter-UAV systems.
Travelling on the “Hulk” was quite an experience, not so much when the truck was travelling on the dirt road but when it had to overcome some deep steps descending and ascending, the wheel turning and the engine revs going up, then brakes being activated, always with the safety driver pretty relaxed in his seat.
As said earlier, the “Hulk” was fitted with a further kit, dubbed C-Kit, which allowed to load and unload the container or the flatbed without human intervention. In fact the definition “C-Kit” is not peculiar to this specific functionality, but to all systems that would allow the automation of a certain mission payload carried by the truck.
The system installed was the ALHS (Automated Load Handling System) developed by Supashock of Australia. It allows the crew to operate from inside the protected cabin, increasing survivability; not only, according to the company the system is 3-4 times faster than standard loading system, which allows reducing the time during which the truck remains static, providing an easy target to the enemy.
The ALHS is pretty flexible, as it can load and unload both 20-foot as well as 20-foot high cube containers; the handling system is equipped with claws that grab the container edges to load or unload it. Should the truck need to load a flatbed, a switch allows to lower the appropriate hook to handle the load.
In the case of the “Hulk” the ALHS would allow the truck to operate in total automated mode, the only human intervention being that of the remote driver to properly align the truck to the load. Of course such a system can be used also on manned trucks, allowing to reduce the crew from two to one soldiers. According to RMMV the ALHS is mostly oriented to the military market, where safety and personnel issues are more sensible.
Photos by P. Valpolini
