The world’s battlefields are evolving. Technology that was once science fiction, or perhaps dystopian science fiction, is now becoming reality at a rapidly increasing pace. The era of autonomous systems has arrived, whether they are dog-like, human-like or vehicle-based. And, sometimes, they are armed.
But often, these new systems are still in their infancy and still undergoing the rigors of battlefield testing, as many cannot yet cope with the realities of actual combat. They’re prototypes with prototype parts, and actual combat is not where prototype parts shine. Nevertheless, the days of some prototypes are over, as several such machines have made their way straight into the middle of the Ukrainian-Russian conflict, and are using a very familiar platform as their base.
Yes, it’s an autonomous Polaris Ranger UTV, and it and many of its compatriots are already on the front lines.
We’ve talked about Forterra’s autonomous systems before, as the company has been at the forefront of autonomous battlefield vehicle technology for some time. However, this is the first example that I am aware of in the context of mass production of autonomous vehicles in conflict zones.
“Fortera, the leader in autonomous mission systems, today revealed for the first time that it produced and deployed 105 autonomous Lancer vehicles in support of Ukrainian forces in the Russo-Ukrainian War,” according to Forterra’s press release. “Completing full delivery in less than six months, the company designed, manufactured and deployed Lancer, a multi-mission autonomous ground vehicle to provide logistical and combat support on the battlefield.
The Lancer is a Polaris Ranger 1500 platform with Forterra’s autonomous vehicle systems (Autodrive and Vector) integrated, and has already covered more than 2,500 miles combined. It supports a range of missions including medical evacuation and heavy load supply operations. Forterra specifically states that the Lancers have transported a total of more than 770,000 pounds since their introduction.
A Ukrainian commander told Fortera, “The Lancer is the No. 1 choice for critical logistics missions. In fact, we urgently need more Lancers sent immediately.” And Scott Sanders, Forterra’s chief development officer, said, “The demo validates the proof of concept, validating an operational capability to project combat deployable force,” which highlights the use case for vehicles like the Lancer in modern battlefields, as well as how good the Rangers are out-of-the-box.
Because you won’t have the same capabilities in a modern truck compared to the Ranger, and it won’t be as easy to integrate with the Forterra’s AV system. Moreso, this case study shows how integral both UTVs and AVs will become in the future.
