BAE Systems and Northrop Grumman [NOC] added iRobot [IRBT] to their Ground Combat Vehicle (GCV) Team in their bid for the Army’s planned new vehicle.
The release of the GCV request for proposals is “imminent,” Army leaders said this week at the Association of the United States Army annual conference in Washington, D.C.
“The addition of iRobot to our team strengthens and promotes the unmanned components of the GCV program,” Mark Signorelli, BAE vice president and general manager of GCV, said in a statement at AUSA.
iRobot will be the unmanned ground vehicle integrator and improve the capability to detect pedestrians and obstacles of interest with growth towards an ability of the GCV to drive autonomously.
It will also be responsible for integrating the Army’s Brigade Combat Team modernization Small Unmanned Ground Vehicle (SUGV) robotic platform so it can be operated from inside the GCV.
Robert Moses, president of iRobot’s Government and Industrial Robots division, said, “Together we offer extensive experience in combat platform production and robotics integration capabilities to the GCV program. The GCV is an extremely important program for the Army and today’s soldier.”
BAE is the prime contractor for the team.