Horiba MIRA has secured a £2.3 million contract to supply VIKING — the first autonomous Unmanned Ground Vehicle (UGV) of its kind — to the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (DSTL).

The latter is to conduct trials on behalf of the UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) and — working with the British Army — look at ways to deliver vital supplies autonomously, thereby reducing the risk to front-line soldiers.

The contract will see Horiba MIRA supply three of its pioneering VIKING autonomous UGVs over the next six months.

VIKING is a 6x6 UGV, capable of carrying up to 750kg of supplies over long distances using advanced AI-based autonomy and GPS-denied navigation.

It can perform a number of specialist roles in addition to re-supply, including soldier support, combat and IED
detection.

It will give the MoD valuable insights into the use of UGVs to further inform the upcoming JTARR and Theseus programmes.

Andy Maloney, chief engineer (defence and unmanned solutions) at Horiba MIRA (www.horiba-mira.com), said: “As the first autonomous UGV of its kind, our innovative VIKING platform could revolutionise how critical supplies are delivered to front-line soldiers, especially in combat scenarios.

“We are delighted that DSTL has recognised its game-changing capabilities and awarded us this major contract.”