BAE Systems Australia unveils the Atlas autonomous combat vehicle at the biennial Land Forces conference in Melbourne. (Colin Clark / Breaking Defense)
LANDFORCES 2024 — BAE Systems’ Australia operation today unveiled an 8-wheeled autonomous combat vehicle, dubbed ATLAS CCV, armed with a 25mm cannon, designed for the Australian Defense Force and for export throughout the Indo-Pacific.
“It quite literally has been done in a year,” Kisa Christensen, a director at BAE Systems Australia, told a crowd gathered around the new vehicle. She said the system was designed to be “ITAR free” to boost its exports throughout the world. The entire development was funded by BAE Systems here. No price tag was offered.
The system, based largely on a vehicle made by the Australian company Supacat, is armed with a 25mm gun, which Kristensen said may be upgraded to a 30mm gun. The 25mm weapon is the same as used on Bradleys, and uses LIDAR, electro-optical and other sensors to find, track and target an enemy, but, in keeping with US policies, the gun does not fire without a human decision.
The system is designed to fit into a standard 20-foot ISO container or 20-foot ISO flat rack for rapid deployment. It can carry six tons of fuel and other kit such as ammunition. Also, the turret system is modular and can be removed, turning the vehicle into a flat bed cargo truck, BAE executives said.
“ATLAS CCV will operate using high levels of autonomy both on and off-road, complementing crewed counterparts such as infantry fighting vehicles and main battle tanks, at a lower cost. The vehicle incorporates existing, proven technologies to provide a cost-effective capability that is mission configurable and upgradable so that it continues to evolve to counter new and emerging technologies and threats,” the company said in a statement.
“We’ve developed the ATLAS vehicle to give soldiers the advantage on the modern battlefield. This has resulted in an autonomous platform that will deliver the dull, dirty and dangerous tasks expected in a combat environment,” said Andrew Gresham, a managing director at BAE Systems Australia. “ATLAS will enable the Australian Army to be fit to fight in the littoral environment. It will help the soldier outpace, out-maneuver and out-think conventional and unconventional threats.”
At least 14 of the approximately 89 Supacat HMT Extenda Mk2 vehicles, bought by Australia and largely used by the Australian Special Air Services, have been provided to Ukraine.
