Autonomous and Remote Control Ground Vehicle at Centre of Marshall Involvement in National Science Week
Technology to reduce the load burden on the dismounted soldier demonstrated at IWM Duxford and HAC
Cambridge, 18th March 2011; The leading edge autonomous/remote control ground vehicles – TRAKKAR® and QUESTAR® – form the centre piece of Marshall Land Systems involvement in National Science Week 2011. The UGVs are being demonstrated at the Imperial War Museum Duxford during a school science event and the Honourable Artillery Company in London during a student and media briefing highlighting defence technologies which help to reduce the burden on the dismounted soldier.
Designed to reduce the logistic burden on troops deploying on operations TRAKKAR® carries batteries, rations, fuel and reserve ammunition for the soldiers allowing them to concentrate on their job rather than carry heavy loads.
QUESTAR® is an agile vehicle which can be remotely, semi or fully autonomously controlled depending on the user’s requirements. QUESTAR® was developed to address the need for a fully autonomous reconnaissance and surveillance UGV.
“National Science Week is a real opportunity for the defence industry to show to students the leading edge technologies that the company is involved in. Not only does TRAKKAR® involve vehicle engineering but also leading edge software and control systems,” said Peter Callaghan, Chief Executive of Marshall Land Systems.
TRAKKAR® is a 4 x 4 platform able to carry a 250kg payload. It is electrically powered using quick change battery 
packs and has provision for a diesel electric Hybrid Power Unit to give an overall endurance of up to 70 hours. It has been fitted with ‘follow-me’ technology which enables the vehicle to follow its human controller as they move across the ground. Fitted to the front of the vehicle is a receiver linked to the vehicle control system which follows a small transmitter fitted to the soldier’s back. A small PDA sized hand held control unit allows the soldier to control TRAKKAR® with a simple three button interface for common commands, such as “follow me” “catch up” and “return to last RV”. TRAKKAR® can also follow a pre-programmed route.
As well as its primary load bearing role TRAKKAR® can be rapidly re-configured for a wide range of roles using quick change mission pods to become amongst other things a radio re-broadcast facility, a remote casualty evacuation system or carry a sensor package for route clearance tasks, act a static or roving unmanned sentry post to observe areas of dead ground or act as an autonomous CBRN reconnaissance vehicle.
QUESTAR® is a skid steered UGV that can be rapidly converted to have either wheels or tracks. It is electrically powered using high density re-chargeable batteries. QUESTAR® has a footprint of 900mm length and 590 mm width and can scale slopes of up to 40º. QUESTAR® has an endurance of up to 1½ hours and a range of 3km with a top speed of 30kph though economical cruising speed would normally be 20kph.
QUESTAR®’s payload can be tailored to the operational requirements and can include communications re-broadcast; optical, IR or thermal imaging sensors; radar, CBRNE reconnaissance systems; and can be fitted with an extending mast to provide a remotely operated sensor platform with the ability to look over obstacles. QUESTAR® can be configured to meet any number of operationally dangerous missions such as CIED work, CBRN Recce, Deployed/Detached/Roving surveillance and sentry tasks and route reconnaissance. Its small size and speed make it a difficult target. Its simplicity makes it a life and manpower saver.
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