While civil society decides whether the use of self-driving cars can be allowed, the military has already made its choice. In Israel, UAV vehicles were created and are used to patrol the border. The Israeli land-based drone was first demonstrated back in 2009 at an exhibition in the capital of Great Britain. At the London exhibition, G-NIUS, which is owned by the major Israeli military companies Elbit Systems and Israel Aerospace Industries, presented its cutting-edge development, the Guardium unmanned ground vehicle. (unmanned ground vehicle).
This vehicle was adopted by the Israeli army in 2009. Since then, it has been the first and only mass-produced vehicle of this type in annual combat service. The Guardium land-based drone was built on the basis of a buggy chassis, but not a civilian version, but a military vehicle. Such buggies are specially produced for special operations units by the American company TOMCAR. The famous buggies from this company have been used by the IDF to patrol the Israeli borders for over 30 years. The chassis for the Tomcar is currently being manufactured in Australia.
The drone received an automated tactical positioning system, and can also be operated autonomously in off-road conditions. The car is able to accelerate to 80 km / h, while the drone can also carry a payload weighing up to 300 kg, including light armor, which covers the vital systems of the car. At the same time, the combat weight of the device is 1400 kg.
This unmanned vehicle can even be equipped with combat or non-lethal weapons, which can be controlled by the machine operator from a special command center. Usually, a 40-mm automatic grenade launcher and a large-caliber 12, 7-mm machine gun are installed on the car. If necessary, an armored shield, a device for throwing grenades with tear gas, as well as a six-barreled machine gun and other types of weapons can be installed on the unmanned buggy.
However, the main weapon of a futuristic drone is a complex of special sensors, which include a thermal imager with an automatic target designation and capture system, a video camera, a microphone, and strong loudspeakers to ensure two-way radio communication. In this case, an unmanned vehicle can operate separately, or move along with the infantry. In the second case, it is controlled using a special portable terminal, one of the soldiers of the combat unit controls the machine. In the first case, the control resembles the control of a UAV as much as possible and is carried out from a special control center.
The UGV is powered by a Lombardini four-stroke diesel engine paired with a continuously variable variator. In addition, Guardium has an anti-squat effect. The peculiarity of this effect is that during acceleration, the trailing arm is displaced, which raises the body, as a result of which the car does not "goat" during acceleration, which means it behaves better on rough terrain, better controllability. The car is very well suited for off-road driving. It has 38cm ground clearance, minimum overhangs and 34cm suspension travel. At the same time, with a total car length of 295 cm, the wheelbase is 202 cm. All this makes the Guardium an excellent SUV that feels great in the Middle Eastern deserts.
A feature of the Guardium car is that it can independently patrol along a given route, including over very rough terrain, without the participation of an operator. The machine operates in "autopilot" mode. The second interesting feature of this robotic vehicle is its "self-learning" and the ability to independently choose a tactically important patrol zone, taking into account a sudden change in disposition.
Persons who are allowed to drive a Guardium vehicle are subject to the following requirements:
- availability of driving license and experience in driving cars with both automatic and manual transmissions;
- good knowledge of car mechanics;
- good vision;
- the ability to work in a very intense mode and be actually "glued" to the screen on which the unmanned vehicle displays the surveillance picture.
Working with UGV Guardium is preceded by special training courses lasting 4 months. From the control center, the car can be controlled using joysticks, which are responsible for turning the steering wheel and pressing the pedals. It is noteworthy that most of the military personnel who have passed the professional selection are women.
According to the press service of the IDF, the Guardium is effective:
- to detect suspicious persons in the Gaza Strip who are approaching the separation barrier with Israel;
- to detect traces indicating illegal crossing of the Israeli border;
- to find entrances to underground tunnels that connect the Gaza Strip and the Sinai Peninsula and are used by smugglers and terrorists;
- to detect suspicious subjects who are digging holes in the immediate vicinity of the "security fence";
- to recognize explosive devices, to detect them, the car is equipped with a wide range of special equipment and surveillance cameras.
After the “security fence” was damaged on August 5, 2012, the vehicle carried out 80-hour continuous patrols of Israel's border with Egypt and the Gaza Strip. Patrolling was carried out until the moment when the barrier structure was not fully restored. Currently, the Guardium vehicle continues to patrol the borders of the Jewish state, the exact number of vehicles adopted by the Israeli army is unknown.
This land-based drone can conduct patrols on its own, but it is most effective as a means of supporting foot patrols. “We rely on our infantry when things get hotter, but the infantry also rely on us. This is a symbiosis, - emphasize in the IDFM drone division. Currently, the Guardium is most useful on the borders with Lebanon and the Gaza Strip, in those places where the penetration of smugglers, terrorists and spies into Israeli territory seems to be the most realistic.
It is worth noting that Israel is expanding the use of unmanned aerial vehicles in its ground forces. Thus, in the framework of Operation Unbreakable Rock, the Israeli army for the first time used its M113 armored personnel carrier equipped with a remote control system. Tests of the first unmanned armored personnel carrier took place in the Khirbet Akhzaa area, in which servicemen from the Givati brigade operated. The tracked armored personnel carrier M113 without a driver and crew can carry up to 4 tons of cargo, reaching speeds of up to 50 km / h. The car was used to transport weapons, food and ammunition. To control the unmanned M113, a command car was used, which was located on the border of the Gaza Strip. In this car were specially trained military personnel of the company of unmanned vehicles.
The Israel Defense Forces have been using ground-based unmanned vehicles since 2009, but they have not previously been used to transport cargo. The Guardium unmanned vehicles patrolling the border have been nicknamed "the faithful partner" in the IDF. Thanks to modern video surveillance systems, this machine is able to work in any climatic conditions, day and night. According to the commander of the robotic patrol unit, such vehicles save a lot of money, and also save the lives of the Israeli military.
