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BAE Systems Australia and EPE have formed a technical partnership to demonstrate advanced autonomous capabilities in Australia.
Announced at Land Forces 2022 in Brisbane, the two organizations will collaborate on the development of autonomous technologies through BAE Systems’ Unmanned Ground Vehicle (UGV) program, which began in 2022.
Focused on implementing BAE Systems’ advanced vehicle management systems on to UGVs, the collaboration with EPE aims to develop soldier support systems for the Australian Army.
As Australian agents to the HDT Hunter WOLF (Wheeled Offload Logistics Follower) UGV platform, EPE was initially contracted to provide platform, integration and engineering support as well as test facilities, using the company’s state-of-the-art UGV test and evaluation facilities in south-east Queensland.
Operating within a multi-domain autonomy architecture, the program focuses on the integration of UGV mission systems to enable prototyping that will develop certifiable mission systems.
“We are pleased to partner with EPE to help develop and grow sovereign autonomous capability here in Australia,” said BAE Systems Australia, Managing Director for Defense Delivery, Andrew Gresham. “It’s critical for businesses like ours to collaborate with Australian industry so we can successfully support the ADF and working with companies such as EPE provides opportunities to work as one team, creating an environment that fosters innovation.
“Having access to the EPE’s unmanned ground vehicle platform and magnificent test facilities here in South-East Queensland has helped us make significant advances in ground autonomy technology, and we look forward to furthering this work together.”
“It’s been an extremely positive experience working with BAE Systems on a shared pursuit of a multi-domain, collaborative and autonomous robotics for Defense at our MILTECS test and assurance facility,” said EPE’s Director Innovation and Commercialization, Ben Sorensen. “Our technical teams are working collaboratively, both virtually and face-to-face, to advance the technology, enhance capability and significantly de-risk future Defense programs.”
