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The Army Has Sent an Armed Robot Dog to the Middle East for Testing


The Army was testing at least one armed quadrupedal unmanned ground vehicle at an installation in Saudi Arabia.

Photos published to the Defense Visual Information Distribution Service last week show a Ghost Robotics Vision 60 Quadrupedal-Unmanned Ground Vehicle, or Q-UGV, armed with what appears to be an AR-15/M16-pattern rifle on rotating turret undergoing "rehearsals" at the Red Sands Integrated Experimentation Center in Saudi Arabia in mid-September as part of a recent counter-unmanned aerial system exercise. Currently, Q-UGVs perform functions ranging from explosive ordnance disposal; boosting perimeter security at sensitive installations; and enhancing intelligence, surveillance, target acquisition and reconnaissance capabilities for U.S. service members deployed in austere environments, among others. In contrast to those pricey missiles -- and even the Coyote interceptor, which still costs $100,000 a shot -- defense contractors claim AI-powered robot guns can track, engage and destroy fast-moving targets without having to expend dozens (or even hundreds) of rounds in the process like the average U.S. service member, reducing the cost-per-kill of an incoming drone threat to a handful of dollars.

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