Ripsaw Unmanned Mini-Tank Sent To The Army's Shooting Range For The First Time
The Ripsaw is better known for its action movie pedigree, but the Army's unmanned version packs a very real 30mm cannon.
By Joseph Trevithick August 4, 2021
The War Zone
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The U.S. Army recently conducted the first live-fire testing with one of its prototype 30mm cannon-armed Ripsaw M5 unmanned mini-tanks, which are derived from a series of vehicles that have probably seen more time on movie screens than on the range.
The service also demonstrated the ability to operate the vehicle from a control station installed inside a modified Bradley Fighting Vehicle, highlighting the potential for pairing M5s with manned platforms in the future. This sort of "loyal wingman" type role is one potential mission set the Army has said it is looking at for the Ripsaws, or similar future designs, which it has acquired are part of a broader effort to expand the use of unmanned ground vehicles across the service.
US Army
Personnel from two different components of the Army's Combat Capabilities Development Command (CCDC), the Armaments Center at Picatinny Arsenal in New Jersey, and the Ground Vehicle Systems Center (GVSC) at the Detroit Arsenal in Michigan, together with contractors from Booz Allen Hamilton, joined together to carry out the live-fire testing. The actual shooting took place at Fort Dix in New Jersey on July 30. The service's Next-Generation Combat Vehicle Cross-Functional Team (NGCV CFT), part of Army Futures Command, is overseeing all testing of the M5 as part of the Robotic Combat Vehicle-Medium (RCV-M) program.
https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/41841/ripsaw-unmanned-mini-tank-sent-to-the-armys-shooting-range-for-the-first-time
