SPUR (Special Purpose Unmanned Rifle)

2021: Announcement of a combat robot with weapons on its back

On October 11, 2021, Ghost Robotics and SWORD introduced a robot dog armed with a rifle. The system, called the Special Purpose Unmanned Rifle (SPUR), uses a 6.5 mm Creedmoor rifle on one of the four-legged unmanned ground vehicles Ghost Robotics (Q-UGV).

The debut of SPUR took place at the exhibition site of the main annual congress of the US Army Association in Washington. Although Ghost Robotics works with a number of other companies to explore the possibilities of using its Q-UGVs in the field of defense and security, this is the first example of an unmanned system with weapons installed on it. Unarmed samples of Q-UGV are already limited in use in the 325th squadron of the US Air Force security forces at Tyndale Air Base in Florida and are being tested in other units of this service.

The exact configuration of the 6.5 mm gun inside the SPUR module is not called, so it is not known how much ammunition it contains and how difficult it is to reload it. Ghost Robotics stated that the SPUR can be remotely instructed to fire the first shot from an uncharged state, as well as clear the cartridge chamber and put the weapon on the fuse.

In the United States, presented a combat robot with weapons on its back

Regarding weapons, SWORD offers derivatives from the AR-15/M16 family of 5.56x45 mm caliber, as well as similar, but larger caliber rifles resembling the Armalite AR-10 or Knights Armament Company SR-25. These rifles are available in calibers such as 7.62x51 mm, 6.5 mm Creedmoor,.300 Norma Magnum,.338 Lapua Magnum and.338 Norma Magnum. The weapon used in the SPUR module can be equipped with a noise canceller, which can make it difficult for opponents to determine where they are firing.

When our robots move and you push them, these forces are calculated at a rate of 2 thousand calculations per second for each leg. We're setting him up to look like a mammal. Our robot, when you see it climb the stairs, go or run, we turn off all the sensors. He just feels. He's completely blind. We do this because if a fighter or a mining company, if someone uses our robot, then this robot should work 99.99% of the time, "said Giren Parikh, CEO and founder of Ghost Robotics.

As for targeting, the SPUR module appears to have its own targeting system. In past tests conducted by the US Air Force using unarmed Q-UGV, operators used Android Team Awareness Kit (ATAK), an application that can be installed on tablet devices to interact with these unmanned systems and view images from on-board video cameras. It seems likely that ATAK or similar software (software) can be used to allow a person to aim at targets and hit them with a 6.5 mm robot rifle. The Air Force also discussed the possibility of remote control of Q-UGV from centralized command posts using virtual reality headsets .

SPUR may also have some degree of additional autonomy, potentially using artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities to detect and capture potential threats, even if the operator ultimately has to give permission to start firing. Aiming systems for small arms with similar capabilities are available on the open market on October 14, 2021.

Regardless, giving the Q-UGV its own weapons gives it the opportunity to immediately attack any targets it may encounter, if desired. This can be especially valuable, given that these robots will be able to penetrate into cramped spaces that pose a significant danger to humans. The 6.5 mm Creedmoor weapon will allow you to hit threats at longer distances. This can be very useful for perimeter security tasks, which is already one of the key tasks, at least in expeditionary scenarios, as well as for reconnaissance and military operations in urban warfare.

These dogs will become additional eyes and ears when calculating large amounts of data at strategic facilities throughout Tyndale Air Force Base. They will be of great help to our defenders and will provide flexibility in the deployment and response of our personnel, "said Jordan Criss, chief of the 325th squadron of the US Air Force security forces[1]

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