Rheinmetall Announces Establishment Of New Autonomous Vehicle Centres Of Excellence
Rheinmetall is establishing three new centres of excellence as part of a new round of investments in its development of autonomous vehicle technology.
The German defense contractor is launching three brand-new Advanced Land Autonomy Centres of Excellence in Germany, the Nordics and the United Kingdom, in addition to expanding its existing Canadian Autonomy Centre of Excellence. “These pioneering hubs will serve as the beating heart of Rheinmetall’s autonomous revolution, providing advanced integration, testing, and national control over leading-edge autonomous solutions, with a sharp focus on the PATH Autonomous Kit.”
Rheinmetall’s PATH Autonomous Kit allows fully autonomous movement of vehicles equipped with the system, with system operators able to control vehicles through a secure tablet. It is currently integrated on the Mission Master family of unmanned ground vehicles developed and built by Rheinmetall Canada. Mission Master unmanned ground vehicles have been acquired for evaluation and experimentation by national militaries including those of the United Kingdom, United States, Japan, Norway, and Estonia.
Rheinmetall says the PATH Autonomous Kit’s “platform agnostic” ability for integration into existing vehicles has seen it installed on 20 different chassis types. These include Polaris’ MRZR-D4 light tactical vehicle, as well as two Rheinmetall HX trucks used to win the “Automated Convoy” category in the European Land Robot Trial 2024.
“Autonomy isn’t just the future of defence – it’s the key to unlocking unprecedented speed, agility, and strategic advantage on the battlefield,” said Thomas Berge Nielsen, CEO of Rheinmetall’s Global Business. “By investing in the PATH Autonomous Kit and establishing our new Centres of Excellence, we’re bringing world-leading autonomous capabilities to the fight – ensuring Rheinmetall remains at the cutting edge of military innovation.”
Asides from military applications, Rheinmetall offers the PATH Autonomous Kit for a number of civilian uses, including automation of baggage handling vehicles, development of autonomous logging trucks, autonomous mining vehicles, automation of logistics for construction sites and warehouses, as well as planetary rovers.