The Role of Unmanned Ground Vehicles in CBRN Reconnaissance

Chemical, Biological, Radiological, and Nuclear (CBRN) threats pose significant risks to both military and civilian populations. Effective reconnaissance and detection of these hazards are crucial for ensuring safety and mitigating potential damage. Unmanned Ground Vehicles (UGVs) have emerged as a vital tool in CBRN reconnaissance, offering numerous advantages over traditional mounted or dismounted methods.

Bertin Environics provides optimal solutions for UGV CBRN payloads.

UGVs provide several key benefits in CBRN reconnaissance missions:

1. Safety: UGVs can operate in hazardous environments without risking human lives. This is particularly important in areas contaminated with chemical, biological, radiological, or nuclear agents. The UGV can be left in the contaminated area until there is an opportunity to decontaminate it safely.
2. Efficiency: Equipped with advanced sensors and autonomous navigation systems, UGVs can quickly and accurately detect CBRN threats, reducing the time required for reconnaissance missions. They will survey the suspect area completely without getting tired or bored.
3. Versatility: UGVs can be deployed in various terrains and conditions, making them suitable for a wide range of reconnaissance scenarios. The drivetrain of the UGV can be tracked or wheeled. Selection of UGV with the optimal drivetrain type is based on mission requirements, payload and terrain.

Recent advancements in UGV technology have significantly enhanced their capabilities in CBRN reconnaissance:

1. Sensor Integration: Modern UGVs can be equipped with a variety of sensors, including GNSS, LiDAR, INS, chemical, biological and radiation sensors, standoff chemical detection, and onboard cameras. These sensors enable precise detection and mapping of CBRN hazards. Integrating the various sensors to the UGV platform becomes easier when UGV platform and sensors support any of the common UGV communication standards for integrating devices to the platform.
2. Autonomous Navigation: UGVs can autonomously navigate complex environments, avoiding obstacles and making real-time decisions about their path. This reduces the need for constant human intervention. Navigation performance can be enhanced with the use of inertial navigation system (INS) enabling the UGV to operate in GNSS denied environment or inside large structures where GNSS signal is weak.
3. Mesh Networking: UGVs can operate in collaborative teams, communicating with each other and with human operators through mesh networks. This enhances their efficiency and effectiveness in reconnaissance missions and allows the UGVs to operate in autonomous swarm mode.

Bertin Environics provides CBRN sensor solutions for the UGVs. You can combine a light weight solution using ChemProX chemical detector together with RDM radiation detection module. This solution can be fully integrated into UGV system, or it can use its built-in radio for communication up to 1 km line of sight distance.

For larger UGVs one can select ChemProX-DS chemical detection system combined with RanidX radiation detector and BioScout biological threat detector. Second Sight MS standoff chemical detector provides threat information from distance up to five kilometres allowing the UGV to go directly toward the threat area for more detailed detection. This solution can support additional sensors such as weather, CO, CO2, O2 for more complete environmental data. The solution will be integrated into the UGV system for communications.

UGVs are used in various CBRN reconnaissance applications:

1. Military Operations: UGVs are deployed in military operations to detect and neutralize CBRN threats, ensuring the safety of troops and civilians.
2. Disaster Response: In the event of a CBRN incident, UGVs can be used to assess the situation and guide response efforts, minimizing exposure to hazardous agents.
3. Environmental Monitoring: UGVs can monitor environments for CBRN contamination, providing valuable data for environmental protection and remediation efforts.

Unmanned Ground Vehicles have revolutionized CBRN reconnaissance, offering safer, more efficient, and versatile solutions for detecting and mitigating CBRN threats. As technology continues to advance, UGVs will play an increasingly important role in ensuring the safety and security of both military and civilian populations.