BLADE’s Hunter WOLF drone heads to Pentagon field trial

BLADE, the robotics company formerly known as HDT, said its Hunter WOLF unmanned ground vehicle has been selected for the second phase of GroundBreaker 1, a U.S. Department of War demonstration in which service members will put industry-built ground robots through field trials at Camp Grafton, North Dakota, on Oct. 19-23.

The company said Hunter WOLF advanced after government evaluators reviewed the solution brief it submitted in Phase I. During Phase II, evaluators will judge the vehicle’s technology maturity, operational readiness and ability to work with other military systems. Companies whose demonstrations pass that evaluation may be invited to a third phase to submit full proposals for a prototype Other Transaction Authority agreement, a contracting route the Pentagon uses to buy prototypes faster than through standard procurement. BLADE did not say how many vehicles it will bring to Camp Grafton.

GroundBreaker 1 is a joint Department of War effort to speed the military’s adoption of unmanned ground vehicles. The government asked for proposals in August through the Department of War Drone OTA Consortium, and only consortium members were eligible. The solicitation sought complete systems able to handle at least one core mission, including reconnaissance and surveillance, moving supplies and equipment, explosive ordnance disposal and route clearance, search and rescue, perimeter security and casualty evacuation. At Camp Grafton, service members will operate the vehicles in realistic field conditions and give feedback on how easy they are to use and how well they perform. Other companies are also competing; startup Liminal Industries said last month that its DUEL-V vehicle had advanced to Phase II.

“Hunter WOLF was built for exactly this kind of challenge,” said Tom Van Doren, president of the robotics sector at BLADE. “This is a mature, mission-ready platform that has been tested alongside warfighters in demanding environments. GroundBreaker 1 gives us the opportunity to demonstrate why the Hunter WOLF is ready to support the warfighter now.”

The Hunter WOLF is a six-wheeled, diesel-electric hybrid robot that BLADE says can carry 2,800 pounds (1,270 kg) of cargo and supply electrical power to other equipment. It can be driven by remote control or operate autonomously, and it takes modular payloads for logistics, reconnaissance, casualty evacuation and communications relay. The company says the vehicle has been used operationally in Ukraine, along with service in military exercises and training events.

GroundBreaker 1 is the second U.S. military ground robot effort Hunter WOLF has joined in recent weeks. BLADE was one of six companies the U.S. Army selected in August for its Infantry Last Tactical Mile initiative, which is testing robots that resupply troops and evacuate casualties near the front line. The vehicle has also been through a series of U.S. Army evaluations this year, including an August event with the 82nd Airborne Division at Fort Polk, Louisiana, and the company has said it has supported the U.S. Marine Corps and Australian forces.