Ground drones in the National Guard: Iowa deploys GDLS S-MET at XCTC exercise in Camp Ripley

Iowa's National Guard recently deployed its new ground drones, the S-MET robotic mules, in an exercise held as part of the “eXportable Combat Training Capability (XCTC)” at Camp Ripley, Minnesota. In XCTC, active-duty US Army brigades train together with Army National Guard brigades. The aim is for the National Guard's brigade combat teams to reach training readiness level 3 (T3).

General Dynamics Land Systems won the US Army competition for an unmanned tactical multipurpose transport vehicle in 2019. The contract was worth almost 150 million euros; since the end of 2021, units have been receiving a total of 624 vehicles in tranches.

Technical data of the ground drones

The Squad Multipurpose Equipment Transport (S-MET), an eight-wheeled vehicle, has a hybrid-electric drive. It can also serve as a generator: on the move it produces 1 kW of electrical power, and up to 3 kW when stationary.

According to the specifications, the payload is between 450 and 1,134 kilograms. With a 454-kilogram payload, the range is said to be at least 96 kilograms, with autonomous operation of at least 72 hours.

With a length of 2.95 metres and a width of 1.75 metres, the vehicle weighs 1,588 kilograms. It reaches 13 km/h and is remotely controlled with a one-handed joystick.

The S-MET is the first ground robot of its kind in the history of the US Army. It is to be used primarily by light infantry units.

The US Army's 2023 budget request states that the S-MET “will help reduce the burden on soldiers and improve operational capabilities by transporting mission-specific equipment, resupply equipment and, for extended operations, the supplies currently required to support infantry and engineer platoons in the Infantry Brigade Combat Team (IBCT) on a 72-hour mission”.

Whether S-MET is suitable for airborne operations was examined by the Airborne and Special Operations Test Directorate at Fort Liberty, North Carolina, at the end of 2023. Together with soldiers of the 82nd Airborne Division (1st Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Battalion, 501st Parachute Infantry Regiment Bravo Company), crane drops were simulated and real tests with transport aircraft and parachutes were carried out.

According to General Dynamics Land Systems, further capabilities are to be added in future: autonomous resupply, counter-unmanned aircraft systems (C-UAS), defence against chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear threats (CBRN), intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR), electronic warfare (EW) and direct as well as indirect fire.