Robot wars... battlefield first for UK forces

BATTLEFIELD robots will be built in the UK for the first time as part of a plan to triple Britain's combat power.

- Marco Giannangeli

It follows news that a German tech firm is building a new facility in England to develop unmanned armoured vehicles for the Army.

Britain and Germany signed a deal in October to identify "opportunities for industrial collaboration and investment to achieve closer working on countering threats".

With the UK's number of troops at its smallest since Napoleon began to conquer Europe 230 years ago, the reliance on autonomous and semi-autonomous systems is uppermost in the minds of military planners, with around 10% of the defence budget dedicated to this.

Evacuation

Now ARX Robotics will build the first facility of its kind in the UK to manufacture drones for reconnaissance, casualty evacuation and transport.