AUKUS defense solutions scientists subjected the military alliance’s autonomous vehicles to a range of simulated attacks during the Trusted Operation of Robotic Vehicles in a Contested Environment test.
The Department of Defense said the testing, held at the Cultana Training Area in South Australia in fall 2023, complemented the work on AUKUS artificial intelligence-powered drones conducted in the United Kingdom months earlier.
The latest assessments in Australia involved autonomous, unarmed multi-domain launchers and uncrewed ground vehicles configured for long-range precision fires and associated missions. The fielded vehicles underwent testing on various types of attacks, including electronic warfare.
Peter Shoubridge, land and joint warfare chief of the Defence and Science Technology Group within the Australian Department of Defence, said TORVICE’s simulated combat enabled test participants to assess the autonomous vehicles’ attack response, providing collective AUKUS knowledge on system improvements.
The Australian test complemented the work on AUKUS artificial intelligence-powered drones conducted in the United Kingdom in April 2023.
Cooperation on AI and autonomous systems, under Pillar 2 of the AUKUS alliance, is achieving significant progress in jointly developing advanced capabilities, Tanya Monro, Australia’s chief defense scientist, said at a 2023 Center for a New American Security event.