Multifunctional Utility/Logistics and Equipment (MULE) Vehicle
The Multifunctional Utility/Logistics and Equipment (MULE) Vehicle is a 2.5-ton Unmanned Ground Vehicle (UGV) that will support dismounted operations. It consists of four major components:
* Mobility platform or common chassis.
* Autonomous Navigation System (ANS). The ANS is the mission payload package that will be integrated on both the Multifunctional Utility/Logistics and Equipment (MULE) Vehicle and Armed Robotic Vehicles (ARVs) to provide a robotic semiautonomous capability, and also on the family of Manned Ground Vehicles (MGVs) to provide a leader-follower capability.
* Operator Control Unit (OCU).
* Three Mission equipment packages/variants.
The Multifunctional Utility/Logistics and Equipment (MULE) Vehicle is sling-loadable under military rotorcraft. The Multifunctional Utility/Logistics and Equipment (MULE) Vehicle has three variants sharing a common chassis: transport, countermine and the Armed Robotic Vehicle (ARV)-Assault-Light (ARV-A-L). The transport Multifunctional Utility/Logistics and Equipment (MULE) Vehicle will carry 1,900-2,400 pounds of equipment and rucksacks for dismounted infantry squads with the mobility needed to follow squads in complex terrain. The countermine Multifunctional Utility/Logistics and Equipment (MULE) Vehicle will provide the capability to detect, mark and neutralize anti-tank mines by integrating a mine detection mission equipment package from the Ground Standoff Mine Detection System (GSTAMIDS) FCS program. The Armed Robotic Vehicle (ARV)-Assault-Light (ARV-A-L) Multifunctional Utility/Logistics and Equipment (MULE) Vehicle is a mobility platform with an integrated weapons and reconnaissance, surveillance and target acquisition (RSTA) package to support the dismounted infantry's efforts to locate and destroy enemy platforms and positions. The Multifunctional Utility/Logistics and Equipment (MULE) Vehicle platform's centerpiece is superior mobility built around an articulated suspension system to negotiate obstacles and gaps that a dismounted squad might encounter.