Black Knight Unmanned Combat Vehicle

BAE Systems’ Black Knight is a prototype of an Unmanned Combat Vehicle that provides Soldiers a hands-on prototype to assist engineering developers in defining robotic requirements and in design efforts for robotic vehicles.

The Black Knight’s turret is equipped with operative components already fielded by the Bradley Combat Systems program, providing synergy between the current force and the future force. As various components are designed and built specifically for robotic vehicles, they can be substituted for these current force components.

The Black Knight Unmanned Combat Vehicle is operated either from a dismounted control device or from the commander’s station of a Bradley. At the Association of the U.S. Army’s 2006 Annual Meeting and Exhibition, the Black Knight was electronically linked to the Bradley Technology Demonstrator vehicle, where visitors could look through the Black Knight’s sights while sitting in the Bradley commander’s seat.

Gun and turret position, as well as information from the Commander’s Independent Viewer and the improved Bradley Acquisition System, can be viewed from the Bradley’s Commander’s Crew Station. As Soldiers dismount, they take the Dismounted Control Device (DCD) along to continue operating the Black Knight, receiving information on the single screen on the DCD.

The Black Knight is fully C-130 transportable at 9.5 tons and is powered by a 300 HP diesel engine. It can capably maneuver on-road and off-road while maintaining pace with mounted maneuver elements.

BAE Systems’ Black Knight shows that existing robotic technologies are available for use by today’s forces. It provides an immediate system to demonstrate advanced robotic technologies, support user development of tactical behaviors, and provide engineers a hands-on prototype to assist in their design efforts on unmanned combat systems.

The Black Knight is equipped with advanced capability—leveraging some of the proven capabilities of the Bradley by utilizing robust, available and fielded components.

Enhancements completed in 2006 include autonomous mobility, which allows the Black Knight to plan routes, maneuver on the planned route and avoid obstacles—all without operator intervention. Alternatively, the system can be teleoperated using on-board vision systems that transmit the images from the Black Knight to either the Bradley or the DCD. 

Black Knight participated in several BAE Systems demonstrations in January 2007 at Ft. Knox, KY. While the Bradley Technology Demonstrator was engaging an enemy target from cover in a support by fire position, the Black Knight was able to autonomously move to a covered position and observe the target, using its sensor package to provide battle damage assessment data back to the Bradley. This covered position was forward of the Bradley, a less tenable position for a manned vehicle to occupy. If the enemy target needed to be re-engaged, the Black Knight could effectively neutralize the target, but the command to fire would always be made by a remote Soldier and only after the data necessary to make positive identification is received.