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MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C. - The Robotic Systems Joint
Project Office conducted new equipment training on the Route
Reconnaissance and Clearance, or R2C, robot with Marines from the
2nd Combat Engineer Battalion at Camp Lejeune, NC, March 10-13,
2014. The training event included classroom instruction, practical
exercise and an end-of-course test to certify the Marines to operate
the R2C robot.
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Marines with 2nd Combat Engineer Battalion, 2nd Marine Division,
learn to operate a R2C Robot during a training exercise aboard
Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, N.C., March 11, 2014. R2C Robots can
scout for roadside bombs, search buildings and vehicles with the
ability to climb stairs and maneuver on any terrain up to 800 meters
away from the control point. Each robots is controlled through a
computer and a handheld controller.
(U.S. Marine Corps photos by Lance Cpl. Joey Mendez combined by USA
Patriotism!)
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“The R2C robot is a [counter-improvised explosive device]
tool,” said Lou Anulare, assistant program manager for
Marine Corps Unmanned Ground Vehicles under the RS JPO in
Warren, Mich. “This system provides a new option for route
reconnaissance and clearance operations to be used in place
of putting Marines in harm's way.”
As the office
responsible for everything from acquisition to sustainment
of unmanned ground systems for the Army and Marine Corps, RS
JPO reports to both the Army's Program Executive Officer for
Ground Combat Systems and Marine Corps Systems Command.
They have fielded 22 R2C robots to
Marine operating forces since January.
The R2C robot
features an improved communications system with two radio
frequencies so it can operate in the continental United
States and overseas. The robot is also equipped with a
fiber-optic spooler, allowing it to be tethered to the
controller in situations where radio frequency cannot be
used.
“While under radio frequency operation, the R2C
increases the Marines' arm length to over 800 meters,
providing them a safe distance to do interrogation of
possible IED threats,” Anulare said. “So far in theater,
we've had more than 800 robots destroyed. We believe each
one of those losses represents a Marine or soldier's life or
limb saved.”
Additionally, a three-link arm gives the
robot increased reach for more flexibility. The robot also
has multiple cameras, providing Marines improved visibility
when evaluating potential threats.
The R2C robots
were fielded to Marine combat engineers who support ground
forces by performing demolition, construction, mine
clearing, maintenance and repair operations.
“This
robot is a great piece of gear,” said Sgt. Jared Mount, a
combat engineer with the 2nd CEB. “This is the sixth or
seventh robot I've worked with. It definitely tops the
robots we've used. The controllers are easier to use, and it
can pick up more weight with the heavier arm. The cameras
and new arm make it much easier to maneuver. It's going to
save more Marines' lives.”
The R2C robot is based on
the Army's FasTac robot, a legacy commercial-off-the-shelf
platform. The Army provided excess FasTacs to the Marine
Corps, which reduced the time it took to field the
capability to Marines, said Col. Ben Stinson, RS JPO project
manager.
The Marine Corps worked with Army engineers
and logisticians from the Detroit Arsenal Team to modify and
upgrade the FasTacs to meet Marine Corps requirements,
Stinson said.
“Additionally, [Marines] are embedded
with the Army at RS JPO,” Stinson said. “Their knowledge and
expertise played heavily in our ability to establish a
production line to upgrade the robots. RS JPO has a
depot-like maintenance capability, so the expertise of how
to tear apart and rebuild the robots was resident because of
the mission we've had for the last 12 years supporting
[Operation Enduring Freedom].”
The R2C robot is the
first robotics program of record for the Marine Corps.
“Being a program of record means the robot now has the
ability to exist after the war,” Stinson said. “It is in the
base funding for R2C, will be incorporated into the school
house [curriculum] and provisioned through the Marine Corps
supply system. We transitioned a commercial item procured
for OEF to an enduring program that will be used after the
war.”
By U.S. Marine Corps Monique Randolph
Provided
through DVIDS
Copyright 2014
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