CUGS project

Combat Unmanned Ground System (CUGS).

The CUGS project is a response to the growing need to deploy unmanned systems – including combat systems – to provide an advantage over a potential enemy and reduce threats to both personnel and manned platforms by increasing robustness, durability and resilience of ground defence systems.               

The initiation of the CUGS project is a consequence of the launch by the European Defence Agency (EDA) of a study entitled “Ground combat robotic system (C-UGV)”, the aim of which is to analyse the future needs of a ground combat robotic system for the armed forces, identify the most appropriate and beneficial solutions and desired levels of autonomy, set a high level of autonomy for threat/target detection, their classification and, possibly, identification followed by tracking and marking, and the process of selecting the type of weapon and firing.                                                   

The aim of the project is to develop a study of the requirements and architecture of an unmanned combat system and validate it by selecting three different categories of platforms, adapting them and defining and designing a set of functional modules that will be combined into functional demonstrators of highly autonomous combat unmanned ground systems.

Platforms and functional modules will provide solutions for areas such as:

  • platforms,
  • navigation,
  • communication, command and control (C3) and cooperation systems (including safe C3 for firing),
  • effector management systems.

ŁUKASIEWICZ – PIAP will be responsible for the perception module for navigation. The project will develop a set of requirements and functionalities that should be provided by such a module, which will then be implemented (additionally also in a simulator) integrated into one of the platforms used in the project and tested.

Implementation period: 08.05.2023 – 08.05.2026

PIAP budget: EUR 541,870.00 net (EUR 660,500.00 gross)

Project type: international research project

Coordinator: LEONARDO, Italy (Military University of Technology – leader / coordinator on the part of the Polish consortium)

Partners:

  • John Cockerill Defence, Belgium (JCD)
  • FN Herstal, Belgium (FNH)
  • Diehl Defence, Germany (DD)
  • KMW, Germany (KMW)
  • MBDA Germany, Germany (MBDA DE)
  • Rheinmetall Landsysteme GmbH, Germany (RLS)
  • Milrem Robotics, Estonia (MLR)
  • Estonian Military Academy, Estonia (EMA)
  • Patria Land Oy, Finland (PTR)
  • Bittium, Finland (BTM)
  • NEXTER, France (NXT)
  • SAFRAN, France (SFR)
  • THALES, France (THL)
  • MBDA France, France (MBDA FR)
  • ARQUUS, France (ARQ)
  • LEONARDO, Italy (LDO)
  • LARIMART, Italy (LRT)
  • IVECO DV, Italy (IDV)
  • MBDA Italy, Italy (MBDA IT)
  • TNO, the Netherlands (TNO)
  • DEMCON, the Netherlands (DMC)
  • NCIM, the Netherlands (NCIM)
  • KONGSBERG, Norway (KBG)
  • FFI, Norway (FFI)
  • WAT, Poland (WAT)
  • Łukasiewicz – PIAP, Poland (PIAP)
  • Zakłady Mechaniczne Tarnów, Poland (ZMT)
  • War Studies University, Poland (ASW)