29 Mar 2024 Successful Testing of Unmanned CBRN Defense Systems at “Eugen Kvaternik” Training Ground in Croatia
DOK-ING MVC-8 KOMODO UGV TESTED IN THE GROUND DECONTAMINATION SCENARIOS
29.03.2024. Slunj, Croatia – As part of the international CBRN SaaS project co-financed by the EU through the PESCO initiative, testing of Unmanned Systems for CBRN defense was conducted at the “Eugen Kvaternik” training ground near Slunj, Croatia, from March 11th to 15th, 2024. DOK-ING’s MVC-8 Komodo, a unique remote-controlled Unmanned Ground System which operates in extreme chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear conditions was involved in this testing.
The project aims to develop a CBRN defence system based on Unmanned Aerial and Ground Vehicles. The CBRN SaaS project is a dual-use project, civilian and military, aimed at developing a permanent sensor network consisting of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), and Unmanned Ground Vehicles (UGVs) to establish a complete operational (CBRN) picture.
At the “Eugen Kvaternik”, seven decontamination scenarios were demonstrated at the training ground, with DOK-ING’s Komodo participating in the scenario of collecting data from the ground. Given Komodo’s numerous multi-functionalities, it effortlessly overcame obstacles with the help of the gripper, and since one of its purposes is firefighting, it flawlessly extinguished a simulated fire in the given scenario.
For the Croatian Armed Forces magazine, Journalist Domagoj Vlahović reports : “This is the first time we’ve seen Komodo in real action, not just as an exhibit at a trade show. It looks impressive, as big as a combat armoured vehicle, and adorned with sensors and other accessories, it truly looks futuristic. When viewed from a distance, it’s hard to imagine that it doesn’t actually have a crew. Its robotic arm is crucial for CBRN operations, which, among other things, serves to collect contaminated soil, liquid, air, and vegetation samples.”
As CBRN SaaS is an international project, in Slunj’s testing, with their unmanned systems, various international companies participated in scenarios. In the part of the scenarios involving air contamination, participated the ElevonX Tango unmanned aerial vehicle operated by Slovenian company OneDrone. This UAVs, equipped with cameras and sensors, transmitted terrain images from the air and collected data on air contamination.
In addition to DOK-ING and already mentioned ElevonX and OneDrone, the Austrian company Schiebel and members of the CBRN Battalion of the Croatian Army and the Austrian ABC Defense Center participated in the testing. Representatives from the Ministry of Defense and the Armed Forces of the Republic of Croatia, the European Defense Agency (EDA), the Military-Diplomatic Corps, and other armed forces were also present at these demonstrations.
ABOUT MVC-8 Komodo
Next-gen CBRN Defense Unmanned Ground System
The MVC-8 is a unique remote-controlled unmanned ground system that can operate in extreme chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear (CBRN) conditions. As a dual-use asset, the UGV is designed to operate in extreme conditions hazardous to intervention teams with the following key capabilities:
- Hybrid propulsion system able to operate in extreme conditions such as CBR-contaminated zone, low oxygen and high temperature
- Tasks of survey, reconnaissance, patrol, CBR detection and surveillance with a wide variety of sensors and detectors and advanced video system
- Real-time data collection, processing and analysis with the aim of situational awareness for the needs of commands and operational units
- Chemical, Biological, Radiological (CBR) decontamination and toxic industrial materials (TIM) neutralisation of vertical and horizontal objects, combat and non-combat equipment, as well as partial self-decontamination
- Firefighting, demolition and neutralisation of toxic chemicals, self-cooling at high temperatures by fire and sprinkler system
- Sampling of gases, vapours, dust, aerosols, liquids and solids
- Overcoming and removing obstacles with different types of front and rear interchangeable tools.
About the CBRN SaaS Project:
The CBRN SaaS (Chemical, Biological, Radiological, and Nuclear Surveillance as a Service) project is an international initiative conducted under the framework of the European Union’s Permanent Structured Cooperation (PESCO) model, overseen by the European Defence Agency (EDA). The countries involved in the project are Austria (lead nation), Croatia, Hungary, and Slovenia, collaborating with their respective military (defense) industries as well as armed forces.
ABOUT DOK-ING:
DOK-ING is an engineering powerhouse of heavy-duty robotics & autonomous systems. The company is an international market leader with more than 80% of the market share in 40+ countries globally. In more than 30 years of being in the business, the company has been recognized for changing the industrial landscape with its innovative approach and won many international “doing business and industrial” awards in innovations and technologies. In a few words, by integrating its innovations and new technologies, it develops and manufactures robotic and autonomous systems to protect human lives & property in dull, dirty and dangerous environments, known to responders, primarily in Military Engineering, CBRNe, Counter-Terrorism, Emergency Response & Underground Mining.
FOTO Credits: Tomislav Brandt/Hrvatski vojnik
