Robots go to war in British army’s exercise

The biggest ever robot exercise in the history of the British army got underway Monday.

Troops have begun testing over 70 examples of futuristic technology including enhanced surveillance drones and unmanned vehicles on the fields of Salisbury Plain in southern England, Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson announced.

The Ministry of Defence (MOD) said the game-changing Autonomous Warrior experiment will last four weeks and test a range of prototype unmanned aerial and autonomous ground vehicles which aim to reduce the danger to troops during combat, Xinhua reported.

The exercise will finish with a battle group experiment, where the best ideas and products will be tested in the toughest of simulated operational environments, a statement from the MOD in London added.

One of the key areas being tested is the autonomous last mile resupply. The MOD said the "last mile", which represents the extremely dangerous final approach to the combat zone, is crucial to ensuring soldiers have the food, fuel and ammunition to keep them alive.

Secretary Williamson said: "Our troops now have the chance to test out a huge range of robotic kit in what will be the biggest exercise of its kind in our history. This equipment could revolutionize our Armed Forces, keeping them safe and giving them the edge in an increasingly unstable world."