Weapons of war are a necessary evil, but that does not mean we cannot appreciate the engineering—or admit that some of the hardware looks pretty damn sleek. Textron Systems’ Ripsaw ground robotic vehicles are a case in point, and the latest M1 gives us plenty to look at.
The latest addition, the Ripsaw M1, is the smallest member of the family and the first to trade tracks for wheels. But the interesting part is what it carries. In Textron’s demonstration video, its flat deck accommodates a launcher that sends three Damocles VTOL loitering munitions airborne.
A robot carrying other flying robots. That is quite a departure from the military vehicles we grew up seeing.
Wheels on the Ground, Damocles in the Air
The video depicts an operator spotting a hostile high-speed vessel offshore, then controlling the M1 using a ruggedized tablet. The vehicle negotiates rough coastal terrain and mud before raising its launcher and deploying the three munitions.
Damocles then takes the mission out over the water, tracking the moving vessel before the sequence culminates in a strike. Human-in-the-loop control remains part of the operation.
The combination gives the ground vehicle reach beyond wherever its wheels can take it. The M1 transports the airborne systems into position; Damocles handles the aerial search-and-strike role. No driver is sitting beneath that launcher.
Smallest Does Not Mean Small
Designed for reconnaissance, logistics, and force protection in coastal environments, urban terrain, and tight maneuvering spaces, the M1 has a compact frame and low-signature profile.
Mind you, “compact” is relative. It weighs 6,300 pounds (2,858 kilograms) and can carry 2,000 pounds (907 kilograms). This is no little delivery robot wandering around a sidewalk.
It is quick, too. Its listed speed of over 50 mph (80 km/h) makes it the fastest model in Textron’s published Ripsaw family comparison.
The M1’s key specifications are:
- Weight: 6,300 lb (2,858 kg)
- Footprint: 126 × 60 inches (3.20 × 1.52 meters)
- Deck height: 48 inches (1.22 meters)
- Payload capacity: 2,000 lb (907 kg)
- Speed: Over 50 mph (80 km/h)
- Ground clearance: 18 inches (45.7 cm)
- Fording depth: 48 inches (1.22 meters)
- Silent, all-electric range: 30 miles (48 km)
Damocles Has Its Own Set of Abilities
The Damocles launched effect is a lightweight, modular vertical-takeoff-and-landing system supporting autonomous or semi-autonomous search and strike. Its top-attack capability uses a second-generation explosively formed penetrator warhead, with full-motion video feedback supporting human-in-the-loop control.
Textron also lists day-and-night automatic target recognition in all weather, operation in GPS-denied environments, and a ground-loiter option to extend time in the target area. The system requires no separate launch or recovery equipment.
Put together, the M1 and Damocles make for an imposing combination without the bulk of a conventional crewed fighting vehicle. The smallest Ripsaw may have lost the tracks, but it has picked up something more complicated than a new set of wheels.
Keep going for Textron’s demonstration video.
Images: Textron Systems.