MP-IST-209-1760.pdf — page 1

Integration of a Commercial Unmanned Vehicle
into the Army Communications System
Jo˜ao Pedro Ara´ujo Silva
Academia Militar
silva.jpa3@exercito.pt
Ant´onio Manuel Cordeiro Grilo
Instituto Superior T´ecnico
antonio.grilo@inov.pt
Artur Jorge Coutinho Machado
Ex´ercito Portuguˆes
machado.ajsc@exercito.pt
Abstract—This study explores the integration of commercial
Unmanned Vehicles (UxVs) in military operations, focusing on
enhancing communication between these vehicles and their con-
trol centres. Global conflicts, particularly the Ukraine war, have
accelerated the development of autonomous military systems.
The Portuguese Army is investing in these technologies to lower
costs and speed up the acquisition, development, and integration
of these capabilities. These platforms have improved decision-
making and operational efficiency and can be applied in the
Portuguese Army and the other branches of the Armed Forces
(AF). This study contributes by developing an MAVLink library
for UxV communication, hybrid tools for data transmission using
military radios, Wireless Fidelity (Wi-Fi), and unmanned vehicle
navigation without dedicated autopilot hardware.
The solution developed was implemented using LAFVIN UGV,
and the tests were carried out with the support of the Tactical
Information and Communications System (SIC-T) project team.
After obtaining the results, it was possible to draw important
values and conclusions regarding using military radios — P/PRC-
525 and TR5000H — for integrating a UGV into the Battlefield
Management System (BMS).
Index Terms—UGV, BMS, MAVLink, Military Radios, Wi-Fi.
I. INTRODUCTION
H
UMAN life is priceless, and the loss of life can be
reduced considerably with the use of robots and au-
tonomous systems in the armed forces. Today, almost all
military organisations use robots to perform dangerous tasks
in high-risk environments [1].
A UxV is a vehicle that operates without a human on-
board, either remotely controlled or autonomously. There are
several types of UxVs: Unmanned Ground Vehicle (UGV),
Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV), and Unmanned Maritime
Vehicle (UMV) [2]. Communications in a UxV are essential
to enable remote control and data transmission between the
vehicle and the operator [1].
In recent years, in the face of increasing military tensions
at a global level, especially with the start of the conflict
in Ukraine on 24 February 2022, there has been a notable
rush towards military technology. The purpose of this cam-
paign was to improve defence capabilities. The North Atlantic
Treaty Organization (NATO) identified Autonomous Systems
and Communications as technologies that will play a highly
disruptive role over the next two decades, playing a crucial role
in improving human performance and promoting symbiosis
between man and machine [3].
The Portuguese Army, through the 2023 Military Program-
ming Law, is making a significant investment in Autonomous
Systems through Project EXE02 - Remote and Autonomous
Systems. This study is aligned with this work package, which
aims to develop a communication subsystem to be applied in
UGVs. This capability will help military command decisions
and reduce human exposure to threats.
A. Objectives
The main objective of this project is to design an architec-
ture and develop software for the integration of commercial
UGVs into the SIC-T. The primary purpose of communications
in UGVs is to guarantee reliable, real-time data transmission.
This allows the operator to receive information from the
vehicle, such as sensor data, images, and video, and send con-
trol commands to remotely guide the UGV. Communication
protocols are crucial in establishing a reliable and efficient
connection between an UGV and the control centre [4].
Within this main objective, this study has the following
secondary objectives:
• To support piloting of a commercial UGV, without the
need for specific autopilot hardware such as Pixhawk line
or Ardupilot Mega;
• Development of a library that connects a UxV to the SIC-
T;
• Testing and evaluation of the developed solution.
II. BACKGROUND AND RELATED WORK
The UGVs can navigate in spaces that would be dangerous
or inaccessible to humans and can operate in increasingly
complex environments through intelligence and efficiency. By
equipping a UGV with a camera or other sensors, operators
can quickly analyse objects and regions of interest with
precision [5]. Space exploration, particularly on the Moon and
Mars, is among the most important. In recent years, NASA has
developed five UGV platforms: Sojourner (1997), Opportunity
(2004), Spirit (2004), Curiosity (2012), and Perseverance
(2021). In parallel, the China National Space Administration
has also developed an UGV, the Zhurong (2021) [6].
As for military UGVs, they have a long lineage, descending
from the Teletank of Russian origin and the Goliath of German
origin, both used in the Second World War. UGVs, as we
know them today, emerged in the second half of the 20th
century, around 1970, with the flourishing of microprocessor
technology. Many developments in robotics originated from
research and development projects by the Department of De-
fense (DoD) of the United States of America (USA). Despite
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