Air Force Picks L3Harris Robots to Help Protect Bases
September 14, 2021
L3Harris, a global aerospace and defense technology provider, has announced that the U.S. Air Force awarded a 10-year, $85 million IDIQ contract to produce up to 170 robots to protect its bases around the world.
The T7 robots will replace the Air Force’s existing 20-year-old Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) system, which mitigates explosive threats at bases. The new contract includes robots, robotics support, maintenance and training, with initial deliveries scheduled in 2022. The contract follows L3Harris’ successful delivery of Project STARTER to the U.K. Ministry of Defence (MOD), which replaced the MOD’s aging fleet of EOD robots with 122 T7 robots.
In addition to EOD tasks, the T7 supports hazardous materials cleanup, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) missions, and special weapons and tactics (SWAT) missions. The 710-pound vehicle can run up to 8 hours (depending on the task), and includes a skid steer track system that can climb stairs and slopes over 45 degrees, and traverse lateral slopes over 30 degrees. The system has two driving cameras (front and rear), a pan-tilt-zoom mast camera with 120x zoom, a zoomable gripper camera and mid-arm camera, and four fender-mounted corner cameras. It can operate in extreme temperatures from -4 degrees F to 140 degrees F, and is EMI-shielded for use with active jammers. More specifications are located here.
“The T7 is setting the new standard for large EOD robots and has received outstanding technical and usability ratings from the Air Force,” said Ed Zoiss, president of space and airborne systems at L3Harris. “This award highlights our ongoing technology investment and positions L3Harris as the premier supplier of large EOD robots.”
Both the T7 and its midsize counterpart, the T4, was demonstrated at this week’s Defence and Security Equipment International (DSEI) conference in London. The company expects to also show them off at the Association of the U.S. Army conference in Washington, DC, this October.
For more details on the L3Harris T7 and T4 models, visit its website here.
