The U.S. Army has deployed an armed “robot dog” known as the Ghost Robotics Vision 60 quadrupedal unmanned ground vehicle (Q-UGV) to the Middle East as part of counter-drone testing, Military.com reports. Photos released on the Defense Visual Information Distribution Service (DVIDS) show the Vision 60 at the Red Sands Integrated Experimentation Center (IEC) in Saudi Arabia, outfitted with an AI-enabled turret featuring an AR-15/M16-pattern rifle. This system, branded “Lone Wolf,” participated in counter-UAS drills in mid-September at Red Sands, a joint research facility focused on advanced counter-drone capabilities.
A U.S. Army Central spokesperson confirmed to Military.com that the Vision 60 was one of several “non-counter-sUAS” systems integrated into the broader anti-drone trials, which tested over 15 platforms. During this exercise, the Q-UGV engaged static ground targets with its electro-optical targeting system and rotating turret, marking a new direction in autonomous ground-based defense technologies. However, officials declined to specify operational applications or the full scope of the robot dog’s testing.
Robot dogs armed with AI-targeting rifles undergo US Marines Special Ops evaluation
Quadrupeds being reviewed have automatic targeting systems but require human oversight to fire.
~MK The Future Is Now pic.twitter.com/3YM0aaFtLz— Michael Kaminski (@BenedictHermit) May 8, 2024
The Vision 60 reportedly incorporates AI to assist with targeting and control. Although the precise AI functions of the turret remain undisclosed, similar tests conducted by the Army’s Combat Capabilities Development Command (DEVCOM) at Fort Drum, New York, suggest that the AI enables the gun system to engage fast-moving targets autonomously.
In addition to the Army’s testing, SOFX and The War Zone previously reported that the U.S. Marine Forces Special Operations Command (MARSOC) has been evaluating quadrupedal robots armed with various weapon configurations. According to Eric Shell, head of business development at Onyx Industries—the company that supplies weapon systems for these robots—MARSOC has tested robot dogs equipped with specialized remote weapon systems for missions requiring firepower in confined spaces.
The Red Sands exercise also included U.S. Army AH-64 Apache helicopters, which showcased their anti-drone capabilities. A video released by CENTCOM captures a U.S. Army AH-64D Longbow Apache destroying a target drone using an AGM-114 Hellfire missile, traditionally an air-to-ground weapon adapted here for aerial drone interception.
. @USArmy Soldiers engage an unmanned aerial system (UAS) from an AH-64 with upgraded Hellfire missile during Red Sands training exercise in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. @usarmycentral pic.twitter.com/HG9ChuWxt6
— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) September 30, 2024
Red Sands III, a joint U.S.-Saudi initiative, provides a platform for testing emerging counter-UAS technologies to address the region’s growing drone threat. The exercise enables U.S. and Saudi forces to trial and refine both kinetic and non-kinetic responses to unmanned threats. The Kingdom, which has faced an uptick in long-range, low-cost drone attacks, tested its own Skyguard air defense system, and the Royal Saudi Air Force deployed Eurofighter Typhoons to intercept additional targets.
