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QinetiQ's initial contract with the UK MOD is valued at over £12m. This includes the supply of replacement parts and the provision of support throughout the operational life of the systems. This is an essential part of a UK based maintenance and support plan that has been carefully designed to enable the UK MOD to return battle-damaged robots to active duty as quickly as possible.
Dragon Runner was originally developed by Automatika, a US company acquired by QinetiQ North America. The robot has since been further developed as a result of UK and US military user input and it can travel at speeds of around 5mph, travel over rough terrain, as well as climb stairs and open doors.
The basic chassis is 20cm wide, 7.5cm tall and 23cm in length and can be easily adapted in the field with various accessories and a manipulator arm to be mission specific. In addition to IED identification and defeat, other functions include perimeter security, checkpoint security and the inspection of suspect vehicles.
"With this very important contract and our work with the UK and US military, Dragon Runner is set to become a vital tool in military campaigns throughout the world," said Mary Carver, MD of QinetiQ’s Technology Solutions business. “The majority of the 3,000+ military robots that we have delivered to our customers so far are being used to disable roadside bombs however we’re now seeing increased demand for military surveillance and reconnaissance as well as for homeland security and specialist intelligence operations."
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