HDT Robotics, doing business as Blade, announced that the U.S. Army will expand its evaluation of the Hunter Wolf unmanned ground vehicle. Training and evaluation are scheduled for August 20 as part of a transition-in-contact event involving the 82nd Airborne Division at Fort Polk, Louisiana.
Blade designed the Hunter Wolf, a robotic multi-mission ground vehicle, to reduce the physical burden on soldiers. With a payload capacity of up to 2,800 pounds, it supports logistics and casualty evacuation (CASEVAC) missions while helping to solve the military's "last tactical mile" of supply challenge.
By carrying critical equipment, supplies and personnel, Blade claims the vehicle extends operational duration, keeps soldiers in the field longer, reduces fatigue and allows them to operate at safer distances. Built specifically for dismounted military operations, the Hunter Wolf delivers mobility and payload in a compact system engineered to perform in demanding environments where commercial vehicles can fail.
The training event will provide hands-on experience for soldiers from one of the Army's rapid-response units. Known as the "All-American" Division, the 82nd Airborne can deploy worldwide within 18 hours and specializes in parachute assault and other key military operations.
"No two Army units operate the same way," Blade President of Robotics Tom Van Doren said. "The value of these evaluations is seeing how the Hunter Wolf supports different mission sets, environments and operational priorities. Every event helps validate the flexibility of the platform and identify new ways it can reduce workload and help keep soldiers out of harm's way."
During the training, soldiers will operate and evaluate the vehicle in real-world scenarios, gaining experience in system operation and mission integration. The vehicles will be configured to support a variety of mission requirements, including communications, logistics, casualty evacuation, mobile power generation and equipment transport.
Specifically, configurations include:
- Two Vehicle-mounted Tactical Radios (AN/VRC-158)
- Autonomy
- Five Universal Battery Chargers (UBC)
- Casualty Evacuation (CASEVAC)
- 15kW Mobile Power Export (120/240VAC inverter offload)
- Extended Cargo Rails for Equipment Transport
This event follows previous Hunter Wolf training and evaluation activities conducted with U.S. Army units earlier this year, including the 3rd Brigade, 10th Mountain Division and the 101st Airborne Division.
