Overview
- HDT Robotics, doing business as BLADE, was named one of five industry partners for Project Sustainment in an award announced July 23 that moves the firm into a rapid development and competition phase.
- BLADE is pitching the Dire WOLF, a six-wheeled diesel-electric hybrid UGV the company says can carry thousands of pounds, pivot-steer for tight turns, climb vertical steps up to 2 feet, and supply exportable battery power at the front line.
- The Dire WOLF uses non-pneumatic Michelin Tweel wheels to avoid flats and a high-horsepower hybrid powertrain for long off-road range, features BLADE presents as designed for survivability in debris-strewn or damaged terrain.
- Project Sustainment is run through the National Advanced Mobility Consortium’s Detroit Arsenal Innovation agreement and administered by the Army Ground Vehicle Systems Center to speed prototyping and let smaller robotics firms compete with larger contractors.
- BLADE cites operational experience with smaller Hunter WOLF vehicles in multiple forces but those field-use and performance claims come from the company and partners and are not independently verified; the program will now test competing designs to see which meet Army needs.