Australia to procure explosive ordnance disposal robots from L3Harris

The Australian DoD will procure around 80 EOD robots from L3Harris Micreo. These new robots are likely to be L3Harris' T7 robots (pictured). The T7 is also used by the British Armed Forces and the USAF. (Janes/Melanie Rovery)

The Australian Department of Defence (DoD) has signed a AUD46 million (USD30.7 million) contract with L3Harris Micreo to procure around 80 explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) robots for the Australian Defence Force (ADF).

“[These new robots] will carry cameras and sensors that have an improved ability to find, examine, and neutralise improvised explosive devices (IEDs) and explosive hazards,” the DoD said on 4 May.

The new robots supplied by L3Harris will replace the ADF's current in-service robots, which were used in the Iraq and Afghanistan conflicts, the DoD added.

The new robots that will be delivered to the ADF are likely to be L3Harris' T7 robots. The T7 is an unmanned ground vehicle (UGV) that can support a range of military operations such as handling hazardous materials (HAZMAT); EOD; intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR); and special weapons and tactics (SWAT) missions.

According to Janes Land Warfare Platforms: Logistics, Support & Unmanned , the T7 UGV has a length, width, and height of 1.20 m, 0.70 m, and 1.16 m, respectively. The T7 weighs about 322 kg, has a maximum speed of 6.5 km/h, and an endurance of about 8 hours.

The T7 is equipped with a multiaxial manipulator arm that can lift more than 27 kg at a full horizontal extension of 2.2 m. When the manipulator arm is near the chassis, the weight lifted increases to more than 113 kg.

Janes