A British Army Challenger 2 tank completes a training course in Wiltshire, UK, in February 2023. Future British tanks could be joined by land-based drones, analogous to the “loyal wingman” aerial drones now under development. (Shutterstock/Martin Hibberd)

British Tanks Could Soon Get ‘Loyal Wingmen,’ Army Chief Says

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The British Army’s senior-most officer suggested that in the future, “no crewed ground vehicles should ever deploy without a supporting array of uncrewed ground vehicles.”

The British Army is on track to have far fewer tanks in service in the coming decades, but unmanned systems, including autonomous and semi-autonomous land-based and aerial drones, could support those vehicles. Chief of the General Staff Gen. Sir Roland “Roly” Vincent Walker, the highest-ranking officer in the British Army, claimed that future British tanks would be supported by land drones.

Walker made the comments at the RUSI Land Warfare Conference in London this week, suggesting it would come as part of a shift to a more agile and tech-enabled fighting force,........

© The National Interest