New Subterranean Warfare Technologies Experimented

New Subterranean Warfare Technologies Experimented

Photo illust. US Army
Soldiers train to fight,win and survive in a dense urban environment at Fort Hood's underground training facility Oct. 18. As directed by Gen. Mark A. Milley, this training gives Soldiers an opportunity to learn a different fighting environment.

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Subterranean warfare has become an integral part of current and future combat. As part of its Subterranean (SubT) Challenge, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) wants technologies to help the US military and responders map, navigate and search underground complexes, from man-made tunnel systems, urban and municipal underground infrastructure as well as natural cave networks.

Nine teams hailing from four continents tested their autonomous air and ground systems for navigating the dark, dangerous, dirty and unpredictable underground domain, according to defensesystems.com. Teams scored points by successfully locating and identifying specific artifacts.  

Watch this walking tour of the Colorado School of Mines’ Edgar Experimental Mine where the SubT Integration Exercise, known as STIX, took place in April: