	"Team Panther" A Countermine Success Story
Background:
In 1995 the Office of the Deputy Chief of Staff Operations, United States Army Europe (USAEUR) requested that the UGV/S JPO upgrade the Panther (remotely operated turret-less M-60 tank used for countermine operations in Operation Joint Endeavor) with the Standardized Robotic System (SRS). The SRS is a state-of-the-art, teleoperation system which allows operators to control vehicles from a safe distance, buttoned up inside an armored control vehicle, during hazardous operations. An Integrated Process Team, "Team Panther", was formed to tackle this urgent problem. Team members included representatives from the United States Army Maneuver Support Center (USA MANSCEN), two contractors, United States Army Missile Command (technical/logistical assistance), 59^th Ordinance Brigade (maintenance team members), and the UGV/S JPO (team leadership).
"The Panther"
The Panther is a turret-less M-60 tank used for countermine operations. It is used to proof suspected mine fields/roads that have been cleared by Combat Engineers and/or former warring factions in Bosnia. The Panther was originally outfitted with a line-of-site remote control system as an interim measure until the SRS for the Panther could be designed, produced, tested and fielded.
The Standardized Robotic System (SRS):
The SRS is a modular kit of components which can be added to any vehicle to convert it to the unmanned mode. The kit was designed and manufactured under a Small Business Innovative Research contract. This capability allows commanders to take the Soldier or Marine out of harms way during hazardous operation. The SRS increases force survivability by reducing loss of life and increasing vehicle survivability during dangerous operations. Additionally the SRS enhances mission performance by eliminating the stress caused by danger, allowing Soldiers and Marines to make clear and well thought out decisions in a safe, protected environment.
From Concept to Reality:
Using Commercial Off the Shelf Technology, leveraging success from a Small Business Innovative Research (SBIR) contract, and under the direction of the UGV/S JPO led Integrated Product Team, the teleoperated Panther went from concept to reality in less that 7 months. A Phase II SBIR for SRS began in October 1993 as an effort to demonstrate the feasibility of a common teleoperation control system for a variety of existing Army and Marine Corps vehicles. The effort was quickly adapted to provide robotic D7G bulldozers, M1 chassis, and HMMWVs for Advanced Concept Technology Demonstrations and Warfighting Experiments. The successful demonstration of the SRS in these applications proved the adaptability and easy implementation of the design concept. In mid-December 1995, at the request of USAREUR, the decision was made to install the SRS on the M-60 for mine proofing operations. In January 1996, Omnitech Robotics Inc. built a M-60 SRS kit from available parts and installed it at Ft. Leonard Wood, MO to begin proving out Concepts of Operations. Detailed design, ruggedization of commercial parts, system and environmental testing, and operator and maintenance training plans were quickly developed and executed to field the SRS in the shortest time possible.
Supporting Operation Joint Endeavor:
In June 1996, an 11 man team was dispatched to Bosnia to install, train and maintain the SRS on the Panther. The team deployed to Bosnia and traveled to several battalions located throughout the American sector. The soldier's response to the new SRS was overwhelmingly positive. On 29 June, A/23 ENG BN detonated an anti-tank mine during mine proofing operations. While the tank sustained damage, the SRS continued to operate. The Panther has been proven on several other occasions, detonating land mines that would have otherwise injured or killed U.S. soldiers or civilians. In all instances the Panther has accomplished its mission - detonating land mines while keeping our soldiers out of harms way.