U.S. Army Tests “Robot Dog” with AI-Powered Gun Turret in Middle East Counter-Drone Test

The U.S. Army has recently deployed a cutting-edge “robot dog” equipped with an artificial-intelligence-powered gun turret to the Middle East for a counter-drone test. The Ghost Robotics Vision 60 Quadrupedal-Unmanned Ground Vehicle (Q-UGV) was spotted in photos published on the Defense Visual Information Distribution Service, showcasing its impressive capabilities.

Photos shared by Uncensored News on X show soldiers from the robotic and autonomous systems platoon testing the Ghost-X unmanned aerial system, the Ghost Robotic Dog, and the SMET multi-purpose vehicle. Military.com reported that the Q-UGV appears to be armed with an AR-15/M16-pattern rifle mounted on a rotating turret, complete with an artificial intelligence-enabled targeting system labeled “Lone Wolf.”

This advanced technology was previously tested during Operation Hard Kill at Fort Drum in New York, where the robot dog was described as a “four-legged unmanned ground vehicle armed with an artificial intelligence-enabled rifle.” The military has been gradually incorporating robot dogs into various operations, including explosive ordnance disposal, security, surveillance, intelligence, reconnaissance, and target acquisition.

The recent test at Red Sands involved multiple “non-Counter-sUAS” systems, with the Q-UGV showcasing its ability to identify, track, and take down hostile drones with greater accuracy than traditional methods. This development marks a significant advancement in the military’s capabilities and highlights the ongoing integration of artificial intelligence in defense operations.