The US Army is deploying armed robots in Iraq that are capable of breaking Asimov’s first law that they should not harm a human.

SWORDS (Special Weapons Observation Reconnaissance Detection Systems) robots are equipped with either the M249, machine gun which fires 5.56-millimeter rounds at 750 rounds per minute or the M240, which fires 7.62-millimeter rounds at up to 1,000 per minute.

They are still connected by radio to a human operator who verifies that a suitable target is within sight and orders it to fire. Then the robot has the job of making sure lots of bullets are sent towards the target.

The bots are modified Talon robots that have been used by the military for at least four years, but apparently they are better at shooting than human soldiers.

Later the US plans to replace the control system of the bots with a "Gameboy" type of controller hooked up to virtual reality goggles.

Ferret tracked mobile robot, which has been used over the last few years by DoD and law enforcement agencies for the purpose of surveillance and materials handling. If an unmanned/robotic technology is developed for military application, it's not long before the question is asked, "Can we stick a gun on it?". In this case, the answer was a resounding "Yes".

The primary purpose of the Armed/Weaponized Talon Robot/SWORDS would seem to be to significantly mitigate the risk of serious injury and/or death to our infantry combat forces on the ground, primarily in urban warfare environments. It's no secret that the U.S. Army is currently embroiled in a difficult public relations (PR) war against the U.S. media. Every soldier killed in combat OCONUS (Outside the Continental United States) creates more difficulty for the Bush Administration and U.S. Armed Forces. Robots can't be killed. So, why use human warfighters, when you can conduct reconaissance operations and kill the enemy with remote-controlled, (unmanned) mobile robotic weapons platforms/systems? Basically, why put a human in harm's way, when you can put a robot on it?

The logic and impetus behind the development of SWORDS is thus the same as that behind the development of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV's)/Unmanned Combat Air Vehicle's (UCAV's). Since our infantry is still embroiled in heavy urban warfare and counterinsurgency operations in Iraq, and the media shows no signs of downplaying combat casualties, the need for SWORDS UGVs is currently greater than ever. The U.S. Army's Stryker Brigade is in luck, because they're going to receive 18 of them in Iraq, very soon.

Arnis Mangolds, vice president of Foster-Miller, said the Weaponized Talon Robot/SWORDS can be equipped with an FN M249 Series LMG/SAW (including the MK46 MOD 0 version) and 320 rounds of 5.56x45mm ammunition, or an FN M240 Series GPMG (including the M240B and M240G) and 200 rounds of 7.62x51mm ammo. It can also be outfitted with a Barrett M82A1 or M107 .50 Cal (.50 BMG) anti-materiel rifle (or, we presume, a Barrett XM109 25mm Payload Rifle), six 40mm grenades, or an M202A1 Flame Assault Shoulder Weapon (FLASH) multi-shot rocket launcher (which carries four 66mm rockets). DefRev believes the six 40mm grenades utilize M203 launch tubes, but DefRev doesn't see why a Milkor MGL Mk-1S multiple grenade launcher (or even two Milkor MGL-Mk-1S weapons mounted side-by-side) couldn't be used, instead.

The Weaponized Talon Robot/SWORDS would seem to be a perfect platform for the DREAD Weapon System/Multiple Projectile Delivery System (MPDS), a revolutionary centrifugal ballistic system currently being developed by Leader Propulsion Systems. The DREAD Weapon System/MPDS represents "tranformational" technology, and is currently being looked at very closely by several (very) large military defense contractors. It would seem logical that the Foster-Miller Armed/Weaponized Talon Robot/Special Weapons Observation Reconnaissance Detection System (SWORDS) can also be equipped with various kinds of Light Anti-Tank Weapons (LAW's), like the M136 AT4 anti-armor weapon, M141 Bunker Defeat Munition (BDM), Talley Defense Shoulder-launched Multipurpose Assault Weapon (SMAW) series, or the Talley Defense product-improved M72, M72 NE and M72 HH thermobaric weapons with enhanced blast explosive, currently being manufactured by Talley Defense.

According to Mr. Mangolds, SWORDS' weapons mount/turret is a major portion of the mobile robotic reconnaissance/weapons platform's $230,000 per-unit cost. The weapons mount is actually a specialized version of the Telepresent Rapid Aiming Platform (TRAP), manufactured by Precision Remotes, Inc (PRI), of Richmond, California. Mangolds also said that Foster-Miller is going to try to get the per-unit cost of the SWORDS to the $150,000-$180,000 range.

Mr. Mangolds informed DefenseReview that the overall weight for an FN M249 LMG/SAW-equipped Weaponized Talon Robot/Special Weapons Observation Reconnaissance Detection System (SWORDS) is 180 lbs. This includes the 320-round on-board 5.56x45mm ammo supply. We forgot to ask about the OA weight specs for a FN M240B or M240G-equipped SWORDS.

In open terrain, the SWORDS can be remotely operated by a single warfighter at a distance of several thousand feet. In an urban environment, the remote operating distance decreases.