To ensure wide acceptance and efficient use of the systems, it is pertinent to study, analyse and develop:

• Detailed capability provision assessment for integration into force structures for supporting dismounted, mechanised, and motorised infantry.
• Novel concepts for Human Machine Teaming to enable closed hatch and long-range usage of system capabilities with regards to ethical and legal aspects of combat operations. These concepts should allow a significantly reduced cognitive workload for UGS operator(s) by improving the efficiency and effectiveness of the control, direction, monitoring, and supervision of unmanned systems through the development and application of artificial intelligence and assisted functions.
• Enhanced manned-unmanned and unmanned-unmanned teaming capacities of UGSs through advancements in multirobot and swarming technology.
• Modular design and open architectures (regarding platforms, autonomous functions, as well as effector, sensor and other payloads management) with standard interfaces to enable Through Life Capabilities Management (TLCM) in terms of interoperability, scalability, maintainability, availability, robustness and resilience. This should ensure transferability of technology with other manned and unmanned (including drive-by-wire legacy) platforms.
• Federated digital-twin framework would favour this TCLM management and may provide improved training environment for UGS navigation and other mission specific algorithms.
• State-of-the-art equipment and secure information availability to enable enhanced ISTAR, Survivability, Situational Awareness, Mobility, Lethality, Logistics and Training to ensure Battlefield Superiority.
• Self-air-defence (against NATO Class I UAVs), in support of dismounted soldiers, with automatic designation by on-board electro-optical sensors and related data fusion.

Additional enablers for the wide acceptance and use of the Systems are:

• Formation of UGS related R&D ecosystem/community that facilitates continuous innovation, synergies and inclusion of deep-tech start-ups, Technology and system testing, Evaluation, Verification and Validation (e.g., cross-border TEVV procedures, trust).
• Practical testing in a scenario-based exercise (48+ h) with infantry units.

Proposals must address the development of a multipurpose Unmanned Ground System of systems with lethal effectors and solutions for systems integration and manned-unmanned teaming. This system must integrate the following abilities:

• Enhance situational awareness and force protection of ground units, their combat effectiveness, endurance, mobility, and autonomy, and enable faster deployment.
• Support dismounted, mechanised, and motorised infantry in all types of European geographic and operational land environments, including denied environments, in adverse light and weather conditions with evolving levels of autonomy and robustness.
• Significantly reduce cognitive workload for UGS operator(s) using artificial intelligence and assisted functions.
• Have a modular design and enhance interoperability with manned and unmanned platforms to ensure transferability of the relevant technology to other platforms (including existing manned vehicles) and simplify payload integration, with the aim of bringing together European industrial capabilities and define standard interfaces for the benefit of European defence.
• Enhance manned-unmanned and unmanned-unmanned teaming capacities of current UGS.
• Have the capability to analyse different weather conditions, terrain types and obstacles to increase the mobility of single UGS and UGS teams.

The proposal must also provide analysis on the following topics:

• A fully autonomous targeting process and efficient effector(s) management and use against multiple types of targets, and include mobility solutions for engagement, target delegation and other relevant aspects of effector usage.
• The ethical and legal aspects of integrating combat-UGS in the European armed forces (if needed, research to support recommendations/decisions on ethical and legal aspects related to integration of combat-UGS in the EU Armed Forces and their interaction with human beings in the land domain should be included).

Proposals should also integrate the development and TLCM support of equipment (hardware or software) designed to enable personnel to function within different manned-unmanned operational modes and environments, able to be deployed in the digitised Battlefield where all land system assets are available to operate in coherence and demonstrating the following abilities:

• To interconnect in real time within the Battlefield and in a fully secured way with an extended set of systems supported by an intelligent TLCM solution concept.
• To be integrated seamlessly in the digitised systems (e.g., power supply, situational awareness, targeting process) manned or unmanned as and when needed during combat missions.
• To adopt real-time cooperative functionality and enhance Battlefield combat superiority, adaptation and effectiveness with measurable impacts of actions.
• To cooperate within the Battlefield while being able to sustain connectivity and interact with other assets (dismounted troops, UxVs, manned vehicles, swarms, long range support).
• To enable a versatile use in order to be deployed for a large spectrum of close combat operations and provide superior and optimised operational capability in hostile and harsh environment.