MV-8 Komodo Heavy UGV Equipped with Cobra Bridge-Laying System

The Croatian-German company Rheinmetall Unmanned Vehicles (formerly DOK-ING) is testing the MV-8 Komodo heavy tracked UGV in a bridge-laying configuration.

Local publication Hrvatski Vojnik reported on this, citing company representatives.

The drone is equipped with the Cobra MLC 90 bridge-laying system from the European division of the American company General Dynamics European Land Systems.

The installed system weighs approximately 5.3 metric tons. It can withstand the passage of tracked vehicles weighing up to 81.7 metric tons or wheeled vehicles weighing up to 93.9 metric tons. When deployed, the bridge is 15 meters long and 3.75 meters wide.

This length allows it to cross not only anti-tank trenches but also natural obstacles, including rivers, swamps, and heavily rugged terrain.

Rheinmetall UV has named the system the Unmanned Gap Crossing System (UGCS). When folded, the Cobra MLC 90 approximately doubles the height of the vehicle’s base silhouette at its highest point, and its overall length also roughly doubles. Meanwhile, the Komodo’s width increases by approximately 60 centimeters.

At the same time, the company’s engineers claim the increased dimensions do not affect the vehicle’s stated maximum speed, mobility, range, or other key tactical and technical characteristics.

The Komodo has become a platform for various weapon systems. Reports indicate that the Skorpion 2 remote-controlled mining system and the MANGART anti-drone system with a 25-mm cannon have been integrated onto it.

MV-8 Komodo

The MVC8 Komodo is a heavy tracked robotic system designed to perform tasks in conditions that are hazardous to humans.

The vehicle has a hybrid power plant that allows it to operate, in particular, in areas with low oxygen levels and high temperatures.

It can be equipped with a variety of sensors and detectors, including devices for detecting chemical and radiological substances, temperature, oxygen, and explosive gases, as well as a lidar and a weather station.

The Komodo has a modular design and can be equipped with various interchangeable equipment, including combat gear.

In its base configuration, the vehicle weighs approximately 17 metric tons. It is 7.2 meters long, 2.3 meters wide, 2.9 meters tall, and has 34 centimeters of ground clearance. Its maximum speed is limited to 30 km/h.

The Komodo is controlled remotely. The claimed range of the communication system under line-of-sight conditions is up to 1.5 km.