Army To Deploy Armed Robots In Iraq

The U.S. Army will likely deploy in Iraq robots armed with M-249 machine guns, rockets, grenade launchers and M-16 rifles. The 3--foot-tall robot, known by the acronym SWORDS (Special Weapons Observation Remote Direct-Action System), is remote-controlled and based on the Talon bomb-disposal robot currently in use in Iraq and elsewhere. The SWORDS robot can be outfitted with night vision, and can pinpoint the source of enemy fire, swing around instantly and SHOOT BACK.