By ARIE EGOZI, Autonomy Global – Ambassador for Israel
Israeli autonomous driving company Cognata has rolled out its AVBox family, an all‑in‑one, retrofit‑ready autonomy kit that is already being used operationally on unmanned vehicles, including on explosive‑laden M113 armored personnel carriers. AVBox packages sensors, compute hardware and autonomy software into a rugged box that bolts onto existing vehicles with minimal modification to rapidly convert legacy fleets into robotic and semi‑autonomous platforms.
AVBox Modular Autonomy Family
Cognata offers its AVBox in three main autonomy tiers designed to match different mission and risk profiles while preserving a unified architecture across a mixed fleet:
- Scout: Targeted autonomy and navigation for less complex use cases and lower‑risk missions.
- Ranger: 24/7 autonomous operation in complex, off‑road environments where persistent mobility is required.
- Commander: High‑capability autonomy with advanced perception and planning for demanding combat and support missions.
According to Cognata, this modular approach allows defense and off‑road operators to scale autonomy across robotic carriers, armored vehicles, engineering tools and tactical support systems without redesigning platforms.
Retrofit for Legacy Combat Vehicles
Sahay Rootman, Cognata’s VP of business development and marketing, described AVBox as a rugged autonomy kit engineered for rapid deployment on off‑road and defense vehicles. He noted that the system integrates sensing, compute and autonomy software to provide mission‑level capabilities such as navigation, perception and decision making on legacy platforms with only minimal mechanical and electrical changes.
Rootman emphasized that AVBox is already being retrofitted to robotic carriers, manned fighting vehicles and a range of tactical systems to give operators a pathway to upgrade existing fleets at scale instead of procuring entirely new vehicles. These retrofits support missions that span logistics resupply, reconnaissance and combat support, aligning with a broader shift toward unmanned and optionally manned ground systems.
Use On Explosive M113 “Moving Bombs”
According to Israeli defense sources, AVBox is now fielded on decommissioned M113 APCs (lightly armored personnel carriers) that have been converted into remotely operated, explosive‑laden vehicles. A small number of retired M113s for remote control have been modified for use to enter heavily mined, booby‑trapped or ambush‑prone areas while keeping crews at standoff distance. In some missions, these unmanned M113s are loaded with large explosive charges and driven into suspected enemy positions or fortified strongpoints before being detonated, effectively functioning as mobile munitions.
Bridging Teleoperation And Autonomy
The current M113 conversions are predominantly remote‑controlled, with human operators driving them from protected positions, but the long‑term objective is to move toward fully autonomous armored vehicles. AVBox plays a key role in that evolution by providing an autonomy safety net when communications are degraded or denied.
Rootman explained that if the communication link to the unmanned M113 is lost, AVBox can take over, using pre‑programmed coordinates to continue the mission and bring the “moving bomb” to its designated target. The company states that the system is designed to function even in environments where GPS is distorted or denied, conditions common in modern high‑intensity conflict.
Part of a Wider UGV trend
The deployment of remotely piloted, explosive‑laden M113s sits within a broader push toward unmanned ground vehicles (UGVs) and robotic combat support systems. Israeli defense primes such as Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) and Rafael have been developing remote and autonomous vehicle capabilities for logistics, perimeter security and combat missions for years. AVBox gives integrators a flexible way to add autonomy to both new and legacy platforms.
As conflicts grow more lethal and complex, technologies like AVBox enable militaries to offload the most dangerous tasks, such as breaching, obstacle clearing and operations in suspected IED (improvised explosive device) belts, to unmanned platforms. For Cognata, the AVBox family positions the company at the intersection of commercial autonomy software and high‑end defense robotics.