Army Receives New Robot Combat Vehicle Prototypes

October 11, 2024

By Woodrow Bellamy III

General Dynamics Land Systems has delivered its TRX prototype, pictured here, to the Army for the next phase of its Robot Combat Vehicle (RCV) program. (Image: General Dynamics Land Systems)

Three of the four defense industry teams selected to submit test vehicles for the U.S. Army's Robotic Combat Vehicle competition have completed deliveries of their prototypes since August, as the Army will now move into the second phase of evaluating what will eventually become their next generation autonomous combat vehicle.

In September 2023, the Army selected four industry teams to design and build RCV prototypes for Phase I of its RCV program. The teams include, McQ, Inc., Textron Systems Corporation, General Dynamics Land Systems, and Oshkosh Defense, LLC. Last week, General Dynamics and Textron each confirmed delivery of their prototypes to the Army’s Aberdeen Proving Ground in Maryland, following Oshkosh Defense's delivery in August, leaving MCQ, Inc. as the remaining competitor that has not yet delivered their prototype.

General Dynamics confirmed its delivery completion of the company's RCV prototype, the updated Tracked Robot 10-ton robotic combat vehicle, in an Oct. 2 press release . The company describes TRX as featuring a payload-to-chassis ratio of 1:1, a hybrid electric propulsion system and a flat-bed architecture that can be reconfigured with a variety of mission payloads for counter unmanned aircraft systems, electronic warfare and long-range loitering munitions among others.

“TRX’s power and size make it an ideal platform for multirole Human-Machine Integrated formations on today’s battlefield,” Gordon Stein, General Dynamics Land Systems Vice President and General Manager for U.S. operations, said in the company’s delivery announcement.

Textron Systems delivered its RIPSAW M3 prototype, pictured here equipped with the Kodiak autonomy package, to the Army for the next phase of its RCV program. (Image: Textron Systems)

Textron Systems, its subsidiary, Howe & Howe and Teledyne FLIR Defense separately announced the delivery of their two RIPSAW M3 prototypes in an Oct. 3 press release . RIPSAW M3 also has a basic flat-top deck chassis that is designed to be reconfigured with interchangeable mission payloads. The vehicle has a top speed of 30 mph and 5,000 pounds of payload capacity and is capable of being transported in a CH-47 helicopter.

According to Textron, the M3 completed more than 2,000 miles of pre-delivery durability testing, and is the latest variant of their RIPSAW family of ground vehicles, which made its debut in 2019.

Textron provided more details about some of the latest pre-delivery technology upgrades to the M3 in a Sept. 18 update about the program, noting that their engineering team has integrated the "Kodiak Driver" self-driving system into the M3. Developed by Kodiak Robotics, Kodiak Driver is an artificial intelligence (AI)-powered autonomous navigation system consisting of a set of sensors, a navigation computer, mapping software, cameras, LiDARs and radars that "collect all the raw data needed to completely understand any environment," according to Kodiak's website.

"Through this collaboration, Kodiak strategically integrated its modular DefensePods into each corner of the RIPSAW M3 vehicle, ensuring 360-degree visibility while maintaining a low profile. DefensePods are an adapted version of Kodiak’s modular, swappable SensorPods, designed for military use. DefensePods are pre-calibrated, pre-built hardware enclosures that include the sensors necessary for autonomous driving," Textron notes in the September announcement.

The technology stack behind Kodiak Driver is an adopted version of the technology that has already been used to perform autonomous deliveries of loads of frac sand in driverless trucks for Atlas Energy Solutions Inc., a proppant producer based in Texas.

Oshkosh Defense LLC delivered its robot combat vehicle prototype to the Army in August. (Image: Oshkosh Defense LLC)

In a Sept. 12 press release , Oshkosh Defense confirmed its own deliveries of two RCV prototypes that were completed on Aug. 19, 2024. A section of the company's website dedicated to the RCV program notes that the prototype has a variety of configuration kits, and can be equipped with "autonomous and remote weapons, ranging from small arms to large caliber cannons."

While awaiting the delivery of McQ. Inc.'s RCV prototype , the Army will prepare for the next steps of the first phase of its two-phased RCV program. During Phase I, the Army will select one of the four prototypes that will become the single awardee for the program. That is scheduled to occur over the next year, where the Army will also finalize system designs, build and tentatively deliver up to nine full-system prototypes by 2026. A full-on production decision is expected to occur in 2027, followed by the first RCV unit fielding that is anticipated to occur by fiscal year 2028.

Companies representing all four RCV prototypes are confirmed as exhibitors at next week's 2024 AUSA Global Symposium in Washington D.C.