The Army chooses four companies to build prototypes for robotic combat vehicle

The Russo-Ukrainian War highlights new realities for modern warfare. Both the Russians and the Ukrainians have turned to drones to supplement conventional weapons. These events reveal a snapshot of what future wars may bring to bear. The U.S. military has been using drones for decades, and is consistently adjusting its long-term strategies. Increasing reliance on automation has been ongoing, and artificial intelligence is being worked on with the view of increasing AI use in military operations.

From DefenseNews:

The selected companies “will concurrently mature and deliver integrated system designs towards Army requirements for a lightweight, modular and upgradeable robotic combat vehicle,” the Army’s statement said. “The RCV-Light will deliver increased situational awareness, lethality, and tactical options for Army formations in support of multi-domain operations.”

Variants of the vehicles will serve as scouts or escorts for manned fighting vehicles, the service added.

The Army is expected to choose a single winner in the second phase of the competition in fiscal 2025 to deliver up to nine prototypes the following year. The service has a production decision slated for FY27; fielding to the first unit is set for FY28.

Bringing the RCV-L capability to the force will provide the service with integrated teams of robots and soldiers. “Human-machine integrated teams are the future of successful ground combat in the land domain,” Brig. Gen. Geoffrey Norman, director of the Next Generation Combat Vehicles Cross Functional Team, said in the statement.

“This marks the official transition for us out of experimentation and movement to a fieldable RCV platform prior to 2030,” Steve Herrick, the Army’s product manager for RCV, said in the statement.

The RCV-L competition is a product of lessons learned through surrogate prototyping and operational experimentation at the National Training Center at Fort Irwin, California.

Robotic vehicle surrogate prototypes have been in soldiers’ hands since 2022, the Army said. A rotation with the systems wraps up at NTC this month.

DefenseNews provides additional information here.

Category: Army News