A row of Overland AI autonomous ground vehicles at a proving ground. (Overland AI)
U.S. Marines could go into battle in the near future flanked by uncrewed vehicles operating as part of their Marine Air Defense Integrated System (MADIS).
The Marine Corps and Seattle-based Overland AI announced Monday that they had signed a $20 million contract for platforms that would enable troops to push farther into conflict areas with fewer personnel by using the uncrewed vehicles to supplement crewed ones.
The Marines use Joint Light Tactical Vehicles with the MADIS — a mobile, short-range air defense system designed to “detect, track and destroy drones, helicopters and low-flying aircraft” while accompanying Marine units in the field, the service says.
The new autonomous ground vehicles would be integrated into the manned vehicle force. They could be used for transport, logistics and communications, as well as platforms for other systems.
“Pairing the autonomous platforms with our Marine Air Defense Integrated System will greatly extend the operational reach and lethality of our air defense units,” Joe Klocek, Marine Corps Program Manager for Ground Based Air Defense, said in a statement.
Byron Boots, chief executive officer of Overland AI, said the Pentagon has signaled an urgent need to field autonomous ground vehicles as rapidly as possible.
“Overland AI is proud to be the first ground autonomy company to prime a production contract,” Boots said.
Boots said the $20 million contract falls under the “other transaction authority production agreement” awarded through the office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering’s program to accelerate the acquisition and deployment of innovative technologies.
“This is the first step toward integrating fully autonomous ground vehicles at scale in USMC programs of record,” Overland AI said in a statement. “Until now, unmanned assets have been largely tele-operated and remote-controlled, constraints that limit operators to single-vehicle control and create dependence on communications during operations.”
The Overland AI vehicles were developed in conjunction with the Program Manager, Ground-Based Air Defense (PM GBAD).
“PM GBAD is setting the pace, moving past discussion and experimentation to put autonomous capabilities directly into the hands of Marines,” the company said.
Details of the number of vehicles that would be obtained under the $20 million contract were not immediately available from the Marines.
