AUBURN HILLS, Mich. — American Rheinmetall has secured a $7.28 million contract to supply the U.S. Marine Corps with 12 Mission Master SP autonomous unmanned ground vehicles (A-UGVs), along with five specialized Marine Kits and related support equipment.
Contract and Marine Corps Evaluation
The procurement is being executed by the Defense Logistics Agency (DLA), with ADS Inc. serving as the prime contractor for the Marine Corps Warfighting Laboratory (MCWL).
American Rheinmetall will lead the project in the United States, while Rheinmetall Canada, the Mission Master SP's original equipment manufacturer and technical partner, will provide engineering and production support.
The vehicles will undergo operational evaluation, experimentation and capability development. The program is intended to support the Marine Corps' efforts to expand autonomous logistics, mobility and expeditionary capabilities.
Mission Master SP Capabilities
The Mission Master SP is a compact, low-profile autonomous unmanned ground vehicle designed to support dismounted troops. It can be configured for missions including logistics, tactical overwatch, fire support and casualty evacuation.
The latest configuration uses Rheinmetall's PATH autonomy architecture, which supports autonomous navigation and mission planning in complex and GPS-degraded environments. The vehicle supports modular payloads and can operate in follow-me, convoy and fully autonomous modes.
Its lithium-ion battery-powered electric drivetrain supports low-signature operations. The vehicle is also compact enough to be transported internally by CH-47, CH-53 and C-130 aircraft.
Amphibious Marine Kit
The contract includes five Marine Kits, which are designed to improve the Mission Master SP's ability to operate in littoral environments and perform extended amphibious tasks.
Five of the 12 vehicles will be equipped with the kits for maritime mobility testing.
“This collaboration between Rheinmetall colleagues enables the U.S. Marine Corps to deploy the Mission Master SP in multi-domain environments and continue to push boundaries of Canadian innovation,” said Pietro Mazzei, president and CEO of Rheinmetall Canada.
Four Years of Marine Corps Cooperation
The award builds on more than four years of collaboration between Rheinmetall and the Marine Corps.
Earlier Mission Master systems were tested in missions including casualty evacuation, resupply and autonomous road marches of up to 50 kilometers. The vehicles also participated in exercises including Talisman Sabre in Australia and Apollo Shield at Twentynine Palms, California.
Rheinmetall has also integrated the Fieldranger Remote Weapon Station on an armed Mission Master SP and demonstrated the system during live-fire testing.
“This award represents a significant milestone in our long-standing partnership with the United States Marine Corps,” said Matt Warnick, CEO of American Rheinmetall. He said the company has worked with Marines for more than four years to develop and advance autonomous ground capabilities.
Support and Future U.S. Production
The contract includes engineering support, logistics coordination, program management, operator training, technical documentation and acceptance testing.
American Rheinmetall also plans to develop its Maine facility into a future U.S. Advanced Land Autonomy Center of Excellence (ALACOE). The center is planned to focus on PATH integration, local production, sustainment and lifecycle support.
The current procurement does not require immediate expansion of the Maine facility, although the company said the planned center could support future U.S. manufacturing, workforce growth and long-term sustainment.
The new contract will provide the Marine Corps with additional Mission Master SP vehicles for continued testing and development of autonomous logistics, mobility and amphibious capabilities.
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