The US subsidiary American Rheinmetall has secured a contract worth 7.28 million USD (equivalent to 6.3 million EUR) for the manufacture and delivery of twelve autonomous unmanned ground vehicles (A-UGV) of the Mission Master SP type to the U.S. Marine Corps. As Rheinmetall announced on September 10, the contract also includes five amphibious marine kits as well as additional equipment. Accordingly, the procurement is being carried out through the Defense Logistics Agency with ADS Inc. as the prime contractor to support the U.S. Marine Corps Warfighting Laboratory. The objective of the procurement is the continuous operational evaluation, testing, and capability development in the field of autonomous logistics and expeditionary mobility for flexible and autonomous operations in distant theaters, without reliance on fixed infrastructure.
Mission Master SP with PATH Autonomy Architecture
The delivered units represent the most advanced configuration of Rheinmetall’s Mission Master family to date. They are equipped with the modernized PATH Autonomy Architecture, an enhanced vehicle characterization, modular payload integration, and special marine kits for extended amphibious operations in coastal waters.
These developments are based on years of user feedback, development testing, and operational trials. The contract, in addition to the vehicles, includes a comprehensive package of program management, technical support, logistics, training, and acceptance testing. American Rheinmetall is conducting the project in the United States in close cooperation with Rheinmetall Canada, which serves as the original equipment manufacturer and technology partner.
According to Rheinmetall, the project supports strategic US autonomy initiatives and promotes technology transfer as well as the expansion of US-based capabilities. In particular, the contract strengthens the development of the site in Maine as the future Rheinmetall Advanced Land Autonomy Center of Excellence, focused on the integration, manufacturing, maintenance, and lifecycle support of PATH technology.
Operational Reach for the U.S. Marine Corps
By deploying the Mission Master SP, the U.S. Marine Corps increases its operational reach in distributed operations and minimizes risks to personnel. The vehicles are specifically designed for forward-looking concepts of operation such as Expeditionary Advanced Base Operations. The contract builds on a multi-year partnership during which twelve Mission Master systems have already been tested with the Fleet Marine Force and systems such as the Fieldranger weapons station have been integrated.
Author: Gerhard Heiming, Editor, Wehrwirtschaft
