American industrial company Oshkosh Defense LLC has put forward its robotic combat vehicle designs for the US Army’s Phase 1 Request for Prototypes Proposal for the RCV-L.
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Oshkosh Defense, Pratt Miller Defense, and QinetiQ have formed a development team to create an established robotic combat vehicle (RCV) solution for the program, according to a public statement on 18 May.
Under Phase I, the Army will select up to four vendors to deliver platform prototypes by August 2024. Those prototypes will be evaluated on performance and design maturity towards a US Army demand for a lightweight, easily transportable robotic combat vehicle.
During Phase II, one of the selected vendors will deliver full-system prototypes, with an expected award on the first quarter, fiscal year 2025. The primary goal of the program is to deliver an initial RCV capability to be transitioned to production and fielded to support the Army of 2030.
Oshkosh Defense chief program officer Pat Williams said the RCV team is pleased to submit the proposal for Phase 1 of the RCV program.
“We remain committed to being responsive to the needs and requirements of the soldier to provide the most capable, reliable, and maintainable robotic platform,” he said.
“The Oshkosh RCV is an evolution of a decade of innovation, development, and testing.
“Our solution is optimised to exceed the performance requirements and is ready now to meet the demanding program schedule.”
The Robotic Combat Vehicle Light is expected to deliver increased situational awareness, lethality, and tactical options for Army formations in support of multi-domain operations.
RCV operators will remotely control RCVs or task RCVs that operate semi-autonomously. Variants will serve as “scouts” or “escorts” for manned fighting vehicles.
“The Army of 2030 and beyond will rely on systems with technology advancements and growth potential, often developed by large and small and traditional and non-traditional business,” said Major General Glenn Dean, Program Executive Officer for Ground Combat Systems.
“Contributions from our industry partners are invaluable in delivering systems that meet the requirements for the Army of 2030, and projected needs for the Army of 2040 and beyond.