American Rheinmetall Vehicles and Rheinmetall Canada have successfully conducted a live-fire capability demonstration for the US Marine Corps (USMC) in Fort Clinton, Ohio, to highlight the unique capabilities of the Rheinmetall Mission Master SP autonomous unmanned ground vehicle (A-UGV) paired with the Fieldranger remotely controlled weapon station (RCWS), Rheinmetall announced on 8 March 2024.
This armed variant of the Rheinmetall Mission Master SP provides a variety of remotely operated capabilities, including armed reconnaissance, sentry overwatch, fire support, flank security and screening capability.
“Having completed numerous test and evaluation events with the Mission Master SP, American Rheinmetall Vehicles continues to deliver ground-breaking advancements in A-UGV systems to the USMC,” the company said in a press release. “It first made deliveries to the USMC in early 2023, and several follow-on orders for A-UGVs are proceeding in 2024. The platforms have the potential to substantially enhance the way Marines fight.”
Mission Master SPs furnished by American Rheinmetall Vehicles were also extensively tested by the USMC during Exercise ‘Talisman Sabre’ (TS23) in Queensland, Australia, in the summer of 2023 and as part of the ‘Apollo Shield’ exercise at Marine Corps Base Twentynine Palms in California in the autumn of 2023, both in support of Marine Corps Warfighting Lab (MCWL) evaluations. The Mission Master SPs’ participation supported MCWL’s one-year, crawl-walk-run bilateral effort to test equipment capabilities and evaluate tactics, techniques, and procedures of infantry squads equipped with A-UGVs. Tasks the Mission Master SP A-UGVs took on during the exercises included casualty evacuations, resupply missions, fully autonomous road marches reaching ranges up to 50 km, and conducting military operations in urban terrain (MOUT). Feedback from the marines and their commanders drove A-UGV design modifications and solidified the benefits of A-UGVs for the USMC.
In December 2023 American Rheinmetall Vehicles received an order to manufacture and deliver to the USMC six Mission Master SPs, which are slated for delivery to III Marine Expeditionary Force (MEF) to support further training and evaluation. Four of the Mission Master SPs will support 3rd Battalion, 4th Marines, which will be the first unit to conduct pre-deployment work-ups and deploy with the A-UGVs.
“Bringing the capabilities of the Mission Master SP A-UGV to today’s marines gives me great pride in knowing that lives will be saved and marines will be better prepared for battle,“ Mike Brooks, director of business development for American Rheinmetall Vehicles and a retired USMC gunner, was quoted as saying in a company press release.
“MCWL’s experimentation with state-of-the-art autonomous systems exemplifies our commitment to harnessing innovative technologies that enhance our tactical capabilities, ensuring our marines are better equipped, more agile, and always a step ahead on the battlefield,” stated Major Steven Atkinson, robotics and autonomy and artificial intelligence branch head for the Science and Technology Division of the MCWL.
Each of Rheinmetall’s Mission Master SP A-UGVs uses the Rheinmetall PATH autonomy kit (A-kit): a navigation system developed by Rheinmetall Canada that enables fully autonomous movement and mission planning for vehicles. It can be rapidly added onto existing legacy vehicles or integrated into the latest next-generation platforms.
The PATH A-kit is a core element of Rheinmetall’s Mission Master family of autonomous vehicles and combines advanced sensors, technology-leading algorithms, and real-time data analysis to allow vehicle platforms to manoeuvre autonomously in a wide range of operating environments.
American Rheinmetall Vehicles is leveraging the PATH A-kit technology to supply programme-specific vehicle solutions for the US Army’s Common Tactical Truck programme and XM30 Mechanized Infantry Combat Vehicle (MICV) programme.
