The U.S. Army has awarded prototype contracts to three companies – Forterra, Overland AI, and Scout AI – to explore the feasibility of transforming Infantry Support Vehicles (ISVs) into autonomous platforms. The initiative, valued at $15.5 million in total, aims to assess the reliability and operational value of commercial autonomy solutions for soldiers in the field.
Testing Autonomous Capabilities
„This effort will serve as an opportunity for the Army to assess the reliability of commercial autonomy and their ability to deliver real operational value to soldiers in the field,” stated Col. Ken Bernier, the project manager for Future Battle Platforms.
Rapid Integration and Soldier Evaluation
Under the Unmanned Systems (UxS) autonomy initiative, the selected companies will „rapidly integrate” their commercial autonomy solutions onto existing ISVs and deliver prototypes to Army soldiers for demonstration and evaluation by May 2026. The demonstrations will inform future decisions regarding autonomous and unmanned ground systems, an area the Army has been exploring for decades.
Overland AI’s Contribution
Stephanie Bonk, the co-founder and president of Overland AI, stated that her company will be integrating its Overdrive autonomy stack and Spark hardware component into the ISVs. The upgraded ISVs will then undergo a six-month testing period with soldiers from the 3rd Brigade, 10th Mountain Division at Ft. Polk, including participation in a Combat Training Center rotation.
„We really see this as a springboard for ground autonomy in the Army,” Bonk added. „This is going to really define where the Army is going in the future, whether it continues to be ISVs or some other vehicle.”
Scout AI’s Perspective
Collin Otis, Scout AI’s co-founder and chief technology officer, called today’s announcement is “a super positive” step for the service as it goes after next-generation AI systems, alongside legacy obstacle avoidance systems.
“For us, it’s been super positive to see them rapidly onboarding that technology,” he added. “It’s obviously a lot lower cost, it’s a lot higher capability and it is already at rate in terms of production and manufacturing.
Forterra’s Commitment
Forterra’s Vice President for Defense Business Development Pat Acox said the company is honored to be moving ahead with UxS. „Our job is straightforward: build systems that work in the field and make the soldier’s mission easier, not harder,” he stated.
