Rheinmetall gets new deal for U.S. Marine Corps robot vehicles

American Rheinmetall has won a $7.28 million contract to deliver 12 Mission Master SP autonomous ground vehicles and five amphibious kits to the U.S. Marine Corps, the company announced.

The Defense Logistics Agency is managing the procurement, with ADS Inc. serving as prime contractor supporting the Marine Corps Warfighting Laboratory. The vehicles will be used for continued testing and evaluation as the Marine Corps builds out its autonomous logistics and expeditionary mobility programs, rather than for a specific operational unit.

The Mission Master SP is a robotic ground vehicle that runs on Rheinmetall’s PATH autonomy system, software developed by Rheinmetall Canada that lets a vehicle navigate and plan missions on its own rather than requiring constant remote operator control. The system can be added to existing vehicles or built into new ones. This latest batch adds amphibious kits that let the vehicles operate reliably in littoral, near-shore environments, a capability aimed at the kind of island and coastal operations the Marine Corps has been training for under its expeditionary advanced base concept.

The Marine Corps first took delivery of Mission Master SP vehicles in early 2023, and has since tested them extensively, including during the Talisman Sabre exercise in Australia and the Apollo Shield exercise at Twentynine Palms, California, both in 2023. Those trials covered tasks such as casualty evacuation, resupply runs, and fully autonomous road marches of up to 50 km (31 miles). An armed variant carrying the Fieldranger remote weapon station has also been demonstrated in live-fire testing, adding options like armed reconnaissance and flank security to the vehicle’s role.

“This award represents a significant milestone in our long-standing partnership with the United States Marine Corps,” said Matt Warnick, CEO of American Rheinmetall. “For more than four years, we have worked side-by-side with Marines to mature, refine, and advance autonomous ground capabilities. The Mission Master SP captures the full breadth of those lessons learned and showcases Rheinmetall’s commitment to delivering cutting-edge, reliable, and mission-ready autonomous systems.”

“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.

American Rheinmetall is also developing a facility in Maine that it plans to designate as an Advanced Land Autonomy Center of Excellence, focused on PATH system integration, production and long-term support. The company said this latest contract does not by itself require expanding that facility, but fits into its broader push to build up U.S.-based manufacturing for autonomous ground systems.