U.S. Marine Corps buys RIPSAW M3 uncrewed ground vehicles

The U.S. Marine Corps is buying two RIPSAW M3 uncrewed ground vehicles from Textron Systems and its subsidiary Howe & Howe, the company said on November 5.

The vehicles will go to the Marine Corps Warfighting Laboratory in Quantico, Virginia, where Marines will use them as testbeds for experimentation.

The lab plans to fit the M3s with different payloads and sensors, try them out in a range of missions and use the results to shape future requirements for uncrewed ground vehicles. Textron did not give a contract value. The award was made through an Other Transaction agreement with the National Advanced Mobility Consortium, a faster contracting route the U.S. military uses for prototypes and experiments.

The M3 is a tracked vehicle with a flat open deck designed to carry mission equipment instead of passengers. Textron says it can carry more than 2,270 kg (5,000 pounds) of payload and reach speeds above 48 km/h (30 mph) over rough terrain. It uses a modular open systems architecture, meaning sensors, weapons or cargo modules from different suppliers can be added without redesigning the vehicle.

“Textron Systems’ M3 robotic ground vehicles set the bar for speed, agility and multi-mission flexibility,” said Sara Willett, vice president of programs at Textron Systems. “Pairing the M3’s proven capability and reliability with the MCWL mission to drive future operational concepts and capabilities will enable the Marine Corps to advance uncrewed force design and battlefield utility.”

Howe & Howe, based in Maine, is best known for the RIPSAW family of high-speed tracked vehicles. The M3 sits below the larger RIPSAW M5, which Textron built for the U.S. Army’s Robotic Combat Vehicle program, and the company introduced it as a smaller sibling of the M5, as when Textron Systems unveiled a smaller version of its uncrewed combat vehicle. Textron has since added a lighter model, and Textron debuted the RIPSAW M1 at the Modern Day Marine expo.

“The M3 will be a great fit for the Marine Corps and its demanding environmental requirements,” said Michael Howe, senior vice president at Howe & Howe.

The Marine Corps has been expanding its work with uncrewed systems as it reshapes its forces for operations in the Pacific, where small units are expected to operate across islands and coastlines with limited supply lines. Uncrewed ground vehicles could take on tasks such as hauling supplies, carrying sensors or acting as decoys, reducing the number of Marines exposed to enemy fire.

The two M3s will be used for testing and integration work at Quantico, and the Warfighting Laboratory’s findings will feed into decisions on what uncrewed ground vehicles the Marine Corps may buy in larger numbers.