Insider Brief
- U.S. defense programs are expanding autonomous systems across air and ground platforms, with recent developments spanning drone production, AI-piloted aircraft, robotic vehicle controls and mobile counter-drone systems.
- Orqa U.S. won a $38 million Drone Dominance Gauntlet II contract, XTEND AI Robotics received a $40.5 million order for 6,000 Striker systems and Shield AI secured a $150 million Navy modification that brings announced public and private commitments to its X-BAT program to $400 million.
- Textron Systems launched its CoreMotion robotic control package for autonomous ground vehicles, while Forterra demonstrated its MESA unmanned vehicle carrying a 10-cell launcher loaded with Vespid Mk 1 drone interceptors.
From autonomous ground vehicles and drones to AI-piloted aircraft, U.S. defense programs are moving more autonomous systems toward production and field deployment. Here’s a look at some recent developments in physical AI for defense.
Orqa U.S
Orqa U.S. won a $38M contract to build drones for the Department of War’s Drone Dominance Gauntlet II program, the Oakland, California, according to the company. The award follows delivery of 240 drones under an earlier $1.5M award and a second-place finish in the competition’s close-quarters segment. Orqa U.S. was one of nine participants selected and will expand U.S. production of its MRM2 drone with By Light, its sole authorized provider to government customers. “It shows that proven drone technology, combined with the ability to onshore and manufacture in the United States, can meet the needs of the U.S. Government,” CEO Charles Phillips said.
XTEND AI
XTEND AI Robotics received a $40.5M order for 6,000 Striker systems after being named a top performer in the same program’s close-quarters battle segment, according to the company. Striker runs on the company’s XOS operating system and is built for confined spaces where satellite navigation is unavailable. XTEND advances directly to Gauntlet III once it fills a 400-system production order, though the company noted that Gauntlet III results will decide whether any Phase 3 orders follow.
Shield AI
The U.S. Navy executed a $150M modification to Shield AI‘s existing agreement for X-BAT, an AI-piloted fighter that takes off and lands vertically, the company said.. The money comes from the Defense Exportability Features program, and Shield AI will put in $150M of its own capital. Along with a separate $50M government action in August and a matching $50M from the company, announced public and private commitments to X-BAT total $400M.
Textron Systems
Textron Systems launched CoreMotion, a robotic control package that converts commands from operators or autonomy software into steering, braking and power functions on ground vehicles, according to Textron. The kit can be fitted to new uncrewed vehicles or retrofitted onto existing crewed ones. Textron explained that CoreMotion already controls its RIPSAW robotic vehicle family, where it has logged more than 8,000 operational miles.
Forterra
Forterra showed its MESA autonomous ground vehicle carrying a 10-cell HAL10 launcher from ISS Aerospace loaded with Chaos Industries’ Vespid Mk 1 drone interceptors at the AUSA show, Army Recognition reported. MESA is built on a modified Polaris Ranger XD 1500 and carries up to 2,000 pounds. The outlet pointed out that the interceptor weighs under 12 pounds and has a stated range of more than 10 kilometers.
