The U.S. Army and the Defense Innovation Unit selected three companies to help create heavy-duty vehicles capable of independently navigating rugged terrain and restocking soldiers in the field. Neya Systems, Robotic Research Autonomous Industries, and Carnegie Robotics bested dozens of other contenders for the Ground Expeditionary Autonomous Retrofit System project, or GEARS. The initial arrangements, announced earlier this month, are worth millions of dollars. The Defense Department is pouring money into artificial intelligence, autonomy, computer vision, and similar capabilities to augment future fighting.
The Army and DIU are looking to existing commercial experts to embed autonomy aboard the Oshkosh-made Palletized Load System, a popular logistics and freight truck. The Russia-Ukraine war shows clogged vehicle columns were targeted in the opening days, now nearing its third year. The Army’s thinking is distilled in its contested logistics concept, aimed to tackle the issue and provide a more dispersed and distributed manner.
The agreements awarded to Robotic Research, Neya, and Carnegie this month call for the delivery of four autonomous prototypes. One contractor will eventually be picked to furnish a total of 41 prototypes, according to the Army. Vehicles beyond the Palletized Load System are also being considered for conversion.
