The production Other Transaction Authority agreement was awarded through the Office of the Under Secretary of War for Research and Engineering’s Accelerate the Procurement and Fielding of Innovative Technologies program. The award was made in conjunction with Program Manager Ground Based Air Defense, U.S. Marine Corps, to support the Marine Air Defense Integrated System.
The contract will support the production of autonomous ground vehicles for integration with MADIS. Overland AI said the award is the first step toward integrating fully autonomous ground vehicles at scale in Marine Corps programs of record.
The company said unmanned assets have until now been largely tele-operated and remote-controlled. It said those constraints limit operators to single-vehicle control and create dependence on communications during operations.
“We are in the business of achieving firsts in our industry, and Overland AI is proud to be the first ground autonomy company to prime a production contract,” said Byron Boots, co-founder and chief executive officer of Overland AI. “The Marine Corps and OUSW(R&E) have signaled the urgency to field autonomous ground vehicles right now. Overland AI is ready to deliver.”
“We look forward to incorporating the Overland AI capability into the Marine Corps’ Ground Based Air Defense portfolio,” said Joe Klocek, Program Manager for Ground Based Air Defense, United States Marine Corps. “Pairing the autonomous platforms with our Marine Air Defense Integrated System will greatly extend the operational reach and lethality of our air defense units.”
Overland AI said the award reflects a broader push inside the Department of War to move proven autonomous systems into programs of record and operational use. The company said PM GBAD is moving beyond discussion and experimentation to put autonomous capabilities directly into the hands of Marines.
The APFIT award builds on Overland AI’s recent work with PM Ground Weapons Systems to integrate autonomy into the ROGUE Fires platform. The company said that work has further deepened its relationship with the Marine Corps.
