The Marine Corps — which is part of the Department of the Navy — has a requirement for “multi-purpose” UGVs, Lt. Col. Scott Humr, deputy director for intelligent robotics and autonomous systems (IRAS) at the Capabilities Development Directorate, noted during a presentation at the Modern Day Marine conference last month.

“I think those are going to be very critical for logistics, for sensing, for communications, ISR, etc.,” he said, using an acronym that stands for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance.

The request for quotes released Wednesday appears to be geared toward laying the groundwork for that type of capability.

“The Government is seeking to acquire services for the development of an open-source
architecture for Unmanned Ground Vehicle (UGV) systems equipped with advanced
sensor fusion and control algorithms to allow for modularity with different sensors and
payloads,” officials wrote.

Contract items for the solicitation include those types of algorithms as well as their integration onto small and medium-sized surrogate UGVs for testing.

The Defense Department intends to award a firm fixed price contract, with an anticipated period of performance from date of award to Dec. 31, 2027. The estimated award date is June 1, according to the solicitation.

“We are pursuing a requirement for a multi-purpose unmanned ground vehicle to provide capability across the [Marine Air-Ground Task Force],” Humr told members of industry at the Modern Day Marine conference. “We see this as important piece of how we envision robots working with robots. We have many pieces of the puzzle, as it were, but we need other enablers within that system to eliminate the Marine from doing the drudgery work and putting them where we need them the most. And so most of all, really, what we want is technologies to free Marines to fight.”

In today’s defense tech ecosystem, software is even more critical than hardware, he noted.

“Modern platforms, whether UGVs, [unmanned surface vessels], aircraft, or autonomous systems in general, are increasingly software-driven with upgrades, mission configurations and even survivability enhancements … coming from lines of code. They aren’t coming from physically redesigning the systems. So in an era where threats evolve daily, it’s the agility and intelligence of our software that turns the steel and silicone into decisive, lethal assets. So what do we need from industry? We need open standards, modular design, cybersecurity baked in from the beginning, from design and rapid prototyping, so we can get capabilities in the hands of Marines faster,” Humr said.

Systems need to be built from the get-go to collect, process and share data, he suggested.

Naval Information Warfare Center Pacific is involved in the architecture effort that the new solicitation is for, according to the request for quotes.

Unmanned platforms are seen by military officials as tools that can perform a variety of missions and help keep troops out of harm’s way as much as possible.

“The idea that Marines must be the first to make contact with the enemy is increasingly becoming outdated and precarious. However, as Marines, we will always pride ourselves on taking risks and be ready to put ourselves in danger when the time calls, but now we can do it through the sequencing of first using robots … in our echelon of forces,” Humr said.

For the multi-purpose UGV, the Corps needs a platform that “can do a lot of things” but “not to try to do everything really well,” he noted.

“We know that [when] we get into the point of trying to make one system that does everything well, we end up with some Frankenstein that does nothing well. And so I think a very basic system is kind of where we want to start. They already exist,” he said.

Humr suggested the Corps was still contemplating its acquisition strategy for the multi-purpose UGV platforms.

“We don’t know exactly what strategy we will approach, but I think we want to approach it with the most maximum amount of flexibility. We know that we can’t buy [or] order 1,000 of these machines and think that they’re going to be the solution. I see us buying … in small increments, testing, getting feedback and improving those on version 1.2, 2.0., etc.,” he said.

“We need to develop the requirement a little bit more and ensure that we get it out there quickly, and make sure we have the funding to support that as well,” Humr said. “I think we’ll get there. I think there’s a lot of energy and a lot of interest in it now. We’ve seen some of the autonomy that’s on some of these systems now.”

He noted that organizations working with Defense Department tech hubs like DARPA, have been demonstrating AI technologies that could be integrated onto vehicles.

“They’re taking that autonomy and putting it on their systems, multiple different systems, in fact. And so, I see that’s where we’re going to be able to make the most money and real quickly buy what’s already there, and taking the best of breed from what industry [and] our labs are doing,” Humr said.

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The SOFWERX innovation hub and SOCOM’s program executive office for tactical information systems are gearing up for assessment events to evaluate industry solutions.

The office intends to “explore available capabilities that can support USSOCOM’s vision for a configurable uncrewed air/ground system. This system should enable the Warfighter to adapt and respond to evolving multidomain mission sets, providing a flexible and dynamic solution that can be tailored to meet the unique demands of modern warfare,” according to a special notice.

The technology could support intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance missions, allowing commandos to employ small drones or ground robots for tasks such as area observation, target tracking and battle damage assessment.

“This innovative approach enables operators to rapidly reconfigure and tailor their systems to meet specific ISR mission requirements by swapping out interchangeable parts and components from an assembly package. The assembly package will include modular frames, propulsion systems, a sensor, and payload modules (such as electro-optical, infrared, and signals intelligence sensors), power and energy modules, control and navigation systems, and communication systems, allowing Warfighters to quickly adapt to changing mission requirements,” officials wrote in the document, noting that the ground robot capability could be used in areas that aren’t as conducive to deploying unmanned aerial systems — such as places with buildings or heavy tree cover that would obscure the view of sensors on UAS flying overhead.

Officials didn’t specify whether the uncrewed systems should be tele-operated or fly and drive with a high level of autonomy. However, SOCOM has previously shown interest in AI and other technologies that could enable autonomous capabilities for ISR ops.

SOFWERX is planning to host a collaboration event with industry in April to discuss operational needs and assess “current capabilities of production model solutions for a configurable multidomain system.”

The next phase will include vendor submissions for a follow-on assessment event, which is slated to take place in July after a downselect.

Following the assessments, SOCOM may negotiate awards with vendors whose solutions are favorably evaluated.

Industry responses to the special notice are due March 24.

This initiative isn’t the first time that SOCOM has shown an interest in “multidomain” uncrewed systems. Just a few months ago, the command released a special notice about its desire for micro drones that could be launched from a variety of platforms and operate in multiple domains — including in the air and underwater.

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