Updated July 23, 2024
The Army’s Robotic Combat Vehicle (RCV) Program
Background
RCV Program Status
The RCV is being developed as part of the Army’s Next
According to an August 2020 Government Accountability
Generation Combat Vehicle (NGCV) family of vehicles. As
Office (GAO) report
originally planned, the Army intended to develop three
RCV variants: Light, Medium, and Heavy. The Army
The Robotic Combat Vehicle (RCV) effort is
reportedly envisioned employing RCVs as “scouts” and
currently employing other transaction agreements
“escorts” for manned fighting vehicles to deter ambushes
(OTA) to conduct experiments to determine the
and to guard the flanks of mechanized formations. RCVs
availability and maturity of technologies and the
are intended to be controlled by operators riding in NGCVs,
validity of operating concepts. The outcome of
but the Army hopes that improved ground navigation
these experiments will be used to determine
technology and artificial intelligence (AI) might eventually
whether an acquisition program is feasible, with
permit a single operator to control multiple RCVs or for
plans for three vehicle variants—a light, a medium,
RCVs to operate in a more autonomous mode.
and a heavy variant. As RCV is not yet a program
of record, no acquisition approach has been
Original Three RCV Variants
selected.
According to the Army’s Robotic Combat Vehicle
Campaign Plan, January 16, 2019, obtained by CRS, the
On January 10, 2020, the Army announced it would award
Army planned to develop three RCV variants.
an Other Transaction Agreement (OTA) to QinetiQ North
America (Virginia—main headquarters is in the United
RCV Light (RCV-L)
Kingdom) to build four RCV-Ls and Textron (Rhode
The RCV-L was to weigh no more than 10 tons, with
Island) to build four RCV-Ms.
dimensions (length, width, height) of no more than 224 x 88
Other Transaction Authority or Agreement (OTA)
x 94 inches. In terms of transportability, a single RCV-L
refers to the authority (10 U.S.C. §2371b) of the Department
would be transported by rotary wing aircraft. The RCV-L
of Defense (DOD) to carry out certain prototypes, research,
would also have limited on-board lethality such as self-
and production projects. Other Transaction (OT) authorities
defense systems, anti-tank guided missiles (ATGMs), or
were created to give DOD the flexibility necessary to adopt
recoilless weapons. The RCV-L was considered an
and incorporate business practices that reflect commercial
expendable weapon system, meaning its destruction in
industry standards and best practices into its award
combat is expected and acceptable.
instruments. As of the 2016 National Defense Authorization
RCV Medium (RCV-M)
Act (NDAA; P.L. 114-92) Section 845, the DOD currently has
permanent authority to award OT under 10 U.S.C. §2371, for
The RCV-M was to weigh between 10 and 20 tons, with
research, prototype, and production purposes.
dimensions (length, width, height) of no more than 230 x
107 x 94 inches. In terms of transportability, a single RCV-
M was to be transported by a C-130 transport aircraft. The
Army Decides to Focus Efforts on RCV-L
RCV-M was to have increased onboard lethality to defeat
Reportedly, in August 2023, the Assistant Secretary of the
light- to medium-armored threats. The RCV-M was
Army for Acquisitions, Logistics, and Technology (ASA
considered “durable” by the Army, meaning the Army
[ALT]) stated
would like the RCV-M to be more survivable than the
The Army is still broadly, of course, interested in
RCV-L.
robots of many different sizes. But we’re focusing
RCV Heavy (RCV-H)
on RCV-L because we think that’s a necessary first
step before going to larger platforms.
The RCV-H was to weigh between 20 and 30 tons, with
dimensions (length, width, height) of no more than 350 x
The ASA (ALT) reportedly noted the Army had plans to
144 x 142 inches. In terms of transportability, two RCV-Hs
“defer RCV-M for the time being.”
would be transported by a C-17 transport aircraft. The
RCV-H was to have on-board direct fire weapon systems
RCV Program Transitions
capable of defeating all known enemy armored vehicles.
According to FY2025 Army budget documents submitted
The RCV-H was considered a nonexpendable weapon
in March 2024
system, meaning that it should be as survivable as a crewed
system.
The Robotic Combat Vehicle (RCV) has
transitioned from a family of light, medium, and
heavy variants to a single vehicle approach with a
common chassis. The Army has decided to field a
common platform that will pair elements of the
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The Army’s Robotic Combat Vehicle (RCV) Program
previous RCV medium concept with the RCV
industry is “unclear how the government plans to
common chassis. The development programs,
competitively down select many of the other
which include a RCV Middle-Tier Acquisition
subcomponents and once it does, will it internally integrate
Rapid Prototyping (MTA-RP) and a RCV Software
those onto the platforms or pick a prime integrator.” The
Acquisition Pathway (SWP) program, will produce
Army has reportedly acknowledged developmental
unmanned ground combat vehicle prototypes to
challenges and that it is “spreading our risks with RCV by
inform Concepts of Operations (CONOPS) and
not going with a single end-to-end solution, which could
Tactics, Techniques, and Procedures (TTP)
wed them to a system that ends up the wrong fit down the
road.”
maturation, Capabilities Development Document
(CDD) development, acquisition and integration of
Related Congressional Concern
secure
advanced
autonomy
and
artificial
Congress has also expressed concern with the Army’s RCV
intelligence algorithms, force design updates,
acquisition approach. In the Senate Armed Services
robotic and autonomous systems (RAS) doctrine
Committee Report for the National Defense Authorization
development, and follow-on production and
Act for Fiscal Year 2025, it noted, on page 84,
fielding decisions.
Despite this, the committee is concerned that the
Ongoing RCV Testing and Timeline
U.S. Army continues to fund the Robotic
Reportedly, the Army plans to receive prototypes during the
Technology Kernel, now known as Autonomous
late summer of 2024 from the four teams competing to
Robotic Control System, to support government
build the RCV: McQ, Textron Systems, General Dynamics
autonomy software development while Program
Land Systems, and Oshkosh Defense. The Army then plans
Executive Offices have turned to mid-tier
to initiate a competition and “pick the best of breed” for
acquisition to secure and deliver capability. The
eventual production. The Army intends to field to the first
committee believes the U.S. Army should
unit in FY2028 following a production decision scheduled
reexamine its funding decisions and consider
for FY2027.
further engagement with providers in the ground
During the summer of 2024, the Army also reportedly plans
autonomy industrial base.
to conduct two training rotations at the National Training
FY2025 RCV Budgetary Information
Center (NTC) with on-hand RCV prototypes. A unit out of
Fort Stewart, GA, is to go up against a RCV platoon
Table 1. FY2025 RCV Budget Request
attached to an opposing force (OPFOR). During the second
Total
NTC rotation, a unit out of Fort Riley, KS, is to utilize the
Total Request
Request
same RCV platoon for simulated combat against the
Funding Category
($M)
(Qty.)
OPFOR.
RDT&E
$92.540
—
Industry Concerns with RCV
Source: Department of Defense Fiscal Year 2025 Budget Estimates,
Development and Acquisition Approach
Army Justification Book Volume 2b of 2, Research, Development, Test &
Reportedly, some in industry are raising “red flags” over
Evaluation, RDT&E − Volume II, Budget Activity 5a, March 2024, p. 178.
RCV development and the Army’s acquisition approach.
Notes: RDT&E = Research, Development, Test, and Evaluation; $M
They contend the Army is “trying to cobble together its
= U.S. dollars in mil ions; Qty. = FY2025 procurement quantities.
own robot piece by piece, without a clear competition
strategy for the payloads or key communications and
Considerations for Congress
network equipment—essential components to make an
Oversight considerations for Congress could include the
unmanned vehicle work.” Another concern is the Army is
following:
too “wedded’” to an internally developed autonomy
• Given industry and congressional concern over RCV
package called the Robotic Technology Kernel (RTK),
development and acquisition, is a more detailed
which has experienced developmental difficulties.
examination of the RCV program warranted? Will the
Reportedly,
Army’s current approach, particularly concerning RTK,
Service officials said they are hearing some of those
prove detrimental to industry participation in the overall
program structure complaints from industry too.
program?
And even the most optimistic service leaders
• What are the autonomous ground navigation and
caution that RTK isn’t where it needs to be yet, and
artificial intelligence (AI) challenges affecting RCV
concede that soldiers will only be able to use those
development? How confident is the Army that these
early robots in limited types of missions. But they
challenges can be overcome in the next 5 to 10 years?
also counter that the only way to get the program to
•
work is by putting it out in the field and seeing how
Are there lessons learned about RCV use by Russia and
things go.
Ukraine in the ongoing conflict that are being factored
into future Army RCV development?
Another reported industry concern is “that the Army’s plans
to acquire all those additional critical parts are in various
Andrew Feickert, Specialist in Military Ground Forces
stages, and there is a lack of communication from the Army
IF11876
about how they will all line up.” It was further noted that
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The Army’s Robotic Combat Vehicle (RCV) Program


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https://crsreports.congress.gov | IF11876 · VERSION 12 · UPDATED

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