The Army’s Robotic Combat Vehicle (RCV) Program
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Updated March 26, 2024
The Army’s Robotic Combat Vehicle (RCV) Program
Background
Figure 2. Example of an RCV-M Prototype
The RCV is being developed as part of the Army’s Next
Generation Combat Vehicle (NGCV) family of vehicles. As
originally planned, the Army intended to develop three
RCV variants: Light, Medium, and Heavy. The Army
reportedly envisioned employing RCVs as “scouts” and
“escorts” for manned fighting vehicles to deter ambushes
and to guard the flanks of mechanized formations. RCVs
are intended to be controlled by operators riding in NGCVs,
but the Army hopes that improved ground navigation
technology and artificial intelligence (AI) might eventually
permit a single operator to control multiple RCVs or for
RCVs to operate in a more autonomous mode.
Three RCV Variants
According to the Army’s Robotic Combat Vehicle
Campaign Plan, January 16, 2019, obtained by CRS, the
Army planned to develop three RCV variants.
Source: https://www.defensedaily.com/textron-team-readying-
RCV Light (RCV-L)
delivery-first-rcv-m-prototypes-received-deal-electric-variant/army/,
The RCV-L (Figure 1) was to weigh no more than 10 tons,
accessed July 12, 2021.
with dimensions (length, width, height) of no more than
224 x 88 x 94 inches. In terms of transportability, a single
RCV Heavy (RCV-H)
RCV-L would be transported by rotary wing aircraft. The
The RCV-H (Figure 3) was to weigh between 20 and 30
RCV-L would also have limited on-board lethality such as
tons, with dimensions (length, width, height) of no more
self-defense systems, anti-tank guided missiles (ATGMs),
than 350 x 144 x 142 inches. In terms of transportability,
or recoilless weapons. The RCV-L was considered an
two RCV-Hs would be transported by a C-17 transport
expendable weapon system, meaning its destruction in
aircraft. The RCV-H was to have on-board direct fire
combat is expected and acceptable.
weapon systems capable of defeating all known enemy
armored vehicles. The RCV-H was considered a
Figure 1. Example of an RCV-L Prototype
nonexpendable weapon system, meaning that it should be
as survivable as a crewed system.
Figure 3. Example of an RCV-H Prototype
Source: https://www.qinetiq.com/en/news/first-robotic-combat-
vehicle-light, accessed July 12, 2021.
RCV Medium (RCV-M)
The RCV-M (Figure 2) was to weigh between 10 and 20
tons, with 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 RCV-M was to have increased onboard
lethality to defeat light- to medium-armored threats. The
RCV-M was considered “durable” by the Army, meaning
Source: https://sites.breakingmedia.com/uploads/sites/3/2020/10/
the Army would like the RCV-M to be more survivable
ALAS-Turret-front-close-IMG_0174.jpg, accessed July 12, 2021.
than the RCV-L.
https://crsreports.congress.gov
The Army’s Robotic Combat Vehicle (RCV) Program
Status of RCV Effort
common chassis. The Army has decided to field a
According to an August 2020 Government Accountability
common platform that will pair elements of the
Office (GAO) report
previous RCV medium concept with the RCV
common chassis. The development programs,
The Robotic Combat Vehicle (RCV) effort is
which include a RCV Middle-Tier Acquisition
currently employing other transaction agreements
Rapid Prototyping (MTA-RP) and a RCV Software
(OTA) to conduct experiments to determine the
availability and maturity of technologies and the
Acquisition Pathway (SWP) program, will produce
validity of operating concepts. The outcome of
unmanned ground combat vehicle prototypes to
these experiments will be used to determine
inform Concepts of Operations (CONOPS) and
Tactics, Techniques, and Procedures (TTP)
whether an acquisition program is feasible, with
maturation, Capabilities Development Document
plans for three vehicle variants—a light, a medium,
(CDD) development, acquisition and integration of
and a heavy variant. As RCV is not yet a program
of record, no acquisition approach has been
secure
advanced
autonomy
and
artificial
selected.
intelligence algorithms, force design updates,
robotic and autonomous systems (RAS) doctrine
On January 10, 2020, the Army announced it would award
development, and follow-on production and
an Other Transaction Agreement (OTA) to QinetiQ North
fielding decisions.
America (Virginia—main headquarters is in the United
FY2025 RCV Budgetary Information
Kingdom) to build four RCV-Ls and Textron (Rhode
Island) to build four RCV-Ms.
Table 1. FY2025 RCV Budget Request
Other Transaction Authority or Agreement (OTA)
Total
refers to the authority (10 U.S.C. §2371b) of the Department
Total Request
Request
of Defense (DOD) to carry out certain prototypes, research,
Funding Category
($M)
(Qty.)
and production projects. Other Transaction (OT) authorities
RDT&E
$92.540
—
were created to give DOD the flexibility necessary to adopt
and incorporate business practices that reflect commercial
Source: Department of Defense Fiscal Year 2025 Budget Estimates,
industry standards and best practices into its award
Army Justification Book Volume 2b of 2, Research, Development, Test &
instruments. As of the 2016 National Defense Authorization
Evaluation, RDT&E − Volume II, Budget Activity 5a, March 2024, p. 178.
Act (NDAA; P.L. 114-92) Section 845, the DOD currently has
Notes: RDT&E = Research, Development, Test, and Evaluation; $M
permanent authority to award OT under 10 U.S.C. §2371, for
= U.S. dollars in mil ions; Qty. = FY2025 procurement quantities.
research, prototype, and production purposes.
Considerations for Congress
RCV Testing
Oversight considerations for Congress could include the
following:
The Army reportedly conducted operational experiments
•
for Light and Medium RCVs from June to August 2022 at
What is the current Army development plan now that it
Ft. Hood, TX. General Dynamics Land Systems reportedly
has decided to transition to a single vehicle, common
provided four RCV-M prototypes for the Army to test at Ft.
chassis approach?
Hood as well. The Army planned to decide in FY2023
• What variants are under consideration as part of the
whether to proceed to the Engineering and Manufacturing
common chassis approach? Are there size and weight
Development (EMD) phase for the RCV-L.
limitations associated with the new development effort?
Army Decides to Focus Efforts on RCV-L
• Are there planned per unit cost limitations for new RCV
Reportedly, in August 2023, the Assistant Secretary of the
variants? Are RCVs still planned to be less expensive
Army for Acquisitions, Logistics, and Technology (ASA
than the crewed systems they are intended to
[ALT]) stated
replace/supplement?
The Army is still broadly, of course, interested in
• Are RCVs still planned to have various degrees of
robots of many different sizes. But we’re focusing
expendability?
on RCV-L because we think that’s a necessary first
• Are there plans to develop autonomous RCV variants?
step before going to larger platforms.
• What are the autonomous ground navigation and
The ASA (ALT) reportedly noted the Army had plans to
artificial intelligence (AI) challenges affecting RCV
“defer RCV-M for the time being.”
development?
RCV Program Transitions
• Are there lessons learned about RCV use by Russia and
According to FY2025 Army budget documents submitted
Ukraine in the ongoing conflict that are being factored
in March 2024,
into future Army RCV development?
The Robotic Combat Vehicle (RCV) has
Andrew Feickert, Specialist in Military Ground Forces
transitioned from a family of light, medium, and
IF11876
heavy variants to a single vehicle approach with a
https://crsreports.congress.gov
The Army’s Robotic Combat Vehicle (RCV) Program
Disclaimer
This document was prepared by the Congressional Research Service (CRS). CRS serves as nonpartisan shared staff to
congressional committees and Members of Congress. It operates solely at the behest of and under the direction of Congress.
Information in a CRS Report should not be relied upon for purposes other than public understanding of information that has
been provided by CRS to Members of Congress in connection with CRS’s institutional role. CRS Reports, as a work of the
United States Government, are not subject to copyright protection in the United States. Any CRS Report may be
reproduced and distributed in its entirety without permission from CRS. However, as a CRS Report may include
copyrighted images or material from a third party, you may need to obtain the permission of the copyright holder if you
wish to copy or otherwise use copyrighted material.
https://crsreports.congress.gov | IF11876 · VERSION 10 · UPDATED
Updated March 26, 2024
The Army’s Robotic Combat Vehicle (RCV) Program
Background
Figure 2. Example of an RCV-M Prototype
The RCV is being developed as part of the Army’s Next
Generation Combat Vehicle (NGCV) family of vehicles. As
originally planned, the Army intended to develop three
RCV variants: Light, Medium, and Heavy. The Army
reportedly envisioned employing RCVs as “scouts” and
“escorts” for manned fighting vehicles to deter ambushes
and to guard the flanks of mechanized formations. RCVs
are intended to be controlled by operators riding in NGCVs,
but the Army hopes that improved ground navigation
technology and artificial intelligence (AI) might eventually
permit a single operator to control multiple RCVs or for
RCVs to operate in a more autonomous mode.
Three RCV Variants
According to the Army’s Robotic Combat Vehicle
Campaign Plan, January 16, 2019, obtained by CRS, the
Army planned to develop three RCV variants.
Source: https://www.defensedaily.com/textron-team-readying-
RCV Light (RCV-L)
delivery-first-rcv-m-prototypes-received-deal-electric-variant/army/,
The RCV-L (Figure 1) was to weigh no more than 10 tons,
accessed July 12, 2021.
with dimensions (length, width, height) of no more than
224 x 88 x 94 inches. In terms of transportability, a single
RCV Heavy (RCV-H)
RCV-L would be transported by rotary wing aircraft. The
The RCV-H (Figure 3) was to weigh between 20 and 30
RCV-L would also have limited on-board lethality such as
tons, with dimensions (length, width, height) of no more
self-defense systems, anti-tank guided missiles (ATGMs),
than 350 x 144 x 142 inches. In terms of transportability,
or recoilless weapons. The RCV-L was considered an
two RCV-Hs would be transported by a C-17 transport
expendable weapon system, meaning its destruction in
aircraft. The RCV-H was to have on-board direct fire
combat is expected and acceptable.
weapon systems capable of defeating all known enemy
armored vehicles. The RCV-H was considered a
Figure 1. Example of an RCV-L Prototype
nonexpendable weapon system, meaning that it should be
as survivable as a crewed system.
Figure 3. Example of an RCV-H Prototype
Source: https://www.qinetiq.com/en/news/first-robotic-combat-
vehicle-light, accessed July 12, 2021.
RCV Medium (RCV-M)
The RCV-M (Figure 2) was to weigh between 10 and 20
tons, with 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 RCV-M was to have increased onboard
lethality to defeat light- to medium-armored threats. The
RCV-M was considered “durable” by the Army, meaning
Source: https://sites.breakingmedia.com/uploads/sites/3/2020/10/
the Army would like the RCV-M to be more survivable
ALAS-Turret-front-close-IMG_0174.jpg, accessed July 12, 2021.
than the RCV-L.
https://crsreports.congress.gov
The Army’s Robotic Combat Vehicle (RCV) Program
Status of RCV Effort
common chassis. The Army has decided to field a
According to an August 2020 Government Accountability
common platform that will pair elements of the
Office (GAO) report
previous RCV medium concept with the RCV
common chassis. The development programs,
The Robotic Combat Vehicle (RCV) effort is
which include a RCV Middle-Tier Acquisition
currently employing other transaction agreements
Rapid Prototyping (MTA-RP) and a RCV Software
(OTA) to conduct experiments to determine the
availability and maturity of technologies and the
Acquisition Pathway (SWP) program, will produce
validity of operating concepts. The outcome of
unmanned ground combat vehicle prototypes to
these experiments will be used to determine
inform Concepts of Operations (CONOPS) and
Tactics, Techniques, and Procedures (TTP)
whether an acquisition program is feasible, with
maturation, Capabilities Development Document
plans for three vehicle variants—a light, a medium,
(CDD) development, acquisition and integration of
and a heavy variant. As RCV is not yet a program
of record, no acquisition approach has been
secure
advanced
autonomy
and
artificial
selected.
intelligence algorithms, force design updates,
robotic and autonomous systems (RAS) doctrine
On January 10, 2020, the Army announced it would award
development, and follow-on production and
an Other Transaction Agreement (OTA) to QinetiQ North
fielding decisions.
America (Virginia—main headquarters is in the United
FY2025 RCV Budgetary Information
Kingdom) to build four RCV-Ls and Textron (Rhode
Island) to build four RCV-Ms.
Table 1. FY2025 RCV Budget Request
Other Transaction Authority or Agreement (OTA)
Total
refers to the authority (10 U.S.C. §2371b) of the Department
Total Request
Request
of Defense (DOD) to carry out certain prototypes, research,
Funding Category
($M)
(Qty.)
and production projects. Other Transaction (OT) authorities
RDT&E
$92.540
—
were created to give DOD the flexibility necessary to adopt
and incorporate business practices that reflect commercial
Source: Department of Defense Fiscal Year 2025 Budget Estimates,
industry standards and best practices into its award
Army Justification Book Volume 2b of 2, Research, Development, Test &
instruments. As of the 2016 National Defense Authorization
Evaluation, RDT&E − Volume II, Budget Activity 5a, March 2024, p. 178.
Act (NDAA; P.L. 114-92) Section 845, the DOD currently has
Notes: RDT&E = Research, Development, Test, and Evaluation; $M
permanent authority to award OT under 10 U.S.C. §2371, for
= U.S. dollars in mil ions; Qty. = FY2025 procurement quantities.
research, prototype, and production purposes.
Considerations for Congress
RCV Testing
Oversight considerations for Congress could include the
following:
The Army reportedly conducted operational experiments
•
for Light and Medium RCVs from June to August 2022 at
What is the current Army development plan now that it
Ft. Hood, TX. General Dynamics Land Systems reportedly
has decided to transition to a single vehicle, common
provided four RCV-M prototypes for the Army to test at Ft.
chassis approach?
Hood as well. The Army planned to decide in FY2023
• What variants are under consideration as part of the
whether to proceed to the Engineering and Manufacturing
common chassis approach? Are there size and weight
Development (EMD) phase for the RCV-L.
limitations associated with the new development effort?
Army Decides to Focus Efforts on RCV-L
• Are there planned per unit cost limitations for new RCV
Reportedly, in August 2023, the Assistant Secretary of the
variants? Are RCVs still planned to be less expensive
Army for Acquisitions, Logistics, and Technology (ASA
than the crewed systems they are intended to
[ALT]) stated
replace/supplement?
The Army is still broadly, of course, interested in
• Are RCVs still planned to have various degrees of
robots of many different sizes. But we’re focusing
expendability?
on RCV-L because we think that’s a necessary first
• Are there plans to develop autonomous RCV variants?
step before going to larger platforms.
• What are the autonomous ground navigation and
The ASA (ALT) reportedly noted the Army had plans to
artificial intelligence (AI) challenges affecting RCV
“defer RCV-M for the time being.”
development?
RCV Program Transitions
• Are there lessons learned about RCV use by Russia and
According to FY2025 Army budget documents submitted
Ukraine in the ongoing conflict that are being factored
in March 2024,
into future Army RCV development?
The Robotic Combat Vehicle (RCV) has
Andrew Feickert, Specialist in Military Ground Forces
transitioned from a family of light, medium, and
IF11876
heavy variants to a single vehicle approach with a
https://crsreports.congress.gov
The Army’s Robotic Combat Vehicle (RCV) Program
Disclaimer
This document was prepared by the Congressional Research Service (CRS). CRS serves as nonpartisan shared staff to
congressional committees and Members of Congress. It operates solely at the behest of and under the direction of Congress.
Information in a CRS Report should not be relied upon for purposes other than public understanding of information that has
been provided by CRS to Members of Congress in connection with CRS’s institutional role. CRS Reports, as a work of the
United States Government, are not subject to copyright protection in the United States. Any CRS Report may be
reproduced and distributed in its entirety without permission from CRS. However, as a CRS Report may include
copyrighted images or material from a third party, you may need to obtain the permission of the copyright holder if you
wish to copy or otherwise use copyrighted material.
https://crsreports.congress.gov | IF11876 · VERSION 10 · UPDATED