American Rheinmetall has been awarded a $7.28 million contract to manufacture and deliver 12 Mission Master SP autonomous unmanned ground vehicles (A-UGVs) and five amphibious kits to the U.S. Marine Corps. The procurement is being executed through the Defense Logistics Agency (DLA), with ADS Inc. serving as prime contractor in support of the Marine Corps Warfighting Laboratory (MCWL), according to the company’s announcement. The company describes the package as the most advanced Mission Master configuration Rheinmetall has developed to date.
Highlights
- $7.28 million award covering 12 Mission Master SP A-UGVs, associated Marine Kits, and supporting equipment
- Five amphibious kits included, enabling extended operations in littoral environments
- PATH autonomy architecture at the core of the new vehicles, alongside expanded vehicle characterization and modular payload integration
- More than four years of collaboration between Rheinmetall and the Marine Corps, including 12 Mission Master systems already fielded with Fleet Marine Force operations
What Is in the Mission Master SP Package?
The vehicles will support continued operational evaluation, experimentation, and capability development as the Marine Corps expands its autonomous logistics and expeditionary mobility initiatives. Beyond the vehicles and kits, the procurement includes program management, engineering support, logistics coordination, technical documentation, operator training, and acceptance testing.
Work will be led by American Rheinmetall in the United States, with engineering and production support from Rheinmetall Canada, which serves as original equipment manufacturer and technical partner.
“This award represents a significant milestone in our long-standing partnership with the United States Marine Corps,” said Matt Warnick, CEO, American Rheinmetall. “For more than four years, we have worked side-by-side with Marines to mature, refine, and advance autonomous ground capabilities. The Mission Master SP captures the full breadth of those lessons learned and showcases Rheinmetall’s commitment to delivering cutting-edge, reliable, and mission-ready autonomous systems.”
President and CEO of Rheinmetall Canada Pietro Mazzei said, “This collaboration between Rheinmetall colleagues enables the U.S. Marine Corps to deploy the Mission Master SP in multi-domain environments and continue to push boundaries of Canadian innovation”.
PATH Autonomy and the Marine Kit
The new Mission Master SP vehicles incorporate Rheinmetall’s PATH autonomy architecture, expanded vehicle characterization, and modular payload integration. The Marine Kit is an upgrade the company says enables extended amphibious operations in littoral environments.
According to the release, the combined enhancements represent the latest evolution of the Mission Master family, shaped by user feedback, developmental testing, live-fire events, and operational experimentation. The award follows a wave of Marine Corps autonomy contracts, including Kodiak AI’s ROGUE-Fires integration work, as the service builds out unmanned ground capability.
Maine Facility and U.S. Autonomy Center Plans
The company frames the award as supporting its strategy to expand U.S.-based autonomous ground vehicle capabilities and advance long-term technology transfer. It also supports ongoing development of American Rheinmetall’s Maine facility as a future U.S. Advanced Land Autonomy Center of Excellence (ALACOE), focused on PATH integration, production, sustainment, and lifecycle support.
The procurement does not immediately require facility expansion, the company says, but it describes the award as a step toward future U.S. manufacturing, workforce growth, and long-term sustainment activities.
Marine Corps Modernization Objectives
The Mission Master SP systems are intended to support Marine Corps efforts to enhance autonomous logistics, enable distributed operations, and extend operational reach while reducing personnel exposure to risk. The vehicles are designed for emerging concepts related to expeditionary advanced base operations and multi-domain operations, a use case that parallels the autonomous logistics UGVs other suppliers are developing for the Army.
The company lists several prior milestones behind the award:
- Collaboration: More than four years of work with the U.S. Marine Corps
- Fielding: Twelve Mission Master systems supporting Fleet Marine Force operations
- Amphibious capability: Development and integration of the Marine Kit
- Weapons integration: Integration and fielding of the Fieldranger Remote Weapon Station
- Autonomy development: Ongoing expansion of PATH autonomous capability
- Facility roadmap: Future establishment of the ALACOE initiative
