U.S. Marine Corps orders two Textron RIPSAW M3 robotic vehicles for lab testing

The U.S. Marine Corps is acquiring a pair of RIPSAW M3 uncrewed ground vehicles built by Textron Systems and its Howe & Howe subsidiary, Defence Industry Europe reported. The vehicles are destined for the Marine Corps Warfighting Laboratory in Quantico, Virginia.

According to the report, the laboratory plans to put the robots to work trying out sensors and other payloads, showing how they might perform in potential missions, and helping the service work out what it wants from robotic systems in the future.

Textron Systems says the M3 has a flat deck rated for payloads of more than 5,000 pounds, and that the vehicle can move at over 30 miles per hour. These figures are the manufacturer's own claims and were not independently verified in the source.

The vehicle's open, modular layout means the laboratory can mount a range of different equipment on a single platform, the report said. That flexibility allows many payloads to be tried on the same machine.

Textron Systems program chief Sara Willett, who holds the title of vice president of programs, said the collaboration with the laboratory would help the Marine Corps “advance uncrewed force design and battlefield utility.”

Michael Howe, a senior vice president at Howe & Howe, said his firm would collaborate with the service to “develop technologies that fit their specific needs well into the future.”

The source did not give a price for the purchase or a delivery schedule. Uncrewed ground vehicles are robotic platforms that operate without a driver on board, and the Marine Corps is using this purchase to explore what roles such machines could fill.