Army Leaders Lay Out Development Plan for Autonomous Vehicle Transport-System

Brig. Gen. Luke Peterson, U.S. Army program executive officer for combat support and combat service support, has shared that the Autonomous Vehicle Transport-System will proceed with development. Speaking at the National Defense Industrial Association’s Tactical Wheeled Vehicle Conference, he explained that it could protect soldiers by reducing opportunities for enemies to target them.

Kyle Bruner, program manager for force projection at PEO CS&CSS, added that the system is expected to improve the sustainment throughput of convoy operations and facilitate a “high operational tempo,” noting that it would address driver fatigue in contested environments.

In a presentation at the event, Bruner said that the Army is following a step-by-step process to build the Autonomous Vehicle Transport-System with a present focus on enabling remote functionality and reducing troop count in formations.

He said that the service has selected the M1075 Palletized Load System as the initial platform but is planning to transition to the Common Tactical Truck, citing onboard active safety features that will facilitate autonomy.

Bruner said that a solicitation for the Autonomous Vehicle Transport-System is scheduled for the third quarter of fiscal year 2023 with prototyping awards set to be issued in Q4, National Defense Magazine reported.

To develop CTT, the Army awarded other transaction agreements worth a combined $24.3 million to Oshkosh Defense, Mack Defense, Navistar Defense and a partnership between American Rheinmetall Vehicles and General Motors Defense. The recipients are tasked with building prototypes that feature autonomy, driver safety and other capabilities.