Massive Ambition: Advanced Reconnaissance Vehicle

Video Above: Army Research Lab Advances AI to Land Drones on Tanks

By Kris Osborn – President & Editor-In-Chief, Warrior Maven

The Marine Corps’ new Advanced Reconnaissance Vehicle will support amphibious land attack, scout for enemy fortifications, travel from ship-to-shore on connectors, launch attack drones and possibly even fire lasers, should the program come fully to fruition.

The Corps is now preparing to analyze and further test new ARV prototypes from two substantial industry competitors. Textron and General Dynamics are both preparing to hand over vehicles to the core for continued analysis.

“From 2019 to 2021, we were competitively selected to build a technology demonstrator with Marines and ONR (Office of Naval Research),” Phil Skuta – director of strategy and business development US Marine Corps and Navy, General Dynamics Land Systems, told Warrior in an interview.

Advanced Reconnaissance Vehicle – AVR 

When it comes to concept and design, the ARV is intended to be faster-lighter, more mobile and more deployable than the Corps’ now arriving larger Amphibious Combat Vehicle, to potentially operate in a forward-supportive role scouting enemy areas, conducting surveillance and operating as a “sensor” node within a larger multi-domain, joint and multi-national force across land, sea and air. 

The vehicle is built with a capacity to elevate its mast and raise cameras up to higher altitudes to lengthen its sensor viewing envelope. EO/IR cameras, for example, could potentially look over hills to detect threats and objects at different angles which might otherwise not be seen by the ARV.