![handle is hein.crs/govescp0001 and id is 1 raw text is:
* Congressional Research Service
Informing the legislative debate since 1914
0
Updated January 16, 2025
The Army's Robotic Combat Vehicle (RCV) Program
Background
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.
Org ina Three RCV Var ants
According to the Army's Robotic Combat Vehicle
Campaign Plan, January 16, 2019, obtained by CRS, the
Army planned to develop three RCV variants.
RCV Light (RCV-L)
The RCV-L was to weigh no more than 10 tons, with
dimensions (length, width, height) of no more than 224 x 88
x 94 inches. In terms of transportability, a single RCV-L
would be transported by rotary wing aircraft. The RCV-L
would also have limited on-board lethality such as self-
defense systems, anti-tank guided missiles (ATGMs), or
recoilless weapons. The RCV-L was considered an
expendable weapon system, meaning its destruction in
combat is expected and acceptable.
RCV Medium (RCV-M)
The RCV-M 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 the Army
would like the RCV-M to be more survivable than the
RCV-L.
RCV Heavy (RC-H)
The RCV-H was to weigh between 20 and 30 tons, with
dimensions (length, width, height) of no more than 350 x
144 x 142 inches. In terms of transportability, two RCV-Hs
would be transported by a C-17 transport aircraft. The
RCV-H was to have on-board direct fire weapon systems
capable of defeating all known enemy armored vehicles.
The RCV-H was considered a nonexpendable weapon
system, meaning that it should be as survivable as a crewed
system.
RCV Program Status
According to an August 2020 Government Accountability
Office (GAO) report,
The Robotic Combat Vehicle (RCV) effort is
currently employing other transaction agreements
(OTA) to conduct experiments to determine the
availability and maturity of technologies and the
validity of operating concepts. The outcome of
these experiments will be used to determine
whether an acquisition program is feasible, with
plans for three vehicle variants-a light, a medium,
and a heavy variant. As RCV is not yet a program
of record, no acquisition approach has been
selected.
On January 10, 2020, the Army announced it would award
an Other Transaction Agreement (OTA) to QinetiQ North
America (Virginia-main headquarters is in the United
Kingdom) to build four RCV-Ls and Textron (Rhode
Island) to build four RCV-Ms.
Other Transaction Authority or Agreement (OTA)
refers to the authority (10 U.S.C. §2371 b) of the Department
of Defense (DOD) to carry out certain prototypes, research,
and production projects. Other Transaction (OT) authorities
were created to give DOD the flexibility necessary to adopt
and incorporate business practices that reflect commercial
industry standards and best practices into its award
instruments. As of the 2016 National Defense Authorization
Act (NDAA; P.L. 114-92) Section 845, the DOD currently has
permanent authority to award OT under 10 U.S.C. §2371, for
research, prototype, and production purposes.
Army Decides to Focus Efforts on RCV-L
Reportedly, in August 2023, the Assistant Secretary of the
Army for Acquisitions, Logistics, and Technology (ASA
[ALT]) stated,
The Army is still broadly, of course, interested in
robots of many different sizes. But we're focusing
on RCV-L because we think that's a necessary first
step before going to larger platforms.
The ASA (ALT) reportedly noted the Army had plans to
defer RCV-M for the time being.
RCV Program Transitions
According to FY2025 Army budget documents submitted
in March 2024,
The Robotic Combat Vehicle (RCV) has
transitioned from a family of light, medium, and
heavy variants to a single vehicle approach with a
common chassis. The Army has decided to field a
common platform that will pair elements of the](ViewImageLocal?handle=hein.crs/govescp0001&div=1&collection=&method=preview&ext=.png&size=3)
What Is HeinOnline?
Contact us for annual subscription options:
Already a HeinOnline Subscriber?
profiles profiles most
Contact us for annual subscription options:
Already a HeinOnline Subscriber?
profiles profiles most
Contact us for annual subscription options:
Already a HeinOnline Subscriber?
profiles profiles most