Textron Systems Corporation, a Textron Inc. (NYSE:TXT) company, a leading developer of crewed and uncrewed military ground vehicles, and Kodiak Robotics, Inc., a leading self-driving technology developer for the trucking and defense markets, announced today that they have integrated the Kodiak Driver, Kodiak’s self-driving system, into Textron Systems’ RIPSAW® M3 vehicle. The RIPSAW M3 vehicle, equipped with the Kodiak Driver, is a rugged and reliable uncrewed robotic ground vehicle designed to keep service members out of harm’s way while meeting the mission of today’s military. With this vehicle, Textron Systems and Kodiak intend to jointly explore future opportunities with both the U.S. Department of Defense and the militaries of allied nations as they look to accelerate automation into military ground vehicles. Integrating the Kodiak Driver into Textron Systems’ RIPSAW M3 vehicle demonstrates the unique versatility and reliability of Kodiak’s autonomous system, and the value that dual-use technology can bring to defense markets. The Kodiak Driver-equipped RIPSAW M3 vehicle is the first autonomous tracked vehicle on which Kodiak has collaborated, and the first Kodiak Driver-equipped vehicle without room for a human.
“The RIPSAW M3 equipped with the Kodiak Driver is a transformative solution for military ground operations,” said Textron Systems’ David Phillips, Senior Vice President, Land, Air and Sea Systems. “Our collaboration will not only enhance the U.S. military’s ability to execute complex and high-risk missions, but also provides a critical tool for keeping personnel out of harm’s way. This collaboration will help redefine, and perhaps accelerate, the future of uncrewed military ground vehicles, offering unparalleled capabilities and mission-readiness.”
“Kodiak is building the world’s most capable and flexible autonomous system,” said Kodiak’s Don Burnette, Founder and CEO. “No other autonomous system can drive everywhere, from on-highway to off-road, providing unique value to customers across the defense, trucking, and industrial industries. By collaborating with Textron Systems, we can offer unparalleled support to the warfighter at the speed of relevance.”
The RIPSAW M3 vehicle equipped with the Kodiak Driver- represents a unique collaboration between a leader in military ground vehicles and a dual-use artificial intelligence technology developer. The vehicle combines Kodiak’s industry-leading autonomy system with Textron Systems’ rugged and reliable tracked vehicle platform. The Kodiak Driver-equipped RIPSAW M3 vehicle is capable of successfully executing a wide range of high-risk military missions, such as reconnaissance, surveillance, and tactical maneuvers, across a wide range of terrain types, from highways to dirt roads to fully cross-country. Through this collaboration, Kodiak strategically integrated its modular DefensePods into each corner of the RIPSAW M3 vehicle, ensuring 360-degree visibility while maintaining a low profile. DefensePods are an adapted version of Kodiak’s modular, swappable SensorPods, designed for military use. DefensePods are pre-calibrated, pre-built hardware enclosures that include the sensors necessary for autonomous driving. DefensePods can be easily swappable in the field in 10 minutes or less, using standard tools and with minimal training. This design ensures that the Kodiak Driver-equipped RIPSAW M3 remains operational even in the most challenging environments.
As military ground missions are dynamic, Kodiak’s approach to autonomy–which leverages an advanced perception system to identify what is around the vehicle, recognize drivable surfaces, and then navigate the vehicle as a human would–unlocks full off-road autonomy. The Kodiak Driver-equipped RIPSAW M3 also contains Kodiak’s unique Assisted Autonomy technology, which combines autonomy with human-in-the-loop path planning. Assisted Autonomy combines the best aspects of remote autonomy assistance and remote driving, allowing soldiers to seamlessly control a vehicle remotely when necessary, reducing the risk that vehicles become disabled in novel environments. When operated in Assisted Autonomy, the autonomy system combines human-driven planning with the Kodiak Driver’s safety controls, ensuring safe operations while enabling human intervention for mission-critical tasks. The same technology stack that drives the Kodiak Driver-equipped RIPSAW M3 vehicle has delivered freight without a human driver in West Texas’s Permian Basin, and has driven over 3.5 million miles while delivering over 6,000 loads for some of the trucking industry’s biggest names. Textron Systems has over three decades of experience in uncrewed land, air and sea systems. With proven expertise in design, integration, production and aftermarket support through multiple military programs of record, Textron Systems builds on a mature, proven history in supporting the DoD and our allies.
Textron Systems is a world leader in uncrewed air, surface and land products, services and support founded on the combined expertise in our family of brands that includes Textron Systems, Howe & Howe, Lycoming, and ATAC. We harness the unlimited power of teamwork to solve incredible problems across seven specialized domains: air, land, sea, propulsion, weapon systems, electronic systems and test, training & simulation. From product development and manufacturing to training, operations and support, we integrate and offer ingenious and advanced solutions to support defense, aerospace, and other customer missions. Textron Inc. is a multi-industry company that leverages its global network of aircraft, defense, industrial and finance businesses to provide customers with innovative solutions and services. Textron is known around the world for its powerful brands such as Bell, Cessna, Beechcraft, Pipistrel, Jacobsen, Kautex, Lycoming, E-Z-GO, Arctic Cat, and Textron Systems.
Kodiak Robotics, Inc. was founded in 2018 and has become the trusted world leader in autonomous ground transportation committed to a safer and more efficient future for all. The company is developing an industry-leading artificial intelligence (AI) powered technology stack purpose-built for driverless military and long-haul trucking applications. Kodiak’s unique modular hardware approach integrates sensors into a streamlined sensor-pod structure that optimizes for perception, scalability, and maintainability. The company delivers freight daily for its customers across the South, using its autonomous technology. Kodiak also leverages its commercial self-driving software to develop, test and deploy autonomous capabilities for the U.S. Department of Defense.
