The SMSS (Squad Mission Support System) is an autonomous unmanned ground vehicle designed and manufactured by the American Defence Company Lockheed Martin. The SMSS was initially developed as a Lockheed Martin initiative to lighten the load for light infantry Soldiers and Marines. SMSS was first developed in 2005 to support a TARDEC contract. The first versions possessed primitive waypoint following, had no navigation sensors and required a human operator onboard for safety purposes. Over time, successive SMSS variants eliminated the need for a human onboard and now feature enhanced capabilities for autonomous navigation, behaviors and obstacle avoidance without direct remote control. SMSS is also being evaluated for firefighting, first responder, power generation and logistic duties that can take advantage of its ever growing autonomous capabilities. The robotic capabilities and autonomy utilized on SMSS are also applicable to a much broader range of robotic applications, missions and vehicles. In June 2010, Lockheed Martin proved in a series of demonstration tests that its Squad Mission Support System (SMSS) vehicle can perform detailed logistics tasks without human control. The testing was conducted at the Lockheed Martin facility in Littleton, CO, for several military attendees. In October 2010, Lockheed Martin’s Squad Mission Support System (SMSS™) autonomous vehicle will demonstrate its rugged maneuverability while meeting Soldiers’ needs to recharge batteries in Portable Power Excursion (PPE) tests next month at Fort Riley, KS. In July 2011, the SMSS is selected by U.S. Army to be deployed to Afghanistan for a first-of-its-kind military assessment. SMSS will deploy as the winner of the Project Workhorse Unmanned Ground Vehicle (UGV) competition sponsored by the Army.