Analysis: Overland AI to develop autonomous Infantry Squad Vehicles as US Army explores new ways to support troops.

On August 27, 2025, the US Army awarded three contracts totaling $15.5 million to accelerate the introduction of autonomous capabilities into combat formations, focusing specifically on Infantry Squad Vehicles. The awards went to Forterra, Overland AI, and Scout AI, each tasked with integrating their commercial autonomy stacks into US Army ISVs.
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Carrying up to nine soldiers, the M1301 Infantry Squad Vehicle (ISV) is a light, air-transportable vehicle based on the Chevrolet Colorado ZR2, utilizing approximately 90% commercial parts to facilitate sustainment and reduce costs. (Picture source: US Army)

Under these agreements, the companies must deliver prototypes by May 2026 for demonstrations and soldier evaluations. The effort, structured as the UxS Autonomous Maneuver Program and administered through the National Advanced Mobility Consortium, is designed to provide direct operational feedback from soldiers and inform future procurement decisions. Among the three vendors, Overland AI has been highlighted for its role in applying autonomy to ISVs in a six-month integration with a Transforming in Contact brigade, which will test the vehicles in Combat Training Center rotations.

The M1301 Infantry Squad Vehicle (ISV) is central to this effort. It entered service in 2020 after GM Defense, supported by Ricardo plc, Rod Hall Products, and Hendrick Motorsports, won the US Army’s competition to supply an air-transportable light utility vehicle for infantry brigade combat teams. The platform is based on the Chevrolet Colorado ZR2 pickup and uses 90% commercial components. It carries nine soldiers and up to 1,500 kg of payload, with a total vehicle mass of 2,236 kg. The ISV is certified for external sling by UH-60 Black Hawk, internal load and external lift by CH-47 Chinook, and air drop by C-130 or C-17 aircraft. It is powered by a 2.8-liter turbo-diesel engine generating 205 kW and coupled to a six-speed automatic transmission. By 2025, 649 ISVs were scheduled for fielding across 11 infantry brigade combat teams, with a total requirement for 1,700 vehicles to replace interim ground mobility platforms.

The ISV has demonstrated value in both training and operational contexts. During disaster relief following Hurricane Helene in October 2024, ISVs were moved by CH-47 helicopters and in a 563 km convoy to support civilian authorities, showing their adaptability to both airlift and long-distance road mobility. The US Army has explored missionized variants, including a command-and-control ISV fitted with communications and mission command equipment. Proposals have also been made to mount a 20 kW directed-energy system on the ISV for counter-UAS defense, illustrating its modularity for different mission profiles. These adaptations show how the base mobility platform can be extended into multiple roles, creating opportunities to test whether autonomy can further reduce crew workload and expand tactical employment.

The ISV program itself is the second phase of the US Army Ground Mobility Vehicle initiative. It followed earlier acquisitions of General Dynamics Flyer 72-based platforms under the M1297 designation, which were fielded in limited numbers through U.S. Special Operations Command programs. The M1301 ISV was selected in 2020 after prototype competitions that included Oshkosh and SAIC-Polaris teams. The decision to adopt a vehicle built around a commercial pickup chassis was intended to reduce costs, simplify supply chains, and accelerate availability for brigade-level formations. Fielding began in 2021, with initial operational test and evaluation completed alongside unit training. Full-rate production was approved in April 2023, cementing the ISV as a key light mobility asset in the US Army’s modernization portfolio.

Overland AI proposes the Spark retrofit kit to equip existing vehicles like the ISV with sensors, drive-by-wire controls, secure communications, and power management to enable full autonomous operation. (Picture source: Overland AI)

Overland AI’s contribution to the UxS program is based on several proprietary technologies. The OverDrive autonomy stack is a modular, vehicle-agnostic system designed to operate in GPS-denied and communication-contested environments. It uses onboard passive sensors to map terrain in real time and allows vehicles to move at tactically relevant speeds without pre-mapped routes. OverWatch is an operator control interface that enables one-to-many management of vehicles, giving soldiers the ability to task, monitor, and re-task platforms under changing conditions with reduced cognitive load. SPARK provides the hardware layer, adding drive-by-wire capability, integrated perception sensors, vehicle health monitoring, and resilient communications that can use mesh networks, LTE, Wi-Fi, or satellite links. Together, these systems are designed to enable vehicles like the ISV to operate independently while retaining manual control as an option.

Overland’s Ultra vehicle illustrates how these technologies perform under operational conditions. Launched in 2025, Ultra is a fully autonomous ground platform designed to operate without human commands in contested environments. It measures 3.94 m by 1.83 m by 1.52 m, has a ground clearance of 36.8 cm, and weighs 1,588 kg. It can carry 453.5 kg of payload, achieve a top speed of 56.3 km/h, and has a range of 161 km at a cruising speed of 32.2 km/h. It is powered by a 999 cc engine producing 114 hp, with a 100 Ah 24 V battery providing auxiliary power. Ultra’s modular deck supports payloads including ISR packages, counter-UAS modules, remote weapon stations such as the ACS Bullfrog, and drone launchers. At Project Convergence Capstone 5, Ultra was integrated with the XVIII Airborne Corps and tested in autonomous breaching missions alongside General Dynamics’ SMET platform, using both mine-clearing payloads and drone launchers.

Overland’s technology has also been applied beyond Ultra. OverDrive and Spark have been installed on Textron’s Ripsaw M5, General Dynamics’ SMET, and Polaris’ RZR, demonstrating cross-platform adaptability. In April 2024, Overland received an $18.6 million ceiling prototype agreement under the Ground Vehicle Autonomous Pathways program, managed by the Defense Innovation Unit, to adapt its autonomy for the Robotic Combat Vehicle program. The company’s work stems from DARPA’s RACER program, which emphasized high-speed off-road navigation, and Overland has since extended that research to fieldable systems for US Army, Marine Corps, and Special Operations Command units. This track record of adapting autonomy stacks to multiple vehicle types positions Overland to deliver autonomy on ISVs using the same architecture.

Prior US Army platforms illustrate the evolution toward autonomy. The Small Multipurpose Equipment Transport was initially operated via a tethered remote control but now employs OverDrive for autonomous following and payload tasks. The Textron Ripsaw M5 has been tested with autonomous ISR and strike roles. Polaris’ RZR Turbo S4 has been adapted for autonomy at speeds of up to 30 mph while carrying modular payloads. These examples show how existing platforms have transitioned from manual or semi-autonomous control to greater levels of autonomy, providing a foundation for the ISV’s integration into the UxS program.

The U.S. Army’s search for autonomous solutions now extends beyond Infantry Squad Vehicles to include efforts such as the Advanced Maneuver and Mobility (AML) rocket launcher. (Picture source: US Army)

The broader US Army approach to autonomy emphasizes flexible application across platforms rather than procuring bespoke robotic vehicles. Following years of experimentation with robotic combat vehicles, the service decided in 2023 to prioritize autonomy that can be layered onto any vehicle, with the ISV as one of the first test beds. Leaders noted that previous autonomy trials were mostly on trails and unimproved roads, not the complex off-road terrain soldiers encounter, underscoring the technical challenges of building algorithms capable of handling varied terrain features without GPS or reliable communications. This has required the US Army to rely heavily on commercial innovation from startups like Overland AI while validating results in soldier-centric experiments.

Project Convergence has provided an arena for testing human-machine integration with robots, drones, and autonomous vehicles. In 2024 at Fort Irwin, the US Army used over 240 robotic and autonomous systems, including allied contributions from the UK, Canada, France, Australia, and Japan. Leaders described the goal as reducing risk to soldiers by allowing machines to handle the most hazardous tasks, such as breaching minefields or conducting reconnaissance under fire. The US Army’s fiscal year 2025 budget included $33 million for the first time to fund human-machine integrated formations, marking a structural commitment to these technologies. These experiments inform how autonomous ISVs may eventually fit into combined formations that include both manned and unmanned assets.

Despite progress, challenges remain in integrating autonomy at scale. Technical setbacks, such as communication jamming that disrupted drone swarms during Project Convergence, show the complexity of contested environments. US Army leaders have also emphasized the importance of securing component supply chains and avoiding dependence on adversary-sourced parts. Beyond technology, the US Army is working with Congress to adapt acquisition processes to permit rapid procurement of proven systems and iterative updates rather than slow, linear development. Analysts have cautioned that while the US Army is optimistic about human-machine integration, building entirely new formations and doctrines around autonomous systems may take longer than expected outside of a major conflict.

The UxS Autonomous Maneuver Program will run for about 16 months and may lead to additional buys if prototypes prove reliable and operationally valuable. Scout AI has suggested the US Army could purchase up to $150 million in autonomous ISVs following successful trials. Forterra plans to integrate its AutoDrive system, and Scout AI will field its Fury autonomy stack in cooperation with Textron Systems. These industry contributions, alongside Overland AI’s OverDrive, OverWatch, and SPARK, will determine whether commercial autonomy can be transferred directly into US Army formations. If successful, the same autonomy could be applied to a wider range of US Army vehicles, marking a significant shift in how the service deploys ground mobility across combat and support missions.