US Army to test first autonomous AMPV prototype by 2026.

BAE Systems and Forterra announced a joint effort to develop an autonomous Armored Multi-Purpose Vehicle (AMPV) for the US Army, with a demonstration planned in 2026.

BAE Systems and Forterra announced on September 30, 2025, that they will collaborate to develop an autonomous variant of the US Army’s Armored Multi-Purpose Vehicle (AMPV), with a prototype demonstration expected in 2026. The initiative marks the first project under BAE’s new AMPV capability kit series, designed to speed up modular upgrades for frontline combat vehicles. This new project could accelerate the integration of autonomous vehicles into the US armored formations.
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Recognizing the gap in survivability, network integration, and growth potential, the US Army ended the production of the M113 in 2007 and sought a replacement that could operate alongside Bradley IFVs and Abrams tanks, leading to the creation of the AMPV. (Picture source: US Army)

Representing the first partnership under BAE Systems’ capability kit series for the AMPV, which was formally announced in August 2025, this future autonomous variant will likely show how the AMPV kit is designed to deliver modular upgrades and integrations that can expand the vehicle’s capabilities at a faster pace than traditional defense programs, which is a potential selling point for export. Both companies have described this project as a way to create a highly survivable, self-driving tracked vehicle compatible with the US Army’s Armored Brigade Combat Team (ABCT). They emphasize the use of the AMPV’s modular chassis as a base for technology insertion, reflecting a broader US Army strategy to integrate emerging technologies directly into frontline combat vehicles.

The Armored Multi-Purpose Vehicle (AMPV) program was initiated to replace the M113 Family of Vehicles, which dates back to the early 1960s and has been deemed insufficiently protected for modern battlefields. The US Army experienced challenges with the M113 during urban warfare in Iraq, where the platform proved too vulnerable despite its ability to fulfill various roles in earlier decades. Mine-Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) vehicles provided greater protection in Iraq, but they lacked the off-road mobility required to accompany armored formations. The AMPV was developed as a more versatile solution, designed to operate alongside the M1 Abrams and M2 Bradley while offering greater protection, digital interoperability, and logistics commonality. The first AMPV prototype was rolled out in December 2016, followed by low-rate production, and in August 2023, the US Army moved the vehicle into full-rate production. Plans call for 2,907 AMPVs to be procured over the program’s lifetime, replacing M113s across multiple roles within ABCTs.

Forterra’s contribution to the partnership centers on its AutoDrive system, a full-stack autonomous driving suite built to operate in structured and unstructured environments, including poor visibility and GPS-denied areas. AutoDrive combines safety-critical computing, lidar, radar, and cameras with perception and decision-making algorithms to enable waypoint navigation, convoy operations, platooning, and obstacle avoidance. The system can be managed through Forterra’s TerraLink platform, which provides command and control functions via in-vehicle interfaces, remote consoles, and handheld controllers.

Forterra states that its technology has accumulated more than 400,000 miles across 100 vehicles operating in both defense and commercial contexts in ten countries. It has been used in Department of Defense initiatives such as the Robotic Combat Vehicle, Autonomous Transport Vehicle System (also known as GEARS), ROGUE Fires, and Squad-Multipurpose Equipment Transport programs. The integration of this system into the AMPV is expected to allow the US Army to evaluate its application in armored formations while keeping the autonomy package adaptable to other vehicles.

The AMPV program itself covers five primary variants: the M1283 General Purpose carrier, M1284 Medical Evacuation, M1285 Medical Treatment, M1286 Mission Command, and the XM1287 Mortar Carrier. Each variant has specific design features, with medical configurations able to accommodate multiple patients under armored protection, and the mission command version is intended to anchor ABCT digital networks. Technical specifications for the AMPV include a mass of 36 tonnes, a length of 6.0 meters, a width of 3.7 meters, and a height of 3.1 meters, powered by a Cummins VTA903E-T675 engine producing 504 kW paired with a RENK HMPT 800 transmission. The vehicle can reach a maximum speed of 61 km/h with an operational range of approximately 362 km. The AMPV offers greater interior volume than the M113, enhanced underbelly and side armor protection, automatic fire suppression in crew and engine compartments, and modern digital communications hardware, providing better survivability and connectivity in contested environments.

BAE Systems has previously used the AMPV platform to integrate and test modular upgrades under its capability kit series. Over the past two years, it has installed and trialed multiple prototype configurations, including a Modular Turreted Mortar system, 30 mm unmanned weapon stations, and counter-unmanned aerial system modules such as the Leonardo M-SHORAD turret. In 2024, trials were conducted at Fort Moore with an AMPV equipped with a Patria NEMO 120 mm mortar turret, highlighting the chassis’ adaptability for indirect fire roles. Additional AMPV-based engineering vehicle and infantry fighting vehicle concepts have been examined, signaling a wider intention to expand the role of the platform beyond its five baseline variants. The introduction of an autonomous configuration through the Forterra partnership continues this approach, adding another capability option that could apply across the vehicle family and potentially extend to other tracked systems in the US Army’s fleet.

On the same day as the Forterra announcement, BAE Systems also revealed a collaboration with Hanwha Aerospace to integrate anti-jamming GPS technology into Hanwha’s Deep Strike Capability guided missile system. This effort focuses on countering electronic warfare threats by ensuring the precision and reliability of missile guidance in contested electromagnetic environments. The Deep Strike system itself is characterized as a multi-range, multi-caliber launcher with dual-rail configurations that allow it to fire a variety of guided munitions. It has been marketed as meeting NATO interoperability requirements and as offering a flexible tool for allied nations in Europe and beyond. By combining autonomy integration on ground platforms with resilient navigation for missile systems, BAE Systems is pursuing parallel tracks of modernization aimed at armored vehicles and long-range strike capabilities.

The US Army’s wider exploration of autonomy aligns with these developments. Forterra was one of three companies recently awarded contracts to convert Infantry Squad Vehicles into autonomous platforms, although the US Army is now considering shifting the program to allow vendors to introduce their own host vehicles. This evolving acquisition strategy emphasizes software-centric solutions, where autonomy packages can be integrated onto a range of platforms rather than tied to one specific chassis. In this context, the autonomous AMPV initiative provides a test case for applying such autonomy in tracked vehicles within ABCTs. The scheduled 2026 demonstration will serve both as a proof of concept for the AMPV’s role in future formations and as part of the US Army’s broader effort to determine how autonomy can be applied across its ground vehicle fleet to support logistics, reconnaissance, casualty evacuation, and combat support tasks.

Written by Jérôme Brahy

Jérôme Brahy is a defense analyst and documentalist at Army Recognition. He specializes in naval modernization, aviation, drones, armored vehicles, and artillery, with a focus on strategic developments in the United States, China, Ukraine, Russia, Türkiye, and Belgium. His analyses go beyond the facts, providing context, identifying key actors, and explaining why defense news matters on a global scale.