U.S. Marines Order Anduril Pulsar-L Jammers to Protect Amphibious Combat Vehicles From Small Drones.

The U.S. Marine Corps has ordered Anduril Pulsar-L electronic warfare systems for its Amphibious Combat Vehicles, adding an onboard capability intended to detect and jam small drones. The purchase aims to protect Marine crews while their vehicles move from amphibious ships to shore and continue inland.

The eight-wheeled ACVs carry Marines through the landing phase and then support their advance on land, exposing them to drone threats across both parts of the operation. Installing Pulsar-L would give crews a counter-drone system that travels with the vehicle and can be used during the maneuver.

Related News: U.S. Anduril Reveals Pulsar Electronic Warfare System for 360° Anti-Drone Defense at WDS 2026

U.S. Marine Corps Amphibious Combat Vehicles conduct surf passage training during a simulated amphibious assault in Queensland, Australia, on July 3, 2025; the Marines have since ordered Pulsar-L systems to add onboard counter-drone protection to the ACV fleet. (Picture source: US DoD)

The order is valued at approximately $15.71 million and addresses an urgent requirement. Although the ACV has protection and weapons suited to its missions, the Marine Corps says the vehicle cannot independently detect, identify, and defeat small drones. Pulsar-L is meant to close that gap, keep crews mobile, and reduce reliance on a separate air defense unit.

The award notice published on SAM.gov on September 24, 2026, confirms that Anduril received a firm-fixed-price delivery order awarded on September 11. In its justification, Marine Corps Systems Command says the requirement was formalized on April 7 and applies to the ACV family. The public documents do not identify which variant will receive the first systems. They also leave the number of kits and their allocation among units undisclosed.

That distinction matters because the ACV family performs several roles. The ACV-P carries up to 13 equipped Marines in addition to a three-person crew. The ACV-C supports command and control, while the ACV-30 adds a turret-mounted 30 mm cannon for fire support. An ACV-R variant is intended for recovery and repair. All four fall within the vehicle family named in the procurement documents, but the wording does not establish that each will receive Pulsar-L. BAE Systems, which builds the vehicles, said in February 2026 that it had ordered more than 150 ACV-30s under its production contract.

Pulsar-L provides a non-kinetic means of countering drones. According to Marine Corps Systems Command, it combines an omnidirectional sensor and jammer to detect, track, identify, and disrupt Group 1 and Group 2 drones that depend on radio links or navigation signals. The system is intended to perform those functions while the ACV is stationary or moving, including against multiple drones. An earlier source-sought notice identifies the equipment as the Pulsar Lite MKI-RX/TX 4CH, supplied with a control interface, an omnidirectional antenna array, and electronic warfare software.

Requirements published in August called for detection at distances of two to five kilometers and the ability to trigger jamming at two kilometers. They also specified operation on land and in littoral environments within the ACV’s limits for space, weight, and electrical power. These figures describe what the Marines sought, not performance publicly demonstrated after installation on the vehicle. The command considers Anduril able to provide an existing system within the required timeframe. Procurement documents refer to deliveries supporting ACV integration beginning in the first quarter of fiscal year 2027. No operational deployment of Pulsar-L-equipped ACVs has been confirmed.

The order sits alongside separate U.S. procurement efforts. On the vehicle side, BAE Systems announced a further $195 million contract for 30 ACVs in February 2026. On the counter-drone side, Anduril had received a five-year contract worth up to $200 million to develop and deliver an engagement system for the Marine Air Defense Integrated System, or MADIS. Another ten-year contract, announced at $642 million, covers counter-drone capabilities for the Marine Corps. Neither of those programs is an order to equip ACVs with Pulsar-L. The latest purchase concerns protection installed on the amphibious vehicles themselves.

For a landing force, the operational purpose is clear. An ACV may leave the protection of a ship, cross the shoreline, and continue inland before every supporting air defense asset is in position. An onboard system could give its crew a way to respond during that movement while complementing protection provided to the wider unit. Its effectiveness will also depend on antenna integration, management of electromagnetic emissions, and coordination with friendly communications. A drone able to continue its mission without a vulnerable radio link may require another means of interception.

The war in Ukraine has shown how exposed armored vehicles can be to reconnaissance and attack drones. Protecting ACVs during an amphibious operation therefore requires several defensive layers: detecting approaching threats, disrupting those reliant on radio signals, and intercepting drones that continue operating despite jamming. Pulsar-L would add an electronic layer directly to the vehicle, but it cannot address every aerial threat on its own. Its contribution will depend on how well it works with the amphibious force’s other sensors and defenses.

Written By Erwan Halna du Fretay - Defense Analyst, Army Recognition Group
Erwan Halna du Fretay holds a Master’s degree in International Relations and has experience studying conflicts and global arms transfers. His research interests include security and strategic studies, particularly the dynamics of the defense industry, the evolution of military technologies, and the strategic transformation of armed forces.