
The Marine Corps has signed a major deal with Forterra in the Pentagon’s first production contract for autonomous driving technology. The deal is to integrate the autonomy suite into the ground vehicle called the Remotely Operated Ground Unit Expeditionary Fires. Forterra is providing its advanced AutoDrive system, which provides off-road autonomous driving technology “in nearly any environment” for the ROGUE Fires vehicle built by Oshkosh Defense. The technology goes “beyond Leader-Follower capabilities” and provides more advanced autonomy, the company said in a statement on Jan. 13. The Leader-Follower technology directs unmanned vehicles behind it via a lead vehicle.
ROGUE Fires and Autonomous Driving
Integration of Forterra’s technology began after ROGUE Fires Low Rate Initial Production orders were placed in fiscal year 2025. “Seamlessly integrating advanced autonomous technologies with Oshkosh systems will significantly enhance the Marine Corps’ ability to strengthen maritime interdiction capabilities, increase operational agility and maintain technological superiority against evolving threats,” said Pat Williams, Oshkosh Defense chief program officer.
The ROGUE Fires design adds a remote-fire missile launcher by lifting the cab of the Oshkosh-built Joint Light Tactical Vehicle (JLTV). The Marine Corps has authorized the development of this system as the Navy/Marine Corps Expeditionary Ship Intervention System (NMESIS). Oshkosh emphasizes that ROGUE Fires is payload-independent, allowing for more flexible operations.
Forterra's Role and Autonomy Developments
Forterra is also one of three companies working directly with the Army’s Next-Generation Combat Vehicle Cross-Functional Team and Ground Combat Systems on autonomous driving technology, along with Kodiak Robotics and Overland AI. This collaboration plays a key role in adapting autonomous systems for military operations.
Assessing autonomous behavior is still very new, Maj. Gen. Glenn Dean, program manager for the GCS, said last fall. “We’re talking about trails and untreated road conditions. Creating an autonomy algorithm that can describe all the conditions it might encounter is a very challenging task because you have to have a very large dataset,” he said.
Conclusion and Future Perspective
Forterra’s autonomous technology aims to advance the capabilities of military vehicles, increasing the Marine Corps’ operational agility. This development further underscores the importance of autonomous systems on the modern battlefield. Production orders in 2025 and subsequent steps will determine how autonomous driving technology will transform ground forces and defense systems.