US Army xTech|Edge Strike: Ground

We recently had the opportunity to take our warfighter UGV platform to Germany for the U.S. Army’s xTech|Edge Strike: Ground competition, an Army FUZE xTech initiative focused on identifying mature autonomous ground systems that can deliver real capability at the tactical edge.

Our platform was selected from roughly 150 applicants as one of a small group invited to participate in the live experimentation event. The competition brought technology developers together with U.S. Army Soldiers at U.S. Army Garrison Bavaria, Germany where systems were put through realistic mission scenarios and evaluated directly by the people expected to use them in the field.

For us, the most valuable part of the event was getting the platform out of the workshop and into the hands of warfighters. The Army’s evaluation focused on practical questions: how these systems perform in real terrain, how easily Soldiers can employ them, and how they can support missions such as moving supplies, casualty evacuation and other tasks that reduce Soldier exposure.

The evaluation doesn’t end with the competition. We left our equipment behind with the squadron for further evaluation, giving Soldiers more time with the platform and providing us with an opportunity to gather deeper operational feedback.

That is exactly where we want our technology to be: in the field, in the hands of warfighters, and being tested against real operational requirements.

We’re proud of how far the platform has come, grateful for the opportunity to participate, and looking forward to incorporating what we learn into the next iteration.