Textron Systems Corporation and Kodiak Robotics are collaborating on an autonomous military ground vehicle designed for driverless operations. To achieve this, the two companies will integrate the Kodiak Driver with a Textron Systems prototype, which will not include space for a human driver.
“Collaborating with Textron Systems will allow us to showcase the capabilities of Kodiak’s AI-powered, driverless technology in military, off-road environments,” said Don Burnette, founder and CEO, Kodiak. “Together, we can bring new capabilities to ground systems, supporting the warfighter at the speed of relevance.”
Read more: Oshkosh Defense receives $208 million JLTV order
The new military vehicle will operate with the same core technology used in Kodiak’s autonomous long-haul trucks, but with DefensePods instead of SensorPods. The pods are pre-calibrated and feature pre-built hardware enclosures. Reportedly, a technician with no specialized training can swap out a DefensePod in the field in 10 minutes or less, the company stated.
Reportedly, Kodiak and Textron Systems aim to demonstrate their joint work in 2024 before showcasing their efforts to the U.S. Department of Defense and militaries of other allied nations.
In 2024, Kodiak Robotics also debuted its driverless-ready Class 8 truck in January and opened an AV truckport with Ryder in Houston, Texas. As well as this, Kodiak already has a contract with the U.S. Department of Defense for two off-road capable vehicles for reconnaissance and began running autonomous refrigerated deliveries with the Martin-Brower Company.