In an effort to field Unmanned Ground Vehicles (UGV) to the joint force, the Department of War Other Transactional Authority Consortium has asked industry for white papers for complete UGV systems to enable employment by Warfighters in both tactical and non-tactical environments.
Based on what they learn , they will invite select technologies to participate in a Joint Unmanned Ground Vehicle (UGV) demonstration exercise titled “GroundBreaker 1” at Camp Grafton, North Dakota, in mid-October 2026.
There, the systems will support physical operational assessments, iterative technology enhancements, and direct integration with current DoW systems.
A Ghost Robotics Vision 60 Q-UGV ground robot does a simulated route mission at Holloman Air Force Base, New Mexico, April 17, 2023. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Isaiah Pedrazzini)
The Government is specifically seeking UGVs which can perform one or more of the following core mission profiles:
• Reconnaissance and Surveillance (RSTA)
• Transport of Supplies and Equipment (Tactical Logistics)
• Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) & Route Clearance
• Search and Rescue (SAR) Operations
• Force Protection & Perimeter Security
• Casualty Evacuation (CASEVAC)
• Other Support / Multi-Domain Operations: Other capabilities are welcome with the provision that a concept of employment is included in the submission packet that describes the operational gap the demonstrated capability will fill for the DoW.
Furthermore, systems must have these capabilities, at a minimum:
• Navigation & Autonomy: The ability for manual or autonomous obstacle avoidance.
• Range, Endurance & Mobility: All-terrain mobility.
• Interoperability: Open-system, hardware-agnostic software architectures (e.g., Robot Operating System-Military (ROS-M) compatible) that seamlessly integrate with DoW networks and Command and Control (C2) systems.
The use of the OTA framework bypasses traditional, lengthy acquisition cycles, ensuring that these advanced technologies reach the warfighter at the speed of relevance.
However, because they are using the OTA consortium, this effort is limited solely to consortium members only. While most everyone who is in that business has already jumped through the hoops required to be legible, you can still apply by submitting an application to [email protected].
Vendors have until Sep 04, 2026 5:00 PM CDT to submit their white papers. See full details at sam.gov.
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