The Army’s Robotic Combat Vehicle (RCV) Program

The Robotic Combat Vehicle (RCV) is being developed as part of the Army’s Next Generation Combat Vehicle (NGCV) family of vehicles. As originally planned, the Army intended to develop three RCV variants: Light, Medium, and Heavy.

The Army reportedly envisioned employing RCVs as “scouts” and “escorts” for manned fighting vehicles to deter ambushes and to guard the flanks of mechanized formations. RCVs are intended to be controlled by operators riding in NGCVs, but the Army hopes that improved ground navigation technology and artificial intelligence (AI) might eventually permit a single operator to control multiple RCVs or for RCVs to operate in a more autonomous mode.