American Rheinmetall and Harbinger Partner to Develop Robotic Ground Vehicles for U.S. Department of War
2026
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What Happened
The partnership pairs American Rheinmetall's combat-proven vehicle integration and mission systems with Harbinger's commercially based, autonomous-ready hybrid vehicle platform. They will jointly pursue DoW programs for robotic combat, logistics, and sustainment vehicles. Initial areas include autonomous tactical wheeled vehicles and contested-logistics resupply.
“Soldiers need robotics they can trust, at a cost that lets them field them in the numbers required to win. Harbinger's drive-by-wire, hybrid-electric platform is one of the most autonomy-ready commercial chassis ever built in the United States, and combined with American Rheinmetall's deep experience integrating mission systems for the Army, gives the DoW an attritable, sovereign, and rapidly scal”
Why this matters
The partnership aims to deliver affordable, scalable robotic systems that can be fielded quickly, combining American Rheinmetall's integration expertise with Harbinger's autonomous-ready hybrid platform.
Terms in This Story
- Uncrewed Ground Vehicle (UGV)
- A vehicle that operates without a human operator onboard.
- Drive-by-wire
- A system that electronically controls vehicle functions like steering, braking, and throttle instead of mechanical linkages.
- Hybrid-electric
- A vehicle that combines an internal combustion engine with an electric motor and battery.
- Attritable
- Designed to be expendable or replaceable at low cost.
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