BAE Systems Partners With Forterra For Autonomous Vehicle Development
BAE Systems has announced a partnership with United States autonomy company Forterra for the joint development of autonomous ground vehicles.
According to a joint statement from the companies, the partnership will allow the companies to “explore” integrating Forterra’s Land Autonomy Systems onto new and existing BAE Systems ground-based platforms.
Forterra’s autonomous ground vehicle solution, AutoDrive, is already in use with several autonomous systems currently operated by the United States military, notably in Oskosh Defense’s ROGUE (Remotely Operated Ground Unit for Expeditionary) Fires unmanned launcher vehicle for Naval Strike Missiles used in the Marine Corps’ Navy Marine Expeditionary Ship Interdiction System (NMESIS).
Forterra says AutoDrive can handle missions ranging from logistics through movement to contact, and is adaptable to vehicles as large as the Palletized Load System logistics trucks (as demonstrated in the U.S. Army’s Ground Expeditionary Autonomous Retrofit System program) down to small unmanned ground vehicles like General Dynamics Land Systems’ Small Multipurpose Equipment Transport (S-MET).
“Autonomy is at the heart of what is needed to prevail on the modern battlefield,” said John Borton, managing director of BAE Systems’ Weapons Systems UK business. “This strategic collaboration aims to bring increased capability and improved lethality to the battlefield and looks to the future of pioneering innovation.”
“Autonomous systems are a necessity, not a luxury, for warfighters. By integrating advanced autonomy with proven warfighting platforms, we’re ensuring that operators have the tools and capabilities at scale that they need to combat and stay ahead of evolving threats,” said Christian Seifert, head of Robotic Missile Systems at Forterra.
Forterra also offers AutoDrive for civilian applications like automation of trucks used in ports and other logistics facilities, and is in a partnership with Finnish logistics solutions company Kalmar to test AutoDrive on Kalmar’s Ottawa series of terminal tractors. The Kalmar Ottawa AutoTT, Kalmar’s first terminal tractor equipped with AutoDrive, is expected to enter production by late 2026 should testing complete as planned.