Raytheon, Forterra, Oshkosh Defense, and Ursa Major conduct autonomous launcher demonstration

Raytheon, an RTX business, announced its DeepStrike autonomous mobile launcher vehicle, which doesn’t require a driver, successfully completed a live fire demonstration at the U.S. Army’s Project Convergence.

Raytheon led the effort producing the precision missile and launcher, Forterra supplied the self- driving technology, and Oshkosh Defense provided the vehicle platform and electronic systems, and Ursa Major manufactured the missile’s rocket motor.

"DeepStrike provides soldiers with a modern platform, autonomous capability and increased magazine depth to meet the Army’s future fires requirements," says Brian Burton, vice president of Precision Fires & Maneuver at Raytheon. "At Project Convergence, Raytheon demonstrated revolutionary autonomous launcher technology: a self-driving launcher designed to operate seamlessly in all weather conditions, on all terrains, and in harsh battlefield environments."

The demonstration used a new Raytheon-made missile, developed for the U.S. Army’s Joint Reduced Range Rocket program, created via a rapid prototyping initiative. The DeepStrike launcher increases the amount of weapons compared to what is currently fielded. The launcher can fire missiles of various sizes, while providing the Army more mobility and survivability.

Over the next year, the team will continue its autonomy testing to include offensive and defensive fires in stressing environments.