Land Forces
DARPA tests four autonomous ground vehicles in live-fire exercise at Fort Knox, with a human approving every engagement
Four autonomous ground vehicles hunted simulated targets as a team at Fort Knox on 15 October, in a DARPA test requested by U.S. European Command. A human had to approve any engagement.
Four autonomous unmanned ground vehicles worked as a team to find simulated enemy targets during a live-fire demonstration at Fort Knox, Kentucky, on 15 October 2026, in a test run by the U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA). According to a U.S. military release published on 22 October, the vehicles drove and detected targets on their own, but a human operator had to approve any engagement.
The demonstration took place on the St. Vith Range and was watched by about two dozen distinguished visitors. U.S. European Command (EUCOM) requested the test, the release says.
How the test worked
In one phase, a vehicle carrying a closed box that houses a drone stopped on a hill after it spotted a potential target. Two other vehicles provided cover while the last one moved forward once the first had crested the hill. A simulated rocket then struck a target about 300 yards away.
DARPA technical advisor Dr. Jason Gregory described the event as the first end-to-end test, running from satellite imagery down to the tactical ground. He stressed the role of the human in the loop: “But they don’t pull the trigger until a human says pull the trigger.” He added that “the operator has total control as to what they want to do about what the robots are seeing.”
The RACER programme
The vehicles belong to DARPA’s RACER programme, which brings together three companies. The release says the programme’s software effort took about five years and aims at off-road speeds comparable to those of a human driver. Payloads discussed for such vehicles include drones, munitions, and logistics or casualty evacuation uses. DARPA runs 238 science and engineering programmes in total, the release notes.
Soldier feedback next
The next test is expected in December, when DARPA plans to collect feedback from soldiers. “Soldiers are the best evaluators because they give you honest feedback,” Gregory said.
Uncrewed ground systems are drawing growing attention from industry and armed forces on both sides of the Atlantic. Geopolitiki has previously reported on Milrem Robotics and Chugach sign memorandum to explore U.S. production of unmanned ground systems, one of several recent moves to build such vehicles in the United States.