Kodiak AI, a leading provider of Physical AI-powered autonomous vehicle technology and General Dynamics Land Systems, part of the Fortune 100 General Dynamics group, announced a strategic collaboration to create autonomous ground vehicles (AGVs) for defense applications.
Through this collaboration, Kodiak will provide the Kodiak Driver, its Physical AI-powered virtual driver that is operating driverlessly today, demonstrating the ability to scale autonomous operations beyond controlled testing. General Dynamics Land Systems will lead vehicle integration, power systems, communications and ruggedized platform development.
The companies will pursue upcoming U.S. Army and international opportunities to expand their joint vehicle portfolio.
Their collaboration establishes a scalable autonomy capability that can be applied across multiple military vehicle platforms and mission sets. The companies recently unveiled their first vehicle together, the Leonidas AGV, which is equipped with Epirus’ Leonidas high-power microwave platform for mobile counter-drone operations.
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To build the Leonidas AGV, General Dynamics Land Systems and Kodiak adapted a commercial Ford F-600 truck to showcase operational value to warfighters and support a range of autonomous mission sets, including logistics resupply, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR), and maneuver operations. The companies selected the Ford truck in response to the Pentagon’s “commercial-first” strategy, which prioritizes adapting commercial systems to reduce acquisition costs, utilize established supply chains and accelerate deployment timelines. Adapting a commercial vehicle platform for the military ensures reliability and lower unit costs while reducing technical risk and accelerating time to field.
“This collaboration directly meets the U.S. military’s need for scalable, adaptable, and cost-effective autonomous ground vehicles operating forward in contested environments while reducing risk to service members,” said Don Burnette, Founder and CEO of Kodiak. “General Dynamics Land Systems’ expertise in defense ground vehicle development and integration is world-class and makes it an ideal partner to deploy Kodiak’s AI-powered autonomy system across a wide range of platforms.”
“Kodiak’s autonomous solution complements our strength in quickly and efficiently delivering mission-ready vehicles to Soldiers and Marines around the world,” said Keith Barclay, Vice President and General Manager of U.S. Operations at General Dynamics Land Systems. “Together, we are focused on giving our customers the power to win by collaborating on flexible, commercially inspired platforms that can be rapidly adapted.”
SOURCE: Kodiak
