Textron, Howe & Howe Win Marine Robotics Award

Two RIPSAW M3 robotic ground vehicles will serve as testbeds at the Marine Corps Warfighting Laboratory.

Updated on Nov. 6, 2026 in Robotics

Bold flat-color editorial illustration of a compact tracked robotic ground vehicle with a modular payload rack and folded sensor mast, set against a plain field. — The Marine Corps will test two Textron Systems and Howe & Howe RIPSAW M3 robotic ground vehicles at its Warfighting Laboratory in Quantico, Virginia, under a new award. AI Illustration. Upload story photo >

Textron Systems and Howe & Howe have won a U.S. Marine Corps award for two RIPSAW M3 robotic ground vehicles, which the companies announced in a statement. The two vehicles will serve as experimentation and integration testbeds at the Marine Corps Warfighting Laboratory.

Why it matters

The award gives Marine Corps personnel hands-on access to a modular robotic platform for evaluating payloads, sensors, and mission applications across the United States' military robotics programs. The testing is expected to inform future robotics requirements.

The RIPSAW M3 uses a Modular Open Systems Architecture intended to integrate different payloads and sensors, and provides more than 5,000 pounds of payload capacity on a flat-deck configuration. Contract value and testing timelines were not disclosed in the available details.

The players

Textron Systems

Textron Systems is the defense-focused subsidiary of Textron Inc., headquartered in Hunt Valley, Maryland, that develops unmanned and ground systems for military customers.

Howe & Howe

Howe & Howe is an American defense contractor known for designing and building ground robotic and tactical vehicle platforms, and it is a co-recipient of this award.

Marine Corps Warfighting Laboratory

The Marine Corps Warfighting Laboratory is the Marine Corps' experimentation organization in Quantico, Virginia, that tests emerging concepts and technologies for future operations.

The details

The vehicles are being awarded under an Other Transaction agreement with the National Advanced Mobility Consortium. Marine Corps personnel will use the two RIPSAW M3 units to evaluate payloads, sensors, and mission applications at the Marine Corps Warfighting Laboratory in Quantico, Virginia.

November 6, 2026: Textron Systems and Howe & Howe announced the Marine Corps award in a statement.

Deeper Dive

The award places the RIPSAW M3 inside the Marine Corps Warfighting Laboratory's experimentation pipeline, where the laboratory has tested emerging robotic concepts before they reach procurement. Using a modular testbed rather than a fixed-configuration vehicle lets evaluators compare payload options against the same chassis.

For the public, the award signals how the Marine Corps is moving toward modular, multi-payload ground robots that could eventually shape equipment used in defense logistics and field operations. Civilian buyers and developers are not directly affected at this stage, since the vehicles are testbeds rather than commercial products.

The takeaway

Modular robotic platforms that accept interchangeable payloads let military evaluators test many sensor and mission options on one vehicle, which can speed decisions about future robotics requirements.