Active military procurement of crewless armored platforms
#1The US Army's Robotic Combat Vehicle (RCV) program has moved from concept to competitive prototype phase, with Textron, QinetiQ, and General Dynamics fielding RCV-Light and RCV-Medium variants for operational experimentation. Israel's Elbit and Rafael have deployed the Guardium and RM-35 border patrol UGVs and are developing a next-generation armed UGV. Russia fielded the Uran-9 in Syria (with documented failures) and continues Marker UGV development; China is testing multiple UGCV platforms under a classified military modernization program. These are not R&D curiosities — they are funded procurement programs with delivery schedules and unit activation plans that will structurally eliminate crew billets as legacy crewed platforms retire.