AUSA 2025: Oshkosh introduces Light Multi Mission Autonomous Vehicle reshaping ground autonomy and counter UAS.

Oshkosh Defense introduced the Light Multi-Mission Autonomous Vehicle at the AUSA Annual Meeting in Washington on October 14, showing a production-ready autonomous carrier derived from ROGUE Fires work with options for C-UAS, electronic warfare, and resupply. The display integrated AeroVironment’s Switchblade 600 loitering munition and the Titan counter-UAS suite, signaling a push to field modular ground autonomy against growing drone threats.

At the Walter E. Washington Convention Center, Oshkosh Defense unveiled a Light Multi-Mission Autonomous Vehicle, a compact member of its new Family of Multi-Mission Autonomous Vehicles, designed as production-ready and payload-agnostic. Company materials and the event program describe a supervised autonomy and teleoperation chassis that accepts mission kits for counter-UAS, electronic warfare and logistics, with the show configuration pairing AeroVironment’s Switchblade 600 and the Titan RF counter-drone system. The package reflects a wider Army and joint trend toward quickly fielded unmanned ground systems that plug into existing command architectures.
Follow Army Recognition on Google News at this link

Drawn from work around ROGUE Fires, the L-MAV retains the idea of a payload-agnostic carrier that accepts varied mission kits without modifying the base platform (Picture source: Army Recognition)

Drawn from work around ROGUE Fires, the L-MAV retains the idea of a payload-agnostic carrier that accepts varied mission kits without modifying the base platform. The chassis, designed for teleoperation and supervised autonomy modes, favors an open interface between mobility, sensors, and effectors. This approach shortens integration timelines and allows quick reconfiguration between patrol, convoy escort, silent resupply, or fire support. The intent is not to introduce a spectacular vehicle, but an industrial base that can be equipped according to day-to-day mission requirements.

First, the modular architecture and mission bays allow installation of kits without heavy recertification, whether a launcher for loitering munitions or a C-UAS jammer. Second, autonomous driving is paired with remote teleoperation, including follower modes and software safeguards intended for use near friendly units. Third, the presented setup combines a heavy loitering munition, Switchblade 600, and the Titan counter-drone system to cover both beyond line of sight strike and close protection. This trio of modularity, autonomy, and integration reflects a search for industrial maturity rather than a one-off trade show prototype.

The presence of Switchblade 600 illustrates the L MAV’s capacity to carry an effector that provides observation, tracking, and strike from a standoff ground position. The operator can qualify the target, wait for the engagement window, or abort if the environment does not meet rules of engagement. Mounted on an autonomous carrier, the effector pushes risk away from the maneuver element, enabling an ISR to strike chain to be set up in minutes. Integration of Titan C UAS completes the package by providing spectrum monitoring, detection of small class air threats, and graduated countermeasures to secure a fire base, a logistics node or a forward command post.

At the tactical level, the L-MAV addresses combined arms units facing low-altitude air threats and dispersed postures. In escort, it precedes the convoy, captures drone activity and jams if necessary, while retaining the option to switch to an opportunistic strike via Switchblade 600. In gray zone contexts, it serves as an autonomous mule for moving munitions, batteries, and sensors, including at night, to reduce crew exposure. The value also lies in operational continuity. A single platform can act as a static C UAS sentinel, then as an effector carrier during a movement, which reduces the number of vehicles in the field and simplifies maintenance logistics.

Oshkosh aims for standardization that eases C2 integration with existing architectures. Data exchange, track recording, and software updates follow procedures close to those already in service, which limits the learning curve. For a headquarters, the value is twofold. It engages an autonomous carrier where risk is high and, at the same time, preserves coherence of the decision chain with building blocks already known to operators. This continuity is central to scaling employment at the brigade level without multiplying incompatible variants.

Presenting the L-MAV at AUSA 2025 also responds to a strategic environment where unmanned ground systems gain traction. Armed forces seek solutions that can absorb adversary drones while projecting effect at controlled cost. By showing a ready-to-use combination pairing loitering munition and C UAS, Oshkosh positions itself as an integrator within an ecosystem where the platform accepts third party payloads, interacts with allied sensors, and fits into common procedures. For exports, this approach enables gradual diffusion across NATO forces and close partners, with national variants shaped by transfer rules, ITAR constraints, and priorities for short-range ground-based air defense. Proliferation of this type of carrier will likely depend on a sum of urgent needs, conclusive demonstrations, and practiced interoperability between industry and users rather than a single contract.