U.S. Marines Award Contract to Acquire Scorpion 81mm Mortar on MRZR Alpha 6x6.

Global Military Products has secured a U.S. Marine Corps contract to deliver its Scorpion Light automated 81 mm mortar system integrated onto the Polaris MRZR Alpha 6x6. The award strengthens the Corps’ ability to conduct rapid, precision indirect fires in distributed littoral operations without sacrificing mobility or air transportability.

Global Military Products has won a U.S. Marine Corps contract to field its Scorpion Light mobile mortar system mounted on the Polaris MRZR Alpha 6x6, giving Marine units an automated 81 mm indirect fire capability on a lightweight tactical vehicle. The integration pairs a compact, air transportable 6x6 platform with a digitally assisted mortar system designed for rapid emplacement and displacement, supporting the Corps’ expeditionary advanced base operations concept. By combining shoot-and-scoot survivability with organic small-unit firepower, the system is intended to expand precision fires at the company and platoon levels without increasing logistical demand or slowing maneuver elements.
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The Scorpion Light is an automated 81 mm mobile mortar system mounted on a Polaris MRZR Alpha 6x6, designed to deliver rapid, precision indirect fire and relocate in under two minutes. (Picture source: Global Military Products )

The award confirms the Marine Corps’ continued emphasis on lightweight, highly mobile firepower in support of Force Design 2030. As Marine Littoral Regiments prepare for operations across the Indo-Pacific and other contested theaters, small units must generate responsive indirect fire while avoiding counter-battery threats and precision drone targeting. According to company information released alongside the award, the Scorpion Light system can deploy, fire eight 81 mm rounds, and relocate in less than two minutes, dramatically compressing exposure time during firing missions.

Technically, the Scorpion Light integrates an 81 mm mortar with automated laying and digital fire control, enabling true one-person operation. Auto-aiming capability reduces crew workload and human error while accelerating response time from receipt of the fire mission to round impact. The system supports Multiple Round Simultaneous Impact capability, allowing several rounds to be fired in rapid succession to land on target nearly simultaneously, increasing lethality against time-sensitive or fortified positions. Mounted on the Polaris MRZR Alpha 6x6, the system benefits from the vehicle’s extended payload capacity, improved off-road performance, and compatibility with internal air transport platforms such as the MV-22 Osprey and CH-53K King Stallion.

The MRZR Alpha 6x6 configuration offers a larger cargo bed and enhanced weight distribution compared to 4x4 variants, enabling integration of heavier mission equipment without sacrificing mobility. For the Marine Corps, this pairing provides a scalable indirect fire asset that can accompany reconnaissance elements, light infantry units, or expeditionary advanced base operations. The rapid displacement capability is particularly critical in an era where adversaries employ counter-battery radar, loitering munitions, and ISR drones capable of detecting and targeting static mortar positions within minutes.

Operationally, the integration of Scorpion Light addresses a longstanding tradeoff between mortar lethality and mobility. Traditional towed 81 mm mortars require larger crews and longer setup times, while vehicle-mounted heavy mortar systems often impose weight and airlift penalties. By enabling automated targeting and rapid redeployment, the Scorpion Light increases survivability while maintaining the 81 mm caliber’s effective range and high-angle engagement flexibility. This ensures responsive fire support for dispersed Marine units operating across island chains or austere coastal environments.

From a strategic and industrial perspective, the contract underscores the Pentagon’s broader push toward modular, digitally enabled weapon systems that enhance survivability in high-end conflict scenarios. The focus on lightweight platforms aligns with U.S. Indo-Pacific Command’s requirements for distributed maritime operations, where mobility, low signature, and rapid repositioning are essential to counter anti-access and area-denial networks. The award also strengthens Polaris’ role as a key supplier of light tactical mobility solutions across U.S. special operations and conventional forces, further integrating commercial off-the-shelf vehicle technology into military fire support architectures.

In our assessment, the Scorpion Light represents one of the more innovative evolutions in light indirect fire systems currently entering U.S. service. Its combination of automation, reduced crew requirement, digital precision, and ultra-fast displacement directly addresses the vulnerability of traditional mortar teams on today’s sensor-saturated battlefield. By compressing the sensor-to-shooter timeline while simultaneously reducing exposure to counter-battery detection, the system embodies the kind of adaptive, survivable fire support solution required for contested littoral and multi-domain operations. The innovation is not merely technical but doctrinal, enabling smaller Marine units to generate disproportionate combat effects without increasing their logistical footprint.

Looking ahead, fielding timelines and procurement quantities will determine the scale of impact across Marine formations. If adopted broadly within Marine Littoral Regiments, the Scorpion Light on MRZR Alpha 6x6 could become a standard rapid-response indirect fire platform for expeditionary units, bridging the gap between dismounted mortar teams and heavier armored mortar carriers. As the Marine Corps refines its distributed combat model, systems that combine automation, speed, and survivability will play a decisive role in maintaining overmatch in contested littoral environments.

Written by Alain Servaes – Chief Editor, Army Recognition Group
Alain Servaes is a former infantry non-commissioned officer and the founder of Army Recognition. With over 20 years in defense journalism, he provides expert analysis on military equipment, NATO operations, and the global defense industry.