Overland AI Demonstrates Full Stack Ground Autonomy for Uncrewed Breaching During Project Convergence Capstone 5

/EIN News/ -- FORT IRWIN, Calif., April 21, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- At the U.S. Army’s premier technology innovation event, Project Convergence Capstone 5 (PC-C5), Overland AI successfully demonstrated its autonomous ground vehicle integrated with uncrewed aerial system (UAS)-capable payloads as part of a joint breaching experimentation effort with the Sandhills Project and the 20th Engineer Brigade of the XVIII Airborne Corps.

Operating under the direction of the Sandhills Project, Overland AI integrated its full stack, ground autonomy capability, consisting of both software and hardware, into General Dynamics Land Systems’ Small Multipurpose Equipment Transport (SMET) vehicle. The SMET, originally controlled via tethered hand remote, was upgraded with Overland AI’s OverDrive software stack, SPARK hardware infrastructure, and OverWatch tactical interface to enable autonomous operation.

Overland AI integrated its ground autonomy capability, including the company’s OverDrive software stack and SPARK hardware infrastructure, into the General Dynamics Small Multipurpose Equipment Transport (SMET).

U.S. Army Soldiers from the 27th Engineer Battalion, 20th Engineer Brigade trained directly on Overland’s system during PC-C5, learning to independently operate, troubleshoot, and maintain the fully autonomous platform. By the end of the exercise, Soldiers executed breaching missions, successfully starting up the system, conducting missions, and shutting it down independently.

The demonstration included two payload integrations: a trailer equipped with a mine-clearing UAS designed for breaching lanes, and a Stratin Engineering-developed drone launcher mounted on the SMET to deploy small attritable drones.

Overland AI’s autonomy enables tactical operators to seamlessly integrate multiple payloads into ground platforms, including this UAS designed for breaching lanes that is being towed with an Overland-designed autonomous hitch.

“Soldiers independently and successfully operated our ground autonomy for two consecutive weeks during Project Convergence Capstone 5,” said Byron Boots, co-founder and chief executive officer of Overland AI. “Breaching exercises continue to demonstrate the maturity of our capability and the tactical benefit of removing humans from some of the most dangerous missions.”

Overland AI directly supported the Sandhills Project’s objective, such as minefields, wire, and ditches, while enabling distributed operations across a breach. The 20th Engineer Brigade has taken possession of the upgraded SMET vehicle for continued experimentation, with Overland AI providing field support and a software license per contract.

PC-C5 is a cornerstone of the Army’s persistent experimentation campaign and focuses on evaluating next-generation warfighting capabilities, including cross-domain operations in the INDOPACOM theater. The Overland AI ground team onsite included experts across hardware integration, autonomy software, infrastructure, field operations, product, and program management.

Overland AI continues to advance the state of ground autonomy for defense, having previously secured an $18.6 million contract with the U.S. Army and Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) to develop autonomy software for the Robotic Combat Vehicle (RCV) program.

To learn more about Overland AI and see open roles, visit www.overland.ai.

About Overland AI
Founded in 2022 and headquartered in Seattle, Washington, Overland AI is powering ground operations for modern defense. The company leverages over a decade of advanced research in robotics and machine learning, as well as a field-test forward ethos, to deliver advanced autonomy for unit commanders. Hazardous missions in austere and electronically denied environments demand that this technology is reliable and resilient. Overland AI’s SPARK autonomy upfit and OverDrive stack enable ground vehicles to navigate off-road without GPS or direct operator control. The company built its fully autonomous tactical vehicle, ULTRA, in-house by integrating SPARK and OverDrive into a modular and attritable platform that is currently in production. Overland AI developed OverWatch, its intuitive C2 interface, to provide commanders with the precise coordination of autonomous ground systems that is vital for complex missions to succeed. Overland AI has achieved the end-to-end integration of ground autonomy, from operator to effect, and is putting this capability into the hands of tactical operators today.

Contact
Cameron Langford
overland@1stprinciples.io
First Principles Communications

Photos accompanying this announcement are available at
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Autonomous Hitch Tows UAS for Tactical Breaching

Overland AI’s autonomy enables tactical operators to seamlessly integrate multiple payloads into ground platforms, including this UAS designed for breaching lanes that is being towed with an Overland-designed autonomous hitch.

Overland AI Autonomy Integrated into General Dynamics SMET

Overland AI integrated its ground autonomy capability, including the company’s OverDrive software stack and SPARK hardware infrastructure, into the General Dynamics Small Multipurpose Equipment Transport (SMET).