U.S. Army clears armed robot dog for special operations evaluation

Australian Skyborne Technologies has received a U.S. Department of War Limited Safety Release for its CODiAQ armed quadruped robot, clearing the system to proceed into Operational Test and Evaluation and combat assessments with U.S. Special Operations Command units and a partnered foreign ally.

The safety release, granted through a competitively awarded research, development, test, and evaluation contract funded and led by the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Special Operations and Low-Intensity Conflict, was validated by independent government safety testing conducted by the U.S. Army Test and Evaluation Center at Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland.

The ATEC validation confirmed that CODiAQ meets established Department of War safety requirements before any tactical operator handles a live armed system. That independent testing path is not a formality — for an armed autonomous ground system incorporating AI-enabled targeting and fire control, the safety release process determines whether the weapon can be used in evaluation without posing unacceptable risk to the operators and personnel around it.

The CODiAQ, which stands for Controller Operated Direct Action Quadruped, is an armed unmanned ground system built on a quadruped robotic platform. Quadruped robots, which walk on four legs rather than rolling on wheels or tracks, offer mobility advantages in terrain where wheeled and tracked systems struggle: stairs, rubble, rough ground, and confined interior spaces that characterize the urban and subterranean environments where special operations forces frequently operate. The armed configuration adds modular weapon payloads to a platform that can navigate those environments, creating a capability that places lethal firepower in spaces where sending a human soldier carries high risk. The CODiAQ carries 28 modular weapon payloads across 14 quadruped systems in the contract configuration, indicating two payloads per platform and a modular architecture that can potentially accommodate different weapon types for different mission profiles.

The $6.5 million firm-fixed-price contract covers delivery of 14 CODiAQ systems with 28 modular weapon payloads, total system sustainment for a 24-month evaluation period including hardware support and maintenance, and operator and maintainer training for both U.S. and allied personnel. Delivery will occur as a total package fielding event later in 2026, coordinating equipment, training, and sustainment in a single integrated handoff rather than staggering components across multiple deliveries. The firm-fixed-price contract structure places cost risk on Skyborne rather than the government, reflecting a level of production maturity and cost confidence that development-stage contracts typically do not support.

Michael J. Trexler, the Government Program Manager, described the operational timeline and evaluation intent in direct terms. “We are working closely with Skyborne to deliver CODiAQs and new equipment live fire training to our Tactical Operators in October 2026,” Trexler said in Skyborne’s announcement. “CODiAQ represents a deliberate and important step in armed robotic ground systems. This milestone allows the Department of War to rapidly assess operational utility with rigorous emphasis on system safety, operator control, and risk management during OT&E and combat evaluations.” The October 2026 live fire training date is a concrete commitment: tactical operators will be handling armed CODiAQ systems and firing them within months, not years.

The evaluation will involve multiple Tactical Units of Action within U.S. Special Operations Command and at least one partnered foreign ally, per the contract description. USSOCOM is the organizational home most aligned with the CODiAQ’s intended mission profile: direct action operations, close quarters combat, and high-risk entry missions where placing a robotic system ahead of the assault element reduces exposure of human operators to the most dangerous phases of an engagement. Special operations forces have historically been early adopters of robotic and autonomous systems precisely because their mission profiles generate the highest demand for capabilities that extend human reach into lethal environments. The unnamed allied partner adds an international dimension to the evaluation that suggests either a foreign military with comparable special operations requirements or an allied nation conducting parallel evaluation for potential procurement.

Skyborne’s approach to manufacturing aligns with current Department of War guidance emphasizing domestic production and supply chain security. The CODiAQ build is manufactured in the United States, with the company describing this as an initial step in scaling domestic manufacturing capabilities. That sovereign manufacturing emphasis carries both strategic and commercial implications: a system that is built in the United States, sustained with American parts and labor, and maintained by trained domestic personnel is a system whose supply chain cannot be interdicted by foreign export controls or diplomatic pressure, a concern that has become concrete across multiple defense programs since 2022.

Quadruped robots for military applications have generated significant interest and several high-profile demonstrations over the past decade, with platforms including Boston Dynamics’ Spot robot and Ghost Robotics’ Vision series appearing in various military evaluations. The CODiAQ’s progression to a Department of War Limited Safety Release and a firm-fixed-price delivery contract with USSOCOM represents a more advanced procurement stage than most armed quadruped programs have reached publicly. A safety release from ATEC, a delivery contract with a live fire training date, and evaluation requests from multiple special operations units collectively indicate that CODiAQ has moved beyond the demonstration phase into the threshold of operational assessment.