U.S. Army launches CASEVAC drone program to evacuate wounded under fire

The U.S. Army’s Capability Program Executive for Mission Autonomy has issued a formal solicitation asking defense industry to develop an unmanned ground vehicle capable of evacuating wounded soldiers and delivering supplies through the most dangerous stretch of the modern battlefield — the zone immediately behind the front lines.

The document describes what the Army calls the “last tactical mile” — the final segment of ground between supported units and the forward line of troops, a zone characterized by persistent enemy surveillance and the rapid application of lethal fires. It is in this space, the Army states, where conventional logistics break down most completely. Moving supplies forward or wounded personnel rearward through that corridor under current conditions exposes soldiers to precisely the kind of observation and direct fire that autonomous systems are designed to eliminate. The UGV the Army is seeking would operate in that corridor without putting additional personnel at risk.

The core requirements are direct. The vehicle must be capable of autonomously transporting at least two casualties from the point of injury to a designated casualty collection point, without causing additional harm to the patient during transit. It must also support the sustainment needs of a dismounted rifle platoon or company headquarters during extended operations, carrying various classes of supply across diverse terrain types. A modular cargo area with accessible power and data connections is required, allowing the same platform to shift between resupply and CASEVAC roles with minimal reconfiguration.

Operationally, the vehicle must be able to navigate both on- and off-road routes — including environments where GPS is unavailable or denied — while maintaining reliable communications with the units it supports. The Army explicitly requires that the UGV minimize its detectable signatures and emissions during operations, particularly during the final approach to supported units where the risk of enemy observation is highest. Teleoperation, autonomous navigation, and beyond-line-of-sight communications capability are all listed as mandatory requirements.

The UGV must also plug into existing and future command and control networks. The Army requires open and exposed application programming interfaces for integration with common control and mission autonomy applications, a requirement that reflects the service’s broader push to build interoperable autonomous systems that can operate within networked formations rather than as isolated platforms.

The solicitation is structured in two phases. Companies whose Phase 1 solution briefs are evaluated as meritorious will be invited to deliver a Phase 2 presentation shortly after Phase 1 responses are received. The Army has authorized this solicitation under DFARS Subpart 212.70 — the Defense Commercial Solutions Opening authority, which is designed specifically to streamline acquisition of innovative commercial technologies and accelerate award timelines. Contracts or agreements awarded under this authority will be structured as fixed-price, including fixed-price incentive fee arrangements.

The U.S. Army has been investing in autonomous ground vehicle technology across multiple programs. The broader Mission Autonomy portfolio reflects the service’s recognition that ground autonomy is no longer a future capability — it is a current operational need being driven by battlefield realities observed in Ukraine and other active conflict zones, where unmanned ground systems have been employed for logistics, reconnaissance, and evacuation tasks by multiple parties to the conflict. The Army’s formal entry into the CASEVAC UGV market through a competitive commercial solicitation signals that the service is ready to move from experimentation toward fielding.