The U.S. Army is field-testing a fully autonomous tactical vehicle developed by Seattle-based Overland AI during Exercise Agile Spirit 25 in Georgia (Sakartvelo), just miles from Russian-occupied territory.
The robotic vehicle, known as ULTRA, is being evaluated for its ability to perform combat resupply missions across rugged, contested terrain without direct human control.
According to the company, ULTRA is supporting live missions with Soldiers from the 1st Squadron, 91st Cavalry Regiment, 173rd Airborne Brigade at Vaziani Training Area, one of Georgia’s principal military installations. The platform is conducting autonomous point-to-point cargo deliveries as part of U.S.-led tactical drills designed to improve NATO interoperability and deterrence in the region.
“Over the next two weeks, ULTRA will support live training missions with U.S. Army Soldiers across rough, forested terrain,” Overland AI said in a statement. “These Soldiers are using ULTRA for fully autonomous resupply missions, including point-to-point delivery of cargo drop-offs.”
ULTRA runs Overland AI’s OverDrive autonomy stack, a software suite specifically designed for GPS-denied and electronically contested environments. Company officials say the system was built “from the ground up” to support real-world combat operations and navigate the kind of terrain that traditional autonomous platforms struggle with.
“We have demonstrated real ground autonomy with the U.S. Army in six exercises over the past four months,” Overland AI stated. “These include international engagements with Agile Spirit, first in Germany and now in Georgia.”
Overland AI describes its vehicle as “fast, reliable, and combat-ready,” emphasizing its ability to move autonomously through unpredictable and potentially hostile environments. Unlike convoy-following systems or remote-controlled ground robots, ULTRA is designed to operate independently with minimal oversight.
The presence of U.S. forces and advanced autonomy platforms in Georgia is likely to be noted in Moscow, given Georgia’s ongoing territorial disputes with Russia following the 2008 war and continued Russian military presence in Abkhazia and South Ossetia.