US Marine Corps orders more missile launching drones

The U.S. Marine Corps has awarded the Oshkosh Defense a contract for additional unmanned missile launcher vehicles.

According to a press release from Oshkosh, the Marine Corps Systems Command has placed a $39.5 million order for additional Remotely Operated Ground Unit for Expeditionary Fires (ROGUE-Fires) carriers and associated kits.

The ROGUE-Fires carrier is a part of the Navy Marine Expeditionary Ship Interdiction System (NMESIS), which consists of unmanned missile launcher vehicles and two ready-to-fire cruise missile inside their self-contained launch canisters.

- ADVERTISEMENT - CONTINUE READING BELOW -

Based on the Oshkosh Defense Joint Light Tactical Vehicle (JLTV), ROGUE Fires is an unmanned ground vehicle (UGV) that leverages the JLTV’s extreme off-road mobility, payload capacity and Oshkosh’s advanced autonomous vehicle technologies to support Ground-Based Anti-Ship Missile (GBASM) operations. The unmanned technology associated with ROGUE Fires allows the vehicle to operate in teleoperator or leader-follower mode.

Photo by Juan Magadan

“Oshkosh Defense is committed to providing mission-critical capabilities and innovation to support the U.S. Marine Corps and their modernization plans,” said Pat Williams, chief programs officer for Oshkosh Defense. “The adaptable design of ROGUE Fires leverages next-generation technologies and allows for integration of scalable weapon system payloads to meet mission requirements.”

In August 2023, Oshkosh Defense delivered six initial Production Representative Models (PRMS) in support of the Marine Corps’ modernizations plans of Force Design 2030.

Readers who wish to follow our weekly coverage can subscribe to the Weekly Defense Roundup.

If you wish to report a grammatical or factual error in this article, please let us know by using the online form.

Executive Editor

Support The Defence Blog

Independent reporting takes resources. Join us on Patreon.

Become a patron

More Like This

U.S. Navy signs $2.2 billion deal to build new landing ships

The U.S. Navy has handed a Florida shipping company the job of building a fleet the Marine Corps says it needs to survive a...

Australian-made ship could reshape how Marines resupply troops

An Australian-designed cargo ship just did something no purpose-built military landing vessel has managed before, driving stern-first onto a beach near Darwin, holding position...

U.S. Marines train on new recon boat near Taiwan

U.S. Marines with 3rd Reconnaissance Battalion spent early June learning to handle a boat the Marine Corps has bet will let small reconnaissance teams...

U.S. Marines test-fire their new air defense system

U.S. Marines on a remote Pacific island just proved they can shoot down cruise missiles using a weapon system built around the same technology...

U.S. Navy wants fast fix for the F-35B’s sludge problem

The U.S. Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division posted a sources sought notice on July 9 seeking companies capable of building a deployable cleaning...