The Marine Corps’ quest to replace its aging light armored vehicle fleet has reached the water, with prototypes entering a staged sea test earlier this year.

The demonstration showcased what the service calls a new capability for the amphibious platform as crews navigate different sea states and begin to evaluate how automation could lighten the load on the crew under combat pressure.

The exercise took place at Camp Pendleton, California, and centered on a variant of the future advanced reconnaissance vehicle, or ARV, equipped with a 30mm autocannon.

Two designs, one from Textron Systems and another from General Dynamics Land Systems, faced water entry, swimming drills, and live-fire preparations as part of a broader competition that is scheduled to culminate in a single winner around 2030. The testing built on early movement and stability metrics while pushing the envelope on new automation features that could redefine how Marines maneuver in water.

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In describing the challenges the vehicle must overcome, the engineer and program lead explained that speed in water entry and the ability to fire on the water are critical, especially when rough seas complicate a high-speed approach. They stressed the need to maintain stability and control while slewing the gun and turret in a water environment, where balance and precision matter as much as firepower.

“Our autotrim function” is among the features under evaluation. The concept would allow the ARV’s crew to outsource some of the work of navigating the water. “You can set the course, the azimuth that you want to follow, and the vehicle will automatically stay on that course,” one engineer said. “So, we’re starting to build in a level of automation so that, while they’re doing, say, a long water-borne movement, that’s just one less thing the crew has to think about.

“They can think about the other activities involved in not only operating the vehicle but most importantly focusing on the enemy, so they don’t have to focus so much on, ‘Am I going in the correct direction? And is the vehicle being stable in the water?’”

That onboard automation aligns with a broader push to integrate more robotics and automation into the Marines’ future fleet. The ARV’s swim system is currently controlled by a driver through a small joystick, with internal screens guiding course corrections, underscoring how manual handling can distract from tactical tasks. The test program is intended to validate how automation could scale up to meet evolving mission requirements.

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“We’re demonstrating by [incorporating] the automated trim course and azimuth function that we can eventually, in anticipation of future requirements, put more automation into the system, as well as robotic controls,” the GDLS lead said.

The ARV is expected to come in three variants. In addition to the ARV-30 autocannon platform, a Command, Control, Communications and Computers/Unmanned Aircraft Systems model, or C4/UAS, has already undergone testing; and a logistics variant will be tested in subsequent swim trials. Textron’s Cottonmouth, a six-wheel platform, contrasts with GDLS’ eight-wheel configuration, illustrating the range of approaches under consideration.

Shoreside demonstrations included a bilge pump sequence, during which the ARV-30 was flooded to trigger safety sensors and automatically pump out water, “like a water fountain.” The emphasis on water safety has grown since a July 2020 assault amphibious vehicle sinking near Pendleton, which claimed nine service members’ lives and implicated a malfunctioning bilge pump in the tragedy.

Once afloat, the vehicles ran a five-kilometer swim course to test maneuverability and stopping distance in calm conditions. “You’re just kind of pivoting in the water to show the characteristics of how you can do very tight maneuvering in water spaces,” Skuta said. “And you know, that’s pretty important, because the Marines will find themselves crossing rivers and water obstacles while they’re in combat zones. And they need to have a good appreciation for how tight a turning radius the vehicle has in the water.”

Crew members also practiced moving the turret as if preparing for live fire on the water, a test that affects the vehicle’s center of gravity. “In a river-crossing scenario, [if the] enemy presents themselves on the far shoreline the Marines would fire from the vehicle in the water,” Skuta noted. “So, that gives a good indication of how the turret and the fire control system will stabilize on a target while they’re in that water environment.”

One of the more dramatic moments came during a high-speed water entry, an event described as among the “more fun” moments to observe. The ARV-30 hit the water at progressively higher speeds, reaching 25 miles per hour and spraying a large plume into the air. Marines observing the tests from the waterborne community offered its feedback through smiles and thumbs up.

“A lot of smiles, a lot of thumbs up from what they saw,” Skuta said.

The exercise signals a deliberate push to accelerate a crucial modernization program under a Trump administration already signaling a robust, capable, and ready force. With War Secretary Pete Hegseth leading defense policy discussions, the emphasis remains on fielding reliable capabilities that keep Marines ahead of the curve.

The program’s trajectory toward a single down-select later this decade reflects a disciplined approach to procurement, testing, and field readiness that could redefine how the United States projects power at sea and across inland waters.

The emphasis on automation and crew-focused design demonstrates a commitment to positioning Marines to win in uncertain environments without sacrificing safety or effectiveness.

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