SMD 2025 — Both Lockheed Martin and Raytheon said separately they are competing for the US Army’s new autonomous launcher, though the two defense giants stopped short of disclosing just what their respective plans and teammates may be.
In late June the service’s Rapid Capabilities and Critical Technologies Office (RCCTO) released a “request for solutions brief” to find two separate variants — a heavy and a medium — of what it’s calling the Common Autonomous Multi-Domain Launcher (CAML) on a “rapid timeline.”
Lockheed and Raytheon, two companies known to have separately been developing such autonomous launchers, told Breaking Defense they have responded to the release.
“Lockheed Martin is responding to the CAML Request for Solutions Brief (RSFB) but cannot share details on our submission at this time as it is competition sensitive,” a company spokesperson wrote in an Aug. 1 email.
Tom Laliberty, president of Land and Air Defense Systems at Raytheon, also confirmed submissions for both launch variants but did not disclose if the company was interested in competing as the prime contractor on both, or it if plans to team up with another defense firm.
“We just submitted our proposal to Army RCCTO … for a set of prototypes of these launchers,” Laliberty said during an Aug. 1 interview. “I think [this is] another kind of technology that would be of interest for something like Golden Dome, just because of the vastness of the United States and the ability to have autonomy in terms of being able to deploy capabilities where you need them.”
Other entrants could always join the race, but Lockheed and Raytheon have each already been on the Army’s radar when it comes to autonomous launchers, as each have in-development internal programs.
The Army is pursuing its own internal program to develop what’s called the Autonomous Multi-domain Launcher — an uncrewed M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket System — but in February then-Long-Range Precision Fires Cross Functional Team leader Brig. Gen. Rory Crooks told Breaking Defense the service would likely have to look to industry for a tenable production solution.
In June insights into a path ahead emerged when RCCTO issued the call to industry for a medium (CAML-M) and heavy (CAML-H) variants.
“CAML is an autonomous/optionally crewed, highly mobile, air transportable, cross domain fires launcher with the potential to augment or replace existing Army launchers,” the service wrote.
“CAML reduces emplacement and displacement times, provides improved crew survivability, adds cross-country mobility, increases overall effectiveness, and allows commanders to weight the force appropriately during both offensive and defensive operations,” the Army later added.
The Army is interested in using a Family of Medium Tactical Vehicle (FMTV) as the base for the smaller CAML-M variant, and then launching Multiple Launch Rocket System (MLRS) Family of Munitions or the new Indirect Fire Protection Capability (IFPC) with AIM-9X interceptors.
“The CAML-M will be supported by an Autonomous Resupply Vehicle (ARV) capable of autonomously reloading pods/cannisters of missiles onto the CAML-M with minimal to no human intervention,” the service explained.
As for the CAML-H variant, the service wants a M1075 Palletized Loading System tactical vehicle — or similar 15-ton class chassis — to integrate on a launcher that can fire Tomahawk Land Attack Missiles or the Patriot Advanced Capabilities Three (PAC-3) Missile Segment Enhancement interceptors.
“The CAML-H variant will be an Autonomous Self Resupplying System capable of autonomously reloading cannisters of missiles onto the CAML-H with minimal to no human intervention,” the Army wrote.
For now, the service said it is open to selecting different vendors for each project, and envisions picking one company or team to rapidly prototype the CAML-M combo — to include an IFPC launcher, a separate one for the MLRS rounds and the ARV. Prototype evaluations, it said, will take place somewhere between 18 and 36 months after the contract is awarded.
Then for CAML-H, the service is aiming to assess four Tomahawk prototypes within 18 months and one PAC-3 configuration in 24 months of award.
Theresa Hitchens contributed to this report from Washington, DC.
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