Philadelphia startup’s unmanned vehicle makes U.S. Army shortlist

Raptor Defense Company's PIT VIPER unmanned ground vehicle has advanced to Phase II of the Army's GroundBreaker 1 demonstration at Camp Grafton, North Dakota. The Philadelphia company was also named one of nine finalists in the xTech G-TEAD USARPAC autonomous sustainment competition and plans to demonstrate autonomous resupply on Oahu, Hawaii. PIT VIPER is a small, modular wheeled platform designed to accept payloads for logistics, casualty evacuation, reconnaissance, breaching and communications. The selections provide opportunities for soldier evaluation and potential prototype contracting, with further GroundBreaker assessment required before an invitation to submit a Phase III proposal.