Kodiak AI and General Dynamics Land Systems have formed a strategic partnership to develop autonomous ground vehicles for military and defense missions, beginning with the Leonidas Autonomous Ground Vehicle for counter-drone operations.
Under the collaboration, Kodiak AI will provide its AI-powered Kodiak Driver autonomous system, while General Dynamics Land Systems will oversee vehicle integration, communications systems, ruggedized platform engineering and power systems development.
The companies said they also plan to jointly pursue future U.S. Army and international defense vehicle programmes beyond the initial Leonidas platform.
The first jointly developed vehicle integrates the Kodiak Driver with a commercial Ford Motor F-600 truck chassis adapted for military use.
The platform is equipped with the Leonidas high-power microwave counter-drone system developed by Epirus and is designed for mobile counter-unmanned aerial system operations.
The Leonidas AGV can operate autonomously or through teleoperation and was first unveiled at the AUSA Global Force Symposium in Huntsville, Alabama earlier this year.
According to the companies, the vehicle was developed in response to the Pentagon’s “commercial-first” acquisition strategy, which encourages the use of commercial technologies and platforms to reduce development costs and accelerate deployment timelines.
The commercial truck platform is also intended to support logistics resupply, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance missions, as well as maneuver operations.
Kodiak AI said its autonomous driving system is vehicle- and powertrain-agnostic, allowing integration across multiple military vehicle categories.
The company has previously collaborated with Textron Systems on autonomous military vehicle projects and has worked with the U.S. Department of Defense on ruggedized autonomous truck platforms.
Kodiak AI founder and Chief Executive Don Burnette said the collaboration addresses growing military demand for scalable autonomous systems in contested environments.
“This collaboration directly meets the U.S. military’s need for scalable, adaptable, and cost-effective autonomous ground vehicles operating forward in contested environments while reducing risk to service members,” Burnette said.
Keith Barclay, Vice President and General Manager of U.S. Operations at General Dynamics Land Systems, said the partnership combines commercial autonomy technology with military vehicle integration expertise.
The companies said the collaboration is intended to create a scalable autonomous vehicle platform capable of supporting a broad range of future military missions and defense mobility requirements.