The U.S. Navy and the Marine Corps Systems Command (MCSC) recently successfully tested the Remote Control Assault Amphibious Vehicle (RC AAV).

For two weeks, the Naval Surface Warfare Center Panama City Division (NSWC PCD) team conducted tests in the Open Ocean and surf zone at the United States Marine Corps’ (USMC) Amphibious Vehicle Test Branch (AVTB) at Camp Pendleton, California.

“Assault Amphibious Vehicles were structured to carry troops in water operations from ship-to-shore, through rough water and the surf zone,” says Dustin Bride, RC AAV system engineer at the (NSWC PCD).

“This modernized upgrade will allow the Marine Corps to remotely traverse from ship-to-shore with an organic vehicle capability to breach and proof lanes and landing zones for landing forces.”

According to Bride, NSWC PCD’s USMC Maneuver Systems Branch is developing three remote breaching/proofing mission sets—at the same time—for the RC AAV’s control system. By networking with experts across the Department of Defense’s (DoD) littoral battlespace communities, NSWC PCD is leveraging optimal technical expertise to accomplish this feat.

“Our Naval Research and Development Establishment (NR&DE) is leveraging collaborative partnerships,” Bride explains. “For example, the RC AAV’s Mission Set One is the MK 154 three-shot linear demolition charge system. It is being upgraded to employ remote capabilities by NSWC PCD, NSWC Indian Head Explosive Ordnance Disposal Technology Division, and Naval Information Warfare Center Pacific.”

Two additional unmanned remote breaching/proofing sets—both funded by MCSC—are currently under development. Over the next two years, more development and testing of the RC AAV with the breaching mission sets will take place, according to Bride.

“The end goal of the development program is to demonstrate that the RC AAV is a logical and suitable choice for the future of the Marine Corps’ investment into unmanned ground and amphibious platforms,” Bride says.

“These upgrades will create a more efficient and lethal force that can come from land or sea.”

Bride noted that testing revealed that the upgrades were improving the platform’s performance. Bride adds that there were several test objectives recently performed at MCSC’s AVTB.

“Out of the many, one of the key indicators of success during this testing was that we were able to successfully perform 22 surf zone crossings and 13 open water transits,” Bride says.