The US Marine Corps (USMC) continues to actively explore the application of unmanned ground vehicles (UGV) to directly support small ground tactical units. The corps’ latest field evaluation of Rheinmetall Canada’s Mission Master Silent Partner UGV was conducted by the 4th Marine Regiment in Okinawa, Japan.
In this field exercise, the marines utilised the Mission Master Silent Partner (MMSP) in a casualty evacuation role. However, it is equally capable of, and has previously been demonstrated by the USMC, as a resupply platform for ammunition, water and rations, or to carry a unit’s equipment or weapons.
The USMC acquired its first MMSP systems in 2023. This latest field exercise is the most recent use of the MMSP by marines in the Indo-Pacific theatre. Other exercises have included a broad series of trials, such as Exercise Apollo Shield at the Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center in Twentynine Palms, California, and in Australia during Exercise Talisman Sabre.
In the latter, Mission Masters located in Australia were controlled by Rheinmetall in Montreal via a live-feed relay from an offshore ship. This remote operation is just one of the options offered by Rheinmetall. Others include fully autonomous navigation through an A-kit package that provides independent travel or convoy-following and leader-follower modes, waypoint movement, or remote operator control by a handheld device or tablet.
The MMSP is the smallest variant in the Mission Master family. It uses a fully electric powertrain, a very low 8×8 chassis, and rubberised running gear with reduced acoustic and thermal signatures. It has been shown too with an onboard hybrid/diesel generator allowing it to self-recharge.
The MMSP is compact at 3m in length, and it has a width of 1.5m and a height of just under 1m, allowing it to be internally carried in a CH-53 or V-22 Osprey, as well as externally sling-loaded. It has a payload capacity 1,000kg on land, and 300kg when swimming.
Its maximum speed is 40km/h on roads and, using a retractable propellor propulsion option and side sponsons, it has a waterborne speed of 8km/h. The MMSP has a range of 54km on a single charge.
The MMSP is a modular system, and the same chassis can accept various mission modules for different tasks. These can include logistics roles as well as surveillance, armament options and various support tasks.
The USMC currently has 13 MMSPs in its inventory, and it has been providing feedback to Rheinmetall for the company to evaluate and apply to the system. The company has also already developed systems with Fieldranger weapon stations, which it is understood the USMC will test.
The company also has a surveillance version with integrated elevated mast with an optronic surveillance suite and a tethered Hoverfly unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) that is likely to be of interest.
In fact, concurrent with the USMC’s Indo-Pacific MMSP exercises, on the other side of the world a Rheinmetall Mission Master 2.0 amphibious variant equipped with an elevating mast, a tethered French Elistair UAV, a radar from US company Echodyne and electro-sensors successfully participated in Operational Exercise Robotic Experimentation and Prototyping with Maritime Unmanned Systems 2025 (OPEX REPMUS 2025), NATO’s premier maritime autonomy exercise.
In the event, the Mission Master was launched from a ship offshore and then proceeded to a beach to undertake fully autonomous surveillance, reconnaissance and other operations. The scenario closely matched the very types of operations that US marines are considering in its amphibious operational concepts.
by Stephen W. Miller
