The Autonomous Ground System: Revolutionizing Land Operations

Chris Merz, Director of Product

Tuesday, April 15, 2025

Picture a reconnaissance soldier maneuvering a section of four autonomous tactical vehicles from a control vehicle 10 kilometers away. It is dark. GPS is jammed. The terrain is complex, with no trail networks and dangerous drop-offs. The vehicles traverse this environment effortlessly, using onboard sensors and payloads to identify enemy positions and threats. Upon detection, the vehicles cue autonomous aerial drones to build situational awareness. The operator receives a clean, real-time operating picture, approves an engagement, and the system executes a coordinated, multi-domain response. Threat neutralized. Operator safe.

This is the power of autonomous systems on the modern battlefield: greater reach, lower risk, faster decision cycles, and scalable, synchronized effects across domains. With every vehicle intelligent, every soldier becomes a force multiplier.

Overland AI’s Autonomous Ground System (AGS) makes this scenario a reality today, providing an integrated approach to the complexities of the modern battlefield. Advanced autonomy, intuitive command-and-control, and flexible platforms combine into a modular ecosystem to deliver effects.

What is the Autonomous Ground System?

The Autonomous Ground System is Overland’s integrated response to the changing character of land warfare. It’s the key to scaling combat power for soldiers on the ground—a modular “system of systems” that, when combined, delivers both precision and massed effects.

At the heart of the AGS is an operator empowered by a human-machine interface. The operator sets the intent, and advanced autonomy translates it into executable missions. Platforms equipped with mission-specific payloads then execute precise actions to achieve their objectives. Underpinning this system is superior autonomy that understands the traversability of complex terrain and coordinates with other agents (Tactical Swarming: Applying Individual Vehicle Intelligence to Coordinated Effects), enabling indirect control. In other words, operators aren’t forced to micromanage every movement or turn off the trail; they can instead command multiple vehicles at once with minimal cognitive burden.

To realize this system, we’ve built four core components:

(1) OverWatch C2, our intuitive, collaborative command-and-control interface that allows a single operator to coordinate and control multiple robotic vehicles with minimal cognitive burden.

(2) OverDrive, our advanced ground autonomy software, enabling high-speed waypoint navigation across diverse terrain, including in GPS-denied and EW-contested environments.

(3) SPARK, our software-defined module that lets any ground vehicle integrate seamlessly into the AGS ecosystem.

(4) ULTRA, our newly launched, fully autonomous tactical vehicle, in an attritable form factor, enabling mass on the ground without placing soldiers at undue risk.

Together, these elements form a complete ecosystem. One that amplifies the capabilities of warfighters on the ground, enabling them to wield more power, with greater control, from farther away.

Which Problems Does the AGS Solve for Soldiers?

Warfare is getting faster, more complex, and more dangerous. Today’s tactical operators contend with overwhelming complexity:

· GPS-denied and RF jammed environments, where navigation and precision munitions are crippled, and situational awareness erodes.

· High cognitive burden, where assets and formations operate across many domains and need to be tightly coordinated to have a chance at success.

· Decreased survivability, where the lethality and speed of weapon systems continues to outpace protection and armor.

These challenges demand a robust, scalable system that can handle the “dirty edge” of the battlefield, without overloading operators or being cost prohibitive. Overland’s suite of solutions addresses these needs directly.

By enabling warfighters to remotely command entire sections of vehicles with intuitive tools, our AGS operates confidently in contested conditions, replacing legacy systems with reliable autonomy that performs under pressure, not just in simulation. Equally important, our AGS reduces personal exposure to lethal threats while still achieving mission effects. And because our system is modular and interface-agnostic, it integrates seamlessly into existing operations, rather than reinventing them.

The net result is that a single operator gains the combat power of an entire unit. Rather than micromanaging every vehicle, warfighters can abstract away and focus on higher level decisions while achieving stand-off.

Why Is AGS Vital Right Now?

Because the battlefield will not wait. Autonomy is no longer a future capability. It is shaping outcomes in real conflicts right now, from the trenches of Ukraine to the island chains of the Indo-Pacific. Adversaries are investing in scalable autonomy. To maintain dominance, we need systems that do not just work in theory. Overland’s AGS has been tested in real environments with real operators and is designed to scale across services, domains, and operations. It represents a decisive shift from exposure to overmatch, moving beyond incremental tools to integrated systems. The AGS is how we win in the age of autonomy.