US Army soldiers operated Raytheon’s DeepFires launcher in an optionally manned configuration during Project Convergence Capstone 6 in the Mojave Desert, RTX reported. The vehicle can operate autonomously or be driven remotely, and soldiers navigated following vehicles across real terrain while controlling the weapon platform. The October 2026 test was the first reported soldier use of DeepFires in this configuration, but did not represent operational deployment or a procurement decision.
Development for the exercise involved fitting an autonomy kit to a new medium tactical vehicle and modifying the design in response to soldier feedback. RTX also added 360-degree infrared cameras to improve situational awareness. Collins Aerospace communications equipment turned the vehicles into secure command-and-control nodes able to direct both vehicles and weapon systems.
The integration reduced the authorization process from roughly six to nine months to about six weeks, according to RTX. Engineers are now refining the system’s autonomy behaviours and expanding its capabilities using exercise performance and soldier feedback.
The report did not disclose the Army unit involved, the vehicle designation, weapon effects, range or autonomy level achieved. DeepFires remains an engineering and test programme, with no confirmed formal acquisition or production decision.