FORT HOOD, Tx. -- After years of testing with U.S. Army and Marine Corps partners, the Robotic Autonomy in Complex Environments with Resiliency (RACER) program approaches its conclusion.
DARPA notes that the program triggered a new wave of private investment related to robust autonomous capabilities.
In a series of final tests, demonstrations, and experiments this Fall, RACER vehicles demonstrated the ability to navigate complex terrain without human intervention, freeing up soldiers for other critical tasks.
In October 2025, DARPA partnered with the U.S. Army’s III Armored Corps' 36th Engineer Brigade at their combat breaching demonstration as part of the Machine Assisted Rugged Soldier program. Using the RACER Heavy Platform vehicle, the Army paired it with a M58 MICLIC - a rocket-projected mine clearing line charge used to clear direct passages for combat personnel through minefields.
In November 2025, soldiers from the reconnaissance squadron in the 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment used RACER technology as part of the opposition force in a live force-on-force exercise at the National Training Center.
Multiple companies have grown out of the RACER program, helping to build a market for off-road ground vehicle autonomy. These include Field AI, which spun out of DARPA-funded research at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory and Overland AI, from research at the University of Washington Robot Learning Laboratory.
DARPA also notes that the core autonomy stack is readily transferable to commercial applications in industries like agriculture, construction, mining, and transportation.
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