MARCH 2, 2026 – The future of Marine Corps reconnaissance vehicles hit the water in January and February 2026, as the Advanced Reconnaissance Vehicle (ARV) prototypes successfully completed their first full swim tests. The milestone event, conducted by the Textron Systems, General Dynamics Land Systems (GDLS), and Program Manager Light Armored Vehicles (PM LAV), marks a critical step forward in a rapid-prototyping effort to deliver a next-generation capability to the Fleet Marine Force.
Each vendor developed their own version of two ARV variants of the ARV family of vehicles. The ARV variant that conducted water testing was the vendor’s version of the ARV-30, a medium caliber autocannon vehicle.
The ARV-30 hit open waters at the Amphibious Vehicle Testing Branch (AVTB) in Camp Pendleton, California. The testing included still water, calm water mobility, and other drills. Stephen Bowdren, PEO Land Systems, PM LAV personnel, and other subject matter experts observed the successful tests and received demonstration reporting from Textron and GDLS testing operators.
This initial swim test is a significant achievement, demonstrating the platform’s ability to meet the demanding amphibious requirements of the Marine Corps. As a platform designed for transport and employment in coastal environments, the ARV is designed to be highly mobile, networked, transportable, protected, and lethal, providing the fleet with a system ready for the challenges of a peer-to-peer conflict.
“The whole point whether it’s this vendor (Textron Systems) or GDLS is the swim tests provide confidence in the design. These tests give the vendors important feedback so they can go back and refine their designs to make sure they’re offering the best capabilities to the government over the next phase of the program, and we get to a production down select” explained Col. Stephenson, Program Manager of PM LAV.
For the warfighters who will operate these vehicles, the new features promise a significant increase in operational effectiveness and survivability.
“There is no question the LAV has been a wonderful vehicle for the Marine Corps for the last 40+ years, but there’s a limit to how much you can iterate on a 40-year-old design. The ARV brings a truly modern platform, designed using the best commercial practices for significant safety and interconnectivity improvements,” explained Stephenson. “Beyond the vehicle itself, the real transformation is how it will enable Marines to communicate and fight. By integrating both manned and unmanned systems, the ARV will host the advanced capabilities required to support the kill webs of a future fight—allowing us to rapidly digest, analyze, and provide critical situational awareness to the commander.”
The ARV represents a leap forward from the legacy Light Armored Vehicle it is set to replace. It is a purpose-built combat vehicle system, engineered from the ground up to serve as the manned hub of a robotic and autonomous systems-enhanced team. The ARV will employ transformational sensor, communications, and combat capabilities, allowing its crew to collect and communicate information, while integrating robotics and artificial intelligence into manned-unmanned teams. This will enable a crew to sense the operating environment and report threats at extended ranges, a critical advantage on the modern battlefield.
The ARV program is not just about advanced technology; it’s also about advanced acquisition strategy. It’s the first U.S. Marine Corps program to utilize new legislative reforms in line with guidance from the Secretary of the Navy, empowering program managers to leverage agile contracting authorities to deliver capabilities to the warfighter as quickly as possible.
PM LAV is leveraging Other Transaction Agreements (OTAs) with both GDLS and Textron Systems. This approach leverages flexibility and advantages for the Government, including resource sharing, non-traditional partnerships, and an expedited review process.
“The ARV program is a prime example of how we are thinking differently about major acquisitions. By leveraging Middle Tier Acquisition pathways and Other Transactional Authorities, we are empowered to move faster than traditional models. This approach is about making judicial decisions—we identify the most pressing near-term concerns and match them with only the bare amount of process and oversight necessary to get to the next step. It allows us to field, demonstrate, and refine a capability much more quickly,” explained Stephenson.
The successful swim test is a testament to the effectiveness of this rapid development model, a key milestone for a program on the cutting edge of both technology and acquisition.
“We’re moving from a vehicle with a couple of switches to a fully electronic, hands-on platform,” explained SSgt. Coffey, 4th Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion. “While there might be an initial learning curve, the amount of information and control the ARV will give the crew is a game-changer. That technology directly translates to keeping Marines safe. The ability to have full awareness without physically popping the hatch not only protects the crew but makes us more effective in the fight”.
This waterborne test represents one of PM LAV’s last events with the vendors, after this the program will be looking to close out this rapid prototyping phase to transition to the pre-production development (PPD) phase. Awards will be made to both vendors within the next few months to kick off a four-and-a-half-year competition where they will each deliver 16 prototypes of varying ARV variants with the winner deploying 6 per-production vehicles to the Fleet Marine Force. These variants will go through various government testing for PM LAV to make a down select in the 2030 timeframe.
Story by Helena Yared
Program Executive Officer Land Systems