US engineering, operations, and supply chain management services provider Stratom Inc., entered the UGV market with its eXpeditionary Robotic-Platform, or XR-P. Colorado-based company's XR-P was recently demonstrated by the U.S. Marine Corps, which used it to autonomously load and unload supplies from an MV-22 Osprey vertical takeoff and landing aircraft.

Having been in development for about three years, the vehicle is designed in response to a Small Business Innovation Research proposal for resupply systems to work with the MV-22. The dual-tracked vehicle can autonomously drive in and out of the MV-22 while carrying more than 1,225 kg of supplies. The vehicle can be positioned roughly 2 to 3 m behind the aircraft and the actions for loading and unloading are carried out without operator input. The vehicle has been designed for off-road use in challenging terrain with the mobility to traverse unimproved surfaces.