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Robot maker · registered

Forterra

Defense marketsecuritylogisticsCurated record
forterra.com

The category leader in US military ground autonomy: AutoDrive is a modular full-stack self-driving platform fielded on 70+ vehicle types (JLTV/ROGUE-Fires with Oshkosh, autonomous AMPV with BAE Systems, GEARS); the Lancer autonomous ground vehicle (Polaris chassis + Forterra sensor/compute stack, 750 kg cargo) is the first American AGV fighting in Ukraine — 100+ units, 1,100+ missions, 2,500+ miles, 88 casualty evacuations in nine months. Founded 2002 as Robotic Research (DARPA-era autonomy lineage), rebranded Forterra Feb 2024; pursuing commercial logistics launches alongside defense.

HeadquartersClarksburg, US
Founded2002
Defense funding$541M
Team201-500
Deployments5
Open roles0
01

Company overview

Identity and operating footprint

Company typeRobot maker
Market segmentDefense
StageSeries C
FoundersAlberto Lacaze (Co-founder), Karl Murphy (Co-founder)
Regions servedNorth America, Europe
Countries deployedUS, UA
Service footprintNot listed
Last reviewed2026-07-05
MX

Robot models

Specifications remain vendor-claimed

Machinesecurity

AutoDrive

  • Modular full-stack autonomous driving platform fielded on 70+ vehicle platform types; selected for USMC ROGUE-Fires Block 2 production (JLTV, with Oshkosh Defense, ~$92M) and BAE Systems autonomous AMPV prototype (2026 demo)

    vendor autonomy stack integrated onto OEM military vehicles under DoD production contracts

    Claim source
Machinesecurity

Lancer

  • Gas-powered autonomous ground vehicle on Polaris chassis with Forterra-built sensor/compute stack; 750 kg cargo capacity; 100+ units deployed to Ukraine, 2,500+ miles across 1,100+ missions incl. 88 casualty evacuations

    combat-deployment record of Forterra's own integrated AGV product, funded by a $114M US Army contract (Mar 2025)

    Claim source
DP

Deployment log

Announced and cited only

AnnouncedCustomerSiteCountryCountEvidence
2026-07-07Armed Forces of Ukraine (US Army-funded)front-line logistics and casualty evacuationUA100Announcement
2025-11-25U.S. Army (GEARS Phase II + autonomous breaching)defense contracts ($114M breaching, GEARS Phase II)USNot disclosedAnnouncement
2025-11-12US Marine Corps (ROGUE-Fires, prime Oshkosh Defense)remotely operated ground unit for expeditionary fires — first DoD ground-autonomy production contractUSNot disclosedAnnouncement
2025-09-01BAE Systems (AMPV prototype program)military autonomous vehicle R&DUSNot disclosedAnnouncement
2024-09-10U.S. Marine Corps (ROGUE-Fires program)defense production programUSNot disclosedAnnouncement
CA

Funding history

Publicly announced rounds

Investors on recordMoore Strategic VenturesXYZ Venture CapitalSalesforce VenturesFranklin TempletonBalyasny Asset Management645 VenturesHanwha Asset Management9Yards CapitalNightDragonHedosophiaEnlightenment Capital
TL

Company timeline

Milestones and announcements

2025-11-12$238M Series C closes at >$1B valuation; total venture funding surpasses $500MBloomberg
2025-09-30BAE Systems partnership to build autonomous AMPV prototype by 2026Defense News
2025-03-15$114M US Army prime contract funding autonomous systems push into UkraineTectonic Defense
SC

Source ledger

9 unique public sources

01
Forterra Closes $238 Million Series C, Cementing Leadership in Autonomy and Interoperable SystemsGlobeNewswire · retrieved 2026-07-05
02
Forterra Raises $75 Million in Oversubscribed Series B Funding to Accelerate Self-Driving Technology for Defense and IndustryPR Newswire · retrieved 2026-07-05
03
Robotic Research Announces $228 Million Series A Funding Round to Scale Autonomous Technology CommerciallyBusiness Wire · retrieved 2026-07-05
04
BAE teams with Forterra to build autonomous armored vehicleDefense News · retrieved 2026-07-05
05
The first American autonomous ground vehicles are fighting in UkraineTechCrunch · retrieved 2026-07-05
06
In A New Era, Forterra Pursues Both Defense And Commercial LaunchesForbes · retrieved 2026-07-05
07
Forterra brings in $238M to scale AI platforms for defense applicationsThe Robot Report · retrieved 2026-07-05
08
Autonomous Military Vehicle Startup Notches Over $1 Billion Valuation in New DealBloomberg · retrieved 2026-07-05
09
Exclusive: Forterra's $114M Army-Backed Push Into UkraineTectonic Defense · retrieved 2026-07-05