Howe & Howe (Textron Systems) · military or security robot
Ripsaw M5
RCV-M
An all-electric, tracked robotic combat vehicle chosen in 2020 for the US Army's medium Robotic Combat Vehicle prototype work. Army development stopped in May 2025.
- Price
- —Not published
- Height
- —Not published
- Weight
- 4100 kgHeavier than 86%
- Payload
- 3629 kgCarries more than 89%
- Speed
- —Not published
- Battery
- —Not published
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Why it matters
A discontinued machine from Howe & Howe / Textron Systems.
Real-world use
US Army Robotic Combat Vehicle programme
Timeline
- Released
- 2020-01
Maker
Howe & Howe (Textron Systems)Company · Waterboro, Maine, United StatesHow it stacks up
Against other military & security that publish the figure. Pick a measure.
Ripsaw M5 (RCV-M) is heavier than 86% of the 35 other military & security that publish a weight. Bars show the 7 closest in date.
Ripsaw M5 (RCV-M) carries more than 89% of the 18 other military & security that publish a payload. Bars show the 7 closest in date.
Not published by the maker: height, speed, joints, battery, price.
Public attention
A historic robot: no longer sold or in use, so it is not ranked against current machines.
- 7,930 views of its Wikipedia article in the last 90 days (Ripsaw (vehicle))
- 1 news story from reputable press listed on this page
Measures how much people read and write about a robot, not how good it is. Measured 2026-10-14; same method for every robot. How it is measured
What’s inside
The parts the company has talked about publicly.
- Movement
- Tracks
- How it runs
- Supervised. Soldiers in a nearby control vehicle drove and directed it, helped by autonomy software, and only they could fire its weapons.
- Actuators & motors
- Tracked platform with diesel or hybrid-electric drivetrain options (Textron Systems, 2019–2020).
- Sensors & vision
- 360-degree cameras for the remote operator
- Other details
- About 10.5 t combat weight; 8,000 lb (3,600 kg) payload
From the maker
Ripsaw M5 (RCV-M) is the only machine from Howe & Howe / Textron Systems in the atlas.
Made, sold and where
Unit counts are usually company figures; analysts often disagree.
- Price
- Not published
- How to get one
- No official buying page found
- Built
- Four RCV-M prototypes ordered for Army company-level testing
- Sold or delivered
- Prototypes only
- Where it is sold or used
- Howe & Howe, Waterboro, Maine, United States
- Customers and pilots
- US Army Robotic Combat Vehicle programme
News
The latest 1, newest first. Summaries are ours; tap through for the original.
- Army to halt work on the RCV development approach
Following the May 1 Army Transformation Initiative, CRS reported that the Army planned to stop RCV development and reopen its approach to industry. CRS characterized this as a change in direction rather than outright cancellation.
Congressional Research Service
Sources
Figures come from press coverage. Every link below backs something on this page.
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