Sandhills — Robotic Breaching Systems Prime Contract
~$114M U.S. Army prime contract for autonomous ground-vehicle breaching and terrain-shaping systems (Lancer AGVs, Polaris Ranger-based), awarded March 2025 as a $92,851,555 base action; distinct from Forterra's GEARS Phase II and $4.8M UxS awards announced the same day in Nov 2025, and from the July 2026 'Sandhills 2.0' follow-on.
Sandhills is a U.S. Army prime contract for autonomous ground-vehicle breaching and terrain-shaping systems, awarded to Forterra (contracting as Robotic Research Opco LLC-Forterra) on March 13, 2025 as a $92,851,555 firm-fixed-price award (Army Contracting Command, Rock Island Arsenal; award ID W519TC-25-9-2006; work performed at Grafenwoehr, Germany). By its November 2025 Series C announcement, Forterra reported the contract's total value at $114 million — plausibly reflecting modifications/options exercised after the March 2025 base award, though no source explicitly confirms that reconciliation. The fielded hardware is the Lancer, an autonomous ground vehicle built on a Polaris Ranger ATV chassis, alongside smaller UAS and engineer equipment (bulldozers); over 100 Lancers were deployed to Ukraine under this contract, completing 1,100+ missions including roughly 100 casualty-evacuation runs. Sandhills is distinct from Forterra's GEARS Phase II award (a separate DIU/Army program retrofitting Oshkosh logistics trucks, value undisclosed) and its $4.8M UxS contract, both announced in the same November 2025 press release. Forterra announced a follow-on 'Sandhills 2.0' contract on July 31, 2026, shifting to Ford F-250-based autonomous mission systems with added counter-UAS scope — a separate contract action with no disclosed value, not part of this entity.
Award detail
- Agency
- U.S. Army (Army Contracting Command, Rock Island Arsenal)
- Award ID
- W519TC-25-9-2006
- Ceiling value
- $114M (per Forterra's Nov 2025 reporting; the base DoD contract action obligated $92,851,555 in March 2025 — see description for reconciliation)
- Vehicle
- Firm-fixed-price contract
- Awarded
- 2025-03-13
- Period of performance ends
Programs0
No linked records yet.
Frequently asked
- What is the Sandhills — Robotic Breaching Systems Prime Contract contract?
- Sandhills is a U.S. Army prime contract for autonomous ground-vehicle breaching and terrain-shaping systems, awarded to Forterra (contracting as Robotic Research Opco LLC-Forterra) on March 13, 2025 as a $92,851,555 firm-fixed-price award (Army Contracting Command, Rock Island Arsenal; award ID W519TC-25-9-2006; work performed at Grafenwoehr, Germany). By its November 2025 Series C announcement, Forterra reported the contract's total value at $114 million — plausibly reflecting modifications/options exercised after the March 2025 base award, though no source explicitly confirms that reconciliation. The fielded hardware is the Lancer, an autonomous ground vehicle built on a Polaris Ranger ATV chassis, alongside smaller UAS and engineer equipment (bulldozers); over 100 Lancers were deployed to Ukraine under this contract, completing 1,100+ missions including roughly 100 casualty-evacuation runs. Sandhills is distinct from Forterra's GEARS Phase II award (a separate DIU/Army program retrofitting Oshkosh logistics trucks, value undisclosed) and its $4.8M UxS contract, both announced in the same November 2025 press release. Forterra announced a follow-on 'Sandhills 2.0' contract on July 31, 2026, shifting to Ford F-250-based autonomous mission systems with added counter-UAS scope — a separate contract action with no disclosed value, not part of this entity.
- Which agency awarded the Sandhills — Robotic Breaching Systems Prime Contract contract?
- The Sandhills — Robotic Breaching Systems Prime Contract contract was awarded by U.S. Army (Army Contracting Command, Rock Island Arsenal) under a Firm-fixed-price contract vehicle.
- How much is the Sandhills — Robotic Breaching Systems Prime Contract contract worth?
- The Sandhills — Robotic Breaching Systems Prime Contract contract has a value of $114M (per Forterra's Nov 2025 reporting; the base DoD contract action obligated $92,851,555 in March 2025 — see description for reconciliation), awarded on 2025-03-13.
Tags
Sources & citations4
Each claim links to its underlying source. Confidence reflects how directly the source supports the claim.
- 1
Robotic Research Opco LLC-Forterra, Clarksburg, Maryland, awarded a $92,851,555 firm-fixed-price contract for sandhills robotic breaching systems; Army Contracting Command, Rock Island Arsenal, Illinois, is the contracting activity (W519TC-25-9-2006).
U.S. Department of Defense (mirrored via EnvZone): $92.85M Contract for Sandhills Robotic Systems Awarded to Robotic Research OpcoVerified2025-03-13 - 2
Forterra's recent contract wins include a $114 million Prime contract to deploy autonomous breaching systems for the Army, a Phase II award for the Army's GEARS program, and a $4.8 million contract for the Army's UxS Program.
GlobeNewswire: Forterra Closes $238 Million Series C, Cementing Leadership in Autonomy and Interoperable SystemsVerified2025-11-12 - 3
Forterra secures second U.S. Army Sandhills Prime Contract — a 'Sandhills 2.0' follow-on building on the first Sandhills project, delivering Ford F-250-based autonomous mission systems for zone-clearing and counter-UAS operations.
Forterra: Forterra secures second U.S. Army Sandhills Prime Contract, enabling the Army's autonomous breaching and terrain shaping operationsVerified2026-07-31 - 4
Over 100 Lancer autonomous ground vehicles (Polaris Ranger-based) were deployed to Ukraine under the Sandhills contract, completing 1,100+ missions and roughly 100 casualty-evacuation operations.
Tectonic Defense: Exclusive: Forterra's $114M Army-Backed Push Into UkraineVerified2026-01-01