Inside the New Autonomous Convoy Project.
Rheinmetall’s InterRoC VII Project.
Rheinmetall’s InterRoC VII Project: Imagine a convoy of heavy military trucks driving through dense forests, navigating thick dust, snow, and rough off-road terrain. Now, imagine there is no one behind the steering wheel. Even more challenging: the satellite navigation systems are completely jammed, leaving the vehicles with no GPS signal.
This scenario isn’t a scene from a science fiction movie; it is the current focus of European military research. Germany’s Federal Office of Bundeswehr Equipment, Information Technology and In-Service Support (BAAINBw) has officially handed full responsibility of the InterRoC VII research project to Rheinmetall MAN Military Vehicles. The acronym stands for “Interoperable Robotic Convoy VII,” a initiative dedicated to making self-driving military supply chains a reality.
The announcement came on the heels of a major victory for the company. Rheinmetall recently took first place in the “Convoy Scenarios” category at the 2026 European Land Robot Trial (ELROB) held at the Thun military training area in Switzerland. As Europe’s premier testing ground for unmanned ground systems, ELROB served as proof that these autonomous technologies are ready for the real world.
Driving Blind: Autonomy Without GPS
In modern warfare, electronic jamming is a frequent threat. Frontline operations often take place in “GNSS-denied environments,” meaning GPS and other satellite navigation systems are either blocked by adversaries or unavailable due to geography. For a standard navigation system, this is a dead end. For InterRoC VII, it is the ultimate test.
Rheinmetall‘s vehicles are designed to operate entirely independent of space-based signals. Instead of relying on satellites to tell them where they are, the trucks use advanced internal tech to map their surroundings, pinpoint their own position, and make complex driving decisions on the fly. This ensures that even if an electronic warfare attack cuts off communications, the supply chain keeps moving.
Heterogeneous Formations: Getting Different Vehicles to Talk
One of the steepest hurdles in military automation is interoperability. Armies rarely use just one type of vehicle; a single convoy might include heavy cargo haulers, light armored vehicles, and specialized transport trucks made by entirely different manufacturers.
InterRoC VII is specifically focusing on “heterogeneous vehicle formations.” The goal is to build a secure, digital architecture that allows completely different vehicle platforms to communicate, cooperate, and adapt to each other’s movements seamlessly. If the lead vehicle slows down to avoid an obstacle, every vehicle behind it—regardless of its make or model—must understand the environment and react safely in real-time.
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Rheinmetall-MAN’s Protected Military Truck.
The Technology Under the Hood
The physical foundation for this research is Rheinmetall’s proven HX family of military logistics trucks. To transform these traditional transport vehicles into self-driving robots, they are retrofitted with two primary components: a “drive-by-wire kit” integrated directly into the truck’s mechanical architecture, and the modular PATH sensor kit.
The true secret weapon of the project, however, lies in the software. Rheinmetall is collaborating with Driveblocks GmbH, a specialist provider of artificial intelligence and object classification. Driveblocks creates the modular perception systems that act as the vehicle’s “eyes and brain.”
By combining data from cameras and LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging, which uses laser light to measure distances), the AI constructs a highly accurate, real-time 3D map of the environment. This system doesn’t just see a shape in front of it; it classifies the object. It can differentiate between a harmless patch of tall grass and a dangerous boulder hidden in snow, dust, or heavy rain, allowing the vehicle to make safety-critical decisions while traveling off-road.
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Keeping Soldiers Out of Harm’s Way
At its core, the push for automated military logistics is about human safety. Supply convoys are traditionally among the most vulnerable targets in any military conflict, often subjected to ambushes, roadside bombs, and drone strikes.
By automating the driving and navigation tasks of these heavy transport units, military forces can significantly reduce the number of personnel required to be physically present in dangerous territory. Beyond safety, automated convoys streamline efficiency. Digital coordination eliminates human reaction delays, optimizes fuel consumption, and ensures that vital supplies—like ammunition, food, and medical equipment—arrive exactly when and where they are needed.
The real-world data gathered during Rheinmetall’s victory at ELROB 2026 is already being fed directly into the InterRoC VII development cycle. As the battlefield becomes increasingly digital, the lessons learned from this project will likely define the next generation of networked, automated military mobility for Germany and its international allies.
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