Robot model
Ripsaw M5 (RCV)
~10.5-ton tracked hybrid-electric robotic combat vehicle (with Howe & Howe); four M5 prototypes delivered to the US Army for RCV-Medium.
- Manufacturer
- Textron Systems
- Form factor
- defense_ugv
- Maturity
- pilot
- Lifecycle
- active
- Deployments
- 7
- Website
- textronsystems.com ↗
The verified answer
As of Sep 2026, DEPLOY verifies Ripsaw M5 (RCV), a defense ugv by Textron Systems (pilot): 7 verified deployments on record. 3 sources back the record.
Overview
~10.5-ton tracked hybrid-electric robotic combat vehicle (with Howe & Howe); four M5 prototypes delivered to the US Army for RCV-Medium. The lighter Ripsaw M3 was reported as the 2025 RCV down-select variant.
Verified vs. claimed
- Maturity stage
- pilot(Small-scale deployment in controlled or trial conditions.)
- Sources on file
- View all sources →
Key facts
Focus
Robot
Parent
Subsidiary
Products
Partners
Specs
Note
Config
Weight
Height cm
Max speed
Weight kg
Payload kg
To scale
Data & sources
Web sources
3
3 sources backing this record.View all →
Pricing
No verified price is on record for Ripsaw M5 (RCV). Physical-AI systems are often sold through enterprise contracts or operated as a service rather than at a public list price.
Deployments (7)
- Ripsaw M5 (RCV) at USAannounced
Textron's Ripsaw M3 selected as winner of US Army RCV Phase II competition in March 2025.
Army conducted RCV assessment at Fort Carson, Colorado in 2020.
Soldier Operational Experiment at Fort Hood from June-August 2022 with RCV-M prototypes including Ripsaw M5.
Ripsaw M5 RCV-M prototype tested at Fort Dix, NJ in June 2021 as part of individual shakedown testing.
- Ripsaw M5 (RCV) at Swedenannounced
Sweden became first European customer for RIPSAW M3 robotic ground vehicle.
Textron delivered two RIPSAW M3 prototypes to US Army for RCV program.
The US Army received 4 Ripsaw M5 vehicles as RCV-Medium prototypes under the Robotic Combat Vehicle program, which was cancelled in 2026, leaving the platform's future trajectory uncertain pending Army restructure or…
Ripsaw M5 (RCV) on the deployment map
View the global mapWhere Ripsaw M5 (RCV) is verified operating. Explore the deployment map by place and type.
Recent activity
Every change to this record is dated, sourced, and independently verified where marked.
- Sources verifiedVerifiedJun 7, 2026
source added -> Textron Systems: Ripsaw M5
- Verified media addedVerifiedJun 5, 2026
Textron Ripsaw M5 Robotic Combat Vehicle
- Record createdJun 5, 2026
Added to the verified registry
- Deployment verifiedVerifiedDec 2, 2025
at Sweden
- Deployment verifiedVerifiedMar 1, 2025
at USA
Deployment-verified media (1)
Textron Systems' showcase of its Ripsaw M5 Robotic Combat Vehicle (developed with Howe & Howe). A teleoperated, operator-controlled combat platform; any autonomy kit is separate, and the autonomy framing is the maker's.
From deployment: United States
Safety record
No incidents on record for Ripsaw M5 (RCV).
Only active incidents are counted. Retracted incidents are excluded from this summary but remain reachable at their canonical URLs.
Sources (3)
Common questions
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How does Ripsaw M5 (RCV) compare to THeMIS?
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Is Ripsaw M5 (RCV) safe?
Methodology: Verified · 3 sources (no primary) · last reviewed 2026-08-16
Verification posture
Verified
Low confidence
Review state
Stable
Last reviewed 2026-08-16
Maturity + lifecycle
Maturity stage: pilot
Lifecycle: active
Architectural position
Cohort: defense_ugv
Sources by quality tier
- 2
- unclassified
- Unclassified source
- 1
- knowledge-base
- Knowledge base
The framework is documented at /methodology. Corrections at /corrections. Reviewer: DEPLOY editorial team.
Methodology surface for Ripsaw M5 (RCV).Recent coverage
Ripsaw M5 (RCV) in third-party press
Attention vs reality over time
Media mentions per month (area) against verified deployment events (dots). A press spike over a flat deployment line is the hype gap, drawn over time.
In the press
Recent coverage mentioning Ripsaw M5 (RCV) from third-party publications. Automatically surfaced; not part of the verified registry record.
Textron Systems, Howe & Howe and Teledyne FLIR Defense Deliver RIPSAW M3 Prototypes to US Army
Two RIPSAW M3 prototype vehicles delivered to the US Army for the Robotic Combat Vehicle competition.
First European RIPSAW M3 Robotic Ground Vehicle Sold to Sweden
Textron Systems sold the first European RIPSAW M3 robotic ground vehicle to the government of Sweden.
Machine-readable surfaces
- Markdown mirror: /models/textron-ripsaw-m5.md
- JSON-LD: embedded in this page’s head
- REST API: /v1/models/9c94adcd-7c81-436f-a56d-fa8847fc4253
- Revision history: /models/textron-ripsaw-m5/history
- Data documentation: /data
- Query this programmatically: Deploy MCP
Reality vs attention
Ripsaw M5 (RCV) draws attention at the 4th percentile but verifies reality at the 78th percentile among defense_ugv robots. Hype Gap -73.9, 34th widest among defense_ugv robots.
6-month trend
Analysis
Limited independent press and video coverage to date.
Signal flags
Dimension breakdown
Verified signal
Attention (reach, not merit)
DEPLOY Intelligence scores are computed from verified registry data: confirmed deployments, disclosed funding rounds, regulatory filings, active job listings, video viewership, and press coverage. Confidence ratings reflect data availability. Scores update nightly.
DEPLOY Indices — verified vs claimed
Last computed: Sep 4, 2026