Defense contractor Textron Systems announced that the company delivered its first prototype of the COTTONMOUTH vehicle to the US Marine Corps in Silver Springs, Nevada as part of the Advanced Reconnaissance Vehicle (ARV) program. The Textron new vehicle may end up becoming the next replacement for the Light Armored Vehicle (LAV)-25 that has been a pillar of the Marine Corps’ light armored recon battalions since 1983. The COTTONMOUTH is just the first prototype delivered, in accordance with the USMC announcement in July 2021 that Textron and General Dynamics Land Systems (GDLS) would develop ARV prototypes for evaluation. The goal of the 2 companies is to win a contract for equipping units with a targeted 533 vehicles worth an estimated $1.8 billion to $6.8 billion over 5 years, according to a recent Congressional Research Service. As already reported by RID, the USMC requirements, in terms of operational capabilities, not considering the amphibious one, are: having an automatic medium-caliber cannon weapon system, anti-armor capability, precision-guided munitions, unmanned systems swarm capabilities, electronic warfare capabilities, the aforementioned C2 suite, and ground and aerial drones deployed from the vehicle. The optimistic option at this stage, sees 6 unique variants of the ARV to perform a variety of missions: Command, Control, Communications, & Computers-Unmanned Aerial System (C4-UAS), Organic Precision Fire-Mounted (OPF-M), Counter Unmanned Aerial Systems (C-UAS), 30mm Autocannon and Anti-Tank Guided Missile (ATGM), Logistics (LOG), and Recovery (R). In other words, the Marines want an amphibious scout vehicle bristling with anti-tank missiles, loitering munitions, and drone sensors, that can play a direct role during the next big war. Textron senior vice president, David Phillips, reported how the COTTONMOUTH was explicitly designed to respond to the USMC requirements, being a “naval sensor node” with a multi-domain Command and Control suite, and able to carry any advanced full-spectrum reconnaissance and surveillance sensors. He also underlined the small size of the platform which will allow 4 vehicles to fit on a US Navy air-cushioned Ship-to-Shore Connector (LCAC) and quickly deploy to the fight meeting any mission, anywhere. According to Textron, the COTTONMOUTH now enters in a formal government evaluation phase that is expected to last through 2023, and it will likely see it joined by GDLS’s prototype some time in December. Marine Commandant, Gen. David Berger, has repeatedly stated how the all-domain recon capabilities will be critical in a future conflict, but at the same time, he has not hidden his doubts regarding having additional wheeled, armored and manned pieces of gear. Another possible option, proposed by BAE Systems, makers of the ACV-30, could be that the service simply adopt a new, dedicated version of the ACV, to fulfill the service’s reconnaissance needs rather than going with a “new-start” platform for the ARV. At this stage it is unclear when the Marine Corps might announce the decision on the ARV contract, with the vehicle planned to enter service sometime in the mid-2030s.