BLADE's Hunter WOLF Advances to Phase II of GroundBreaker 1 Demonstration

Selection follows Government review of Phase I

According to BLADE, the selection came after the Government's technical evaluation of the company's Phase I solution brief. That result moves the Hunter WOLF forward to a live hardware demonstration at Camp Grafton, North Dakota, scheduled for October 19-23, 2026.

GroundBreaker 1 is designed to evaluate unmanned ground vehicle technologies for potential employment across tactical and non-tactical missions. In Phase II, Government evaluators will assess technology maturity, operational readiness and cross-domain interoperability.

What the Hunter WOLF is built to do

BLADE describes the Hunter WOLF as a multi-mission unmanned ground vehicle engineered to reduce soldier workload, extend operational reach and keep personnel farther from dangerous tasks. Its adaptable architecture supports a range of missions:

• tactical logistics
• intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance
• casualty evacuation
• communications support
• other mission-critical applications

The vehicle is designed for complex and austere environments. According to the company, it combines high payload capacity, off-road mobility, onboard power and autonomous and remote-control capabilities.

BLADE says the system has been evaluated through military exercises and training events and has supported operational use in Ukraine, which it says gave the company real-world insight into evolving unmanned ground requirements.

Company statement and next steps in the program

Tom Van Doren, President, Robotics Sector at BLADE, said: "Hunter WOLF was built for exactly this kind of challenge." He described it as "a mature, mission-ready platform that has been tested alongside warfighters in demanding environments," and said GroundBreaker 1 gives the company the chance to show why the vehicle is "ready to support the warfighter now."

BLADE places the selection in the context of the Department of War's growing emphasis on rapidly fielding autonomous and robotic systems that can operate alongside warfighters.

The program continues beyond the October demonstration. Companies whose demonstrations are successfully evaluated in Phase II may be invited to Phase III, where they would submit a full proposal for a Prototype Other Transaction Authority award. The source does not state how many companies are taking part or how many may advance.

What it means

For BLADE, Phase II is a chance to put the Hunter WOLF in front of Government evaluators in a live setting, with a possible route to a prototype award in Phase III. The step is not a contract, and the invitation to Phase III depends on how the demonstration is evaluated. BLADE, which says it operated as HDT for nearly 90 years, presents the vehicle as part of its broader robotics offering for hazardous and demanding environments.