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Updated July 7, 2026Forterra is a defense-autonomy company that builds AutoDrive, a vehicle- and payload-agnostic self-driving kit for military ground vehicles. Founded in 2002 as Robotic Research by Alberto Lacaze — now its chairman and president — and rebranded Forterra in February 2024, the company is led by chief executive Josh Araujo, who was named CEO in early 2026, and is headquartered in Clarksburg, Maryland. AutoDrive combines onboard sensors, compute, and AI perception and planning, and has been installed on platforms ranging from small robotic transports to five-axle missile-launching trucks. Its Lancer autonomous ground vehicle, built on a Polaris all-terrain chassis, is the platform Forterra has deployed to Ukraine. Forterra raised a $228 million Series A led by SoftBank in 2021 and a $238 million Series C led by Moore Strategic Ventures in November 2025, with RTX Ventures, Franklin Templeton, and Hanwha participating, bringing total funding to nearly $700 million. It holds US Army autonomy contracts including the Ground Expeditionary Autonomous Retrofit System program and a $114 million award for autonomous breaching systems.
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Forterra builds AutoDrive, a vehicle- and payload-agnostic autonomy kit for military ground vehicles, fielded on its Lancer autonomous ground vehicle — including the largest US combat deployment of autonomous ground vehicles, in Ukraine.