U.S. Marine Corps Awards Kodiak AI Autonomous Ground Vehicle Development Contract
Rhea-AI Summary
Kodiak AI (Nasdaq: KDK) announced Feb. 11, 2026 that the U.S. Marine Corps awarded a contract to integrate the Kodiak Driver into the ROGUE-Fires Remotely Operated Ground Unit for Expeditionary Fires carrier ground vehicle.
The integration aims to extend operational reach, improve tempo, and reduce risk to Marines by demonstrating Kodiak’s modular, dual-use autonomous driving system across unstructured and unmapped environments.
Positive
- U.S. Marine Corps contract awarded to integrate Kodiak Driver into ROGUE-Fires (Feb 11, 2026)
- Dual-use technology positioning Kodiak for both defense and commercial markets
- Prior $30 million Army contract (2022) demonstrates established defense engagement and operational testing
- Real-world testing completed in California, Texas, and Michigan off-road environments
Negative
- None.
Key Figures
Market Reality Check
Peers on Argus
No peers were flagged in the momentum scanner and there are no same-day peer headlines, suggesting this move is primarily stock-specific rather than sector-driven.
Previous AI Reports
| Date | Event | Sentiment | Move | Catalyst |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dec 31 | Debt refinancing | Positive | +0.9% | New $30M senior secured term loan extending maturity and cash runway. |
| Dec 18 | Commercial partnership | Positive | +6.5% | Verizon 5G/LTE and IoT integration for Kodiak Driver trucking platform. |
| Nov 04 | Technology partnership | Positive | -4.1% | Expanded ZF partnership to buy 100 redundant steering systems for driverless trucks. |
AI-tagged announcements have generally been viewed positively, though one notable AI partnership update was followed by a selloff, indicating mixed follow-through on good news.
Recent AI-tagged news for Kodiak shows a mix of strategic financing and commercial partnerships. On Dec 31, 2025, a new $30.0 million senior secured term loan improved liquidity and modestly lifted the stock. Earlier, on Dec 18, 2025, a Verizon connectivity agreement for the Kodiak Driver saw a stronger positive reaction. A Nov 4, 2025 expansion with ZF to purchase redundant steering systems drew a negative price move, showing that not all operational wins translated into immediate gains.
Historical Comparison
In the past, AI-tagged financing and autonomy partnerships for Kodiak led to average moves of about 1.12%, with mostly positive but occasionally contrarian reactions.
AI-tag news shows progression from connectivity and steering partnerships to balance-sheet strengthening, providing context for this new defense-focused autonomy deployment with the U.S. Marine Corps.
Market Pulse Summary
This announcement adds a new U.S. Marine Corps contract to Kodiak’s autonomy portfolio, building on earlier Army and commercial partnerships for the Kodiak Driver. The news highlights growing defense interest in AI-powered ground vehicles and unmanned operations in challenging environments. In reviewing prior AI-tagged events, investors may watch for updates on contract scope, deployment milestones, and how new defense work complements existing trucking and connectivity agreements.
AI-generated analysis. Not financial advice.
Kodiak will integrate its AI-powered autonomous system into a Marine ROGUE-Fires carrier ground vehicle
The collaboration further demonstrates the Kodiak Driver’s versatility and adaptability for strategic military capabilities
MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif., Feb. 11, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Kodiak AI, Inc. ("Kodiak") (Nasdaq: KDK), a leading provider of AI-powered autonomous vehicle technology, announced today that the U.S. Marine Corps has awarded the company a contract to help create autonomous military ground vehicles. The company will integrate the Kodiak Driver, Kodiak’s dual-use, AI-powered autonomous driving system, into the U.S. Marine Corps’ Remotely Operated Ground Unit for Expeditionary Fires (ROGUE-Fires) carrier ground vehicle. ROGUE-Fires enables distributed maritime operations, sea denial, and expeditionary force projection, particularly across the vast distances and contested terrain of the Indo-Pacific.
By integrating the Kodiak Driver into the ROGUE-Fires platform, Kodiak is enabling the U.S. Marine Corps to understand how autonomous operations can extend reach, improve operational tempo, and reduce risk to Marines while executing high-end expeditionary missions. Kodiak will demonstrate the maturity and modularity of its autonomous system by leveraging its existing software stack and hardware interfaces.
“The Kodiak Driver is a powerful dual-use capability that leverages physical AI to strengthen defense readiness through scalable and adaptive applications in order to keep Marines out of harm’s way,” said Don Burnette, Founder and CEO of Kodiak AI. “We have extensively tested our autonomous system in our prior efforts with the military and believe this work with the Marine Corps allows us to further showcase how Kodiak’s technology performs in unstructured and unmapped environments.”
This work with the U.S. Marine Corps is the latest that underscores Kodiak’s role as a trusted autonomy partner for the defense sector. In 2022, Kodiak was selected for a three-year contract with the United States Army to deliver an end-to-end autonomous solution for the U.S. Army Robotic Combat Vehicle (RCV) program, under which it received approximately
About Kodiak AI, Inc.
Kodiak AI was founded in 2018 and is a leading provider of AI-powered autonomous vehicle technology that is designed to help tackle some of the toughest driving jobs. Kodiak's driverless solution can help address the critical problem of safely transporting goods in the face of unprecedented supply chain challenges. Kodiak's vision is to become the trusted world leader in autonomous ground transportation. Kodiak is committed to a safer and more efficient future for all through the commercialization of driverless trucking at scale. To that end, Kodiak developed the Kodiak Driver, a virtual driver that combines advanced AI-powered software with modular and vehicle-agnostic hardware designed to help address Kodiak's customers' needs. The Kodiak Driver is not just an idea—it is operating without a human driver today. Kodiak serves customers in both commercial trucking and the public sector. In 2024, Kodiak believes it achieved a historic milestone by becoming the first company to deploy customer-owned and -operated driverless trucks in commercial service. The Kodiak Driver is also being utilized in the public sector, where Kodiak believes it can support national security initiatives and critical government applications.
Kodiak’s press kit with videos and images can be found HERE.
Forward Looking Statements
This press release includes forward-looking statements including regarding Kodiak's or its management teams' expectations, hopes, beliefs, intentions or strategies regarding the future. Forward-looking statements may be identified by the use of words such as "anticipate," "believe," "continue," "could," "estimate," "forecast," "intend," "expect," "may," "plan," "potential," "project," "seek," "should," "will," "would" and similar expressions that predict or indicate future events or trends or that are not statements of historical matters, but the absence of these words does not mean that a statement is not forward-looking. These forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements regarding: expectations related to Kodiak’s contract with the U.S. Marine Corps, expectations regarding the benefits and performance of Kodiak’s technology, and Kodiak's expectations with respect to its future performance and success. These statements are based on various assumptions, whether or not identified in this press release, and on the current expectations of Kodiak's management and are not predictions of actual performance. These forward-looking statements are provided for illustrative purposes only and are not intended to serve as, and must not be relied upon by any investors as, a guarantee, an assurance, a prediction or a definitive statement of fact or probability. Actual events and circumstances are difficult or impossible to predict and will differ from assumptions. Many actual events and circumstances are beyond the control of Kodiak. These forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties, including changes in business, market, financial, political and legal conditions; risks related to the rollout of Kodiak's business and the timing of expected business milestones; the effects of competition on Kodiak's business; supply shortages in the materials necessary for the production of the Kodiak Driver; risks related to working with third-party manufacturers for key components of the Kodiak Driver; risks related to the retrofitting of Kodiak's vehicles by third parties; the termination or suspension of any of Kodiak's contracts or the reduction in counterparty spending; and delays in Kodiak's operational roadmap with key partners and customers. Additional information concerning these and other factors that may impact such forward-looking statements can be found in filings and potential filings by Kodiak with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including under the heading "Risk Factors." If any of these risks materialize or any assumptions prove incorrect, actual results could differ materially from the results implied by these forward-looking statements. There may be additional risks that Kodiak does not presently know, or that Kodiak currently believes are immaterial that could also cause actual results to differ from those contained in the forward-looking statements.
In addition, forward-looking statements reflect Kodiak's expectations, plans or forecasts of future events and views as of the date they are made. Kodiak anticipates that subsequent events and developments will cause Kodiak's assessments to change. However, while Kodiak may elect to update these forward-looking statements at some point in the future, Kodiak specifically disclaims any obligation to do so, except as required by law. These forward-looking statements should not be relied upon as representing Kodiak's assessments as of any date subsequent to the date they are made. In addition, this press release contains certain information about the historical performance of Kodiak. You should not view information related to the past performance of Kodiak as indicative of future results.
Kodiak Media Contacts
Daniel Goff
+1-646-515-3933, dan@kodiak.ai
Stacy Morris
+1-310-415-9188, stacy.morris@futuristacommunications.com
Kodiak AI Investor Relations
Lauren Sloane
The Blueshirt Group for Kodiak
Lauren@blueshirtgroup.com
A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/26b426cb-6fac-4ef3-9683-5d9f032fd5bf
FAQ
What did Kodiak AI (KDK) announce on Feb. 11, 2026 about the Marine Corps contract?
How will the Kodiak Driver be used in the U.S. Marine Corps ROGUE-Fires program (KDK)?
Does the Feb. 11, 2026 announcement mention prior defense experience for Kodiak AI (KDK)?
What operational benefits does Kodiak say the integration brings for Marines and KDK investors?
Will Kodiak use new hardware or its existing software stack for the ROGUE-Fires work (KDK)?
What geographic environments were used to test Kodiak's autonomous system before the Marine Corps contract?
