xTech Overwatch Showcases Cutting-Edge Autonomy at the Bush Combat Development Complex

BRYAN, Texas — DEC. 04, 2025

The U.S. Army’s xTech Overwatch for Unmanned Systems brought together military leaders, industry innovators, and academic partners at the Bush Combat Development Complex (BCDC) on the Texas A&M-RELLIS Campus earlier this Fall to accelerate the Army’s integration of autonomous technologies into its formations.

From October 27–29, thirty-seven of the nation’s most promising technology firms converged at the BCDC for an immersive, live demonstration event designed to assess air, ground, payload, and collaborative autonomy capabilities in realistic mission scenarios. The goal: to identify the most effective innovations capable of delivering “Mission Autonomy” for the U.S. Army’s Transformation in Contact formations (TiC).

“This event represents the Army’s commitment to getting breakthrough technologies into Soldiers’ hands faster than ever before,” said Dr. Matt Willis, Director of Army Innovation Programs (xTech). “By working directly with our Soldiers and our partners at Texas A&M, we’re ensuring our forces maintain a decisive technological edge.”

A Collider for Innovation

Hosted at the BCDC’s state-of-the-art testing ranges, the event functioned as a “collider” — bringing together innovators, engineers, and Soldiers in a live field environment. The Bush Complex’s extensive air and ground integration facilities enabled participants to test capabilities across a range of mission profiles, including counter-small unmanned aerial systems (C-sUAS), electronic warfare, communications payloads, mission planning, and collaborative autonomy.

Out of 640 firms that applied, 40 were selected, and 37 chose to compete on-site. Their systems were evaluated alongside mechanized armor platoons in a series of tactical lanes, testing how autonomous platforms and enabling technologies performed under dynamic conditions.

The Army’s Fuze Program played a central role in connecting Soldiers directly with industry participants, enabling real-time feedback and rapid iteration. The Fuze Program focuses on shortening the technology delivery timeline—getting new capabilities to Soldiers in days and weeks, rather than months and years.

“Industry really embraced the opportunity to hear directly from Soldiers,” one event organizer noted. “The goal is to move beyond experimentation and into rapid fielding of systems that enhance mission autonomy.”

Winners and Next Steps

At the award ceremony on October 29, twenty companies were selected to advance to the next phase of the competition. Each received a $20,000 cash award and the opportunity to compete for up to $2 million in prototype funding, along with participation in a First Cavalry Division rotation at the National Training Center next year.

Among the highlighted winners:

• Matthew Craig, Director of Testing for Allen Control Systems (Austin, TX), showcased an autonomous counter-UAS weapons system that leverages advanced computer vision.

“The BCDC ranges provided one of the few places where we could safely and effectively test our models against realistic backgrounds,” Craig said. “The support infrastructure here let us focus entirely on our system performance.”

• Max Owens, founder of Mavrik Technologies (Long Beach, CA), demonstrated heavy-lift drones designed for logistics, casualty evacuation, and disaster relief.

“BCDC is a fantastic place for integrating air and ground operations,” Owens said. “It allowed all 40 teams to test independently while providing the realism we needed to validate our designs.”

A Collaborative Hub for National Defense Innovation

Throughout the event, attendees—including Army leadership, venture capital representatives, and defense industry partners—participated in a range of technical tours, industry booths, and collaborative sessions. Key speakers included U.S. Army Lt. Gen. Miles Brown, Deputy Commanding General of the Army Transformation and Training Command (T2COM); Dr. Joe Elabd, Vice Chancellor of Research for the Texas A&M University System; and  U.S. Army Brig. Gen. Anthony Gibbs, Director of Integration for T2COM.

The event also featured networking opportunities hosted by the Greater Brazos Partnership, including a Welcome Reception at The Stella Hotel and a Brazos Valley EDC Walkabout Social in downtown Bryan.

For the BCDC staff, planning began roughly a year ago following the Human Machine Integration summit held last fall. “We were able to capture a lot of lessons learned from last year and incorporated those lessons into our planning with Army Futures Command/T2COM this year,” said retired U.S. Army Col. Brian McHugh, BCDC Innovation Proving Ground Testing Director. “While it’s a lot of work, it’s very rewarding knowing that what happens here helps get critical technologies into the hands of our warfighters faster. Congratulations to the winners!”

For the Army and Texas A&M, xTech Overwatch reinforced a shared mission: fostering collaboration between military, academia, and private enterprise to deliver the technologies that define the future of national defense.

“Texas A&M and the Bush Complex are critical partners in this mission,” Willis added. “The infrastructure, expertise, and ecosystem here make College Station an ideal proving ground for autonomy and next-generation combat systems.”

As the selected firms move forward into the prototype phase, xTech Overwatch continues to shape the Army’s path toward a fully autonomous, integrated, and mission-ready future.