“The fielding decision is planned for the June timeframe,” Col. Bradley Sams said, adding that “that will be the first time we’ll get actual inerts and live warheads to the units that are on the fielding plan.”
Col. Bradley Sams on OPF‑L fielding
Col. Bradley Sams, program manager of Ground Weapons Systems for the Marine Corps, told reporters that the service intends to begin delivering Organic Precision Fires‑Light (OPF‑L) systems to operational units in the “June timeframe.” He said prior deliveries to units have been inerts to allow training and development of tactics, techniques and procedures (TTPs). Sams declined to divulge which units will receive the systems.
Testing and training at Dugway Proving Grounds
Sams said systems from three manufacturers are currently being tested by units at Dugway Proving Grounds outside of Salt Lake City. The inerts provided to those units have been used explicitly “to get after training and TTPs so they can figure out how again, how we incorporate into the scheme, their schemes,” Sams said — language that underlines the Corps’ emphasis on operational integration before combat-capable munitions arrive.
Manufacturers and platforms: Bolt‑M, Switchblade 300 Block 20, Rogue 1
The Marines awarded contracts in 2024 to Anduril, Aerovironment (since rebranded as AV) and Teledyne to deliver the light launched effects that make up OPF‑L. Anduril is supplying its Bolt‑M system, AV is supplying the Switchblade 300 Block 20, and Teledyne is supplying the Rogue 1. Since the initial awards in spring 2024, Anduril and Teledyne have each received follow‑on contracts for “over 600 systems” according to the Marines’ account; AV declined to comment when asked whether it had received a follow‑on award, and the company has not posted further information on its website since the 2024 award.
Drawing lessons from the Army’s LASSO program
Sams said the Marine Corps has been “working with our Army brethren” to learn from the Army’s Low Altitude Stalking and Strike Ordnance (LASSO) launched effects program. He noted the services have collaborated for two years since OPF‑L began, taking “all the lessons learned from them and garnering as much as we can as we make decisions for the Marine Corps.” The Marines framed that cooperation as part of shaping how the OPF‑L effort should look in its final form.
What this means for dismounted Marine infantry squads, Anduril/AV/Teledyne, and the OPF‑M acquisition path
- Dismounted Marine infantry squads: The OPF‑L systems are described as “light launched effects” intended to “equip dismounted Marine infantry squads with easily portable precision strike capabilities that can engage with the enemy beyond their line of sight.” Receiving inerts and, for the first time in the planned fielding, live warheads in the June timeframe will shift units from purely procedural training toward operational employment of those capabilities.
- Anduril, AV, and Teledyne: Two suppliers — Anduril and Teledyne — have seen follow‑on orders totaling “over 600 systems each” since spring 2024, a clear sign of continued procurement momentum for those vendors. AV declined to comment on follow‑on awards and has not updated its website beyond the initial 2024 contract posting.
- OPF‑M and acquisition timeline: Last week the Marines posted a request for white papers for a medium variant, OPF‑M, and stated the service hopes to award production contracts by fiscal 2028. Sams said the service remains “open to anything right now, whether it is a fixed wing, a VTOL [vertical take off and landing], launched or man‑packable,” signaling a broad requirement set as the Corps seeks to “get something out very quickly to meet the threat.”
The Marines’ June fielding decision will mark a transition from training with inert demonstrators to placing both inert and live effects with units on a fielding plan. At the same time, the service is moving in parallel to define a medium OPF variant with an eye to production contracts by fiscal 2028. The coming weeks therefore carry two concrete milestones: execution of the OPF‑L fielding decision and industry responses to the OPF‑M white papers as the Corps keeps options open on form factors and launch modes.
