The Army's autonomy office is asking industry to submit offerings for an unmanned vehicle that can evacuate casualties and move equipment while under fire near the front line, according to a recently published document.

The Army needs the vehicle to evacuate at least two casualties without hurting them as well as carrying other classes of supply while traversing difficult terrain with or without GPS, keeping a low signature and communicating with supporting units, the document states.

Capability program executive mission autonomy called for the vehicle under a new commercial solutions opening posted Wednesday. The Army wants solutions for “the last tactical mile,” or the space closest to the forward line of troops, the document states.

The last tactical mile is also the zone “under the greatest threat from enemy observation and fires,” the document states; on today’s battlefield the enemy can see and quickly fire on the forward line and beyond, making movement in that area “highly vulnerable.”

The CSO comes after the Army released two requests for prototype proposals for robotic systems that can perform engineering and logistical missions, respectively.

Brig. Gen. Anthony Gibbs, the mission autonomy CPE, previewed the CSO’s release to Inside Defense last month, which he noted would follow the recent RPPs and will allow for a wider range of industry pitches while the Army puts out narrower industry calls down the road.

“We’re kicking off those two initial efforts,” Gibbs said of the engineering and logistics RPPs during a panel at the Army’s Global Force Symposium in Huntsville, AL.

“We also have other upcoming efforts this year, to include terrain shaping obstacle support; also looking at last tactical mile as well as unmanned CASEVAC,” he said.

The difficulty of the mission reflects calls from Army leaders over the past year to prioritize development of autonomous systems for missions that would take soldiers out of the most dangerous jobs on the battlefield.

The call for solutions briefs will close April 28.