MARS (Mobile Autonomous Refuelling System) is a deployable, digitally enabled refuelling capability designed to support distributed operations, autonomous systems and high-tempo land forces. It combines fuel storage, pumping and automation with digital monitoring and ReadyFleet™ integration — providing commanders with real-time visibility of fuel distribution, consumption and sustainment demand. Demonstrated at the Australian Army’s LAST-D exercise and in operational use at 1st Armoured Regiment.
Future land forces will rely increasingly on autonomous vehicles, sensors and robotic platforms. These systems still require physical sustainment — fuel, ammunition and supplies — but traditional manual logistics methods cannot keep pace. Manual refuelling operations are labour-intensive, expose personnel to risk, and are not designed for the tempo and dispersion of autonomous force operations.
In distributed and high-tempo operations, traditional approaches mean:
MARS provides a mobile, digitally enabled refuelling capability that supports vehicles, robotic platforms and distributed forces operating in remote or contested environments. The system combines fuel storage, pumping and automation with digital monitoring and data integration, allowing refuelling to occur safely and efficiently while providing visibility of fuel consumption and logistics status.
MARS forms part of Hammerstone’s Autonomous Sustainment Systems strategy, focused on delivering the logistics capabilities required to support robotic and autonomous systems on the battlefield. Future land forces will rely increasingly on autonomous vehicles, sensors and robotic platforms. These systems still require physical sustainment — fuel, ammunition and supplies — but traditional logistics methods are labour-intensive and expose personnel to risk. Hammerstone’s approach addresses this challenge through three key sustainment functions:
Together these capabilities enable distributed, automated sustainment, ensuring autonomous forces can operate effectively without increasing logistics burden or risk to personnel.
Autonomous or remotely supervised fuel distribution for vehicles and robotic systems.
Deployable ammunition resupply and automated handling systems, including ARMHS -(Autonomous Resupply Mechanical Handling System)
Systems designed to replenish payloads and mission systems for autonomous platforms.
Reduce operator exposure during fuel handling and distribution — keeping personnel away from fuel hazards in forward positions.
Fuel distribution integrated into the Logistics Common Operating Picture via ReadyFleet™ — providing real-time fuel status and demand forecasting.
Enable refuelling of robotic and autonomous platforms without manual intervention, maintaining the autonomy advantage at the logistics layer.
Enable faster sustainment of vehicles and distributed forces without creating logistics bottlenecks that constrain manoeuvre.
Enable remote or automated fuel transfer to vehicles and robotic platforms, reducing manual handling and operator exposure.
Provide mobile fuel storage and pumping capability in forward environments — designed for rapid deployment and operation in remote and contested locations.
Track fuel usage, system status and refuelling performance through integrated monitoring — generating the data that ReadyFleet™ and logistics planners need.
Provide fuel distribution data to the digital logistics platform, enabling fuel status, demand and consumption to be part of the Logistics Common Operating Picture.
Allow personnel to supervise autonomous refuelling operations safely — supporting the transition from manual to autonomous logistics at a pace that works for Army.
MARS is engineered to operate as part of a broader digital logistics ecosystem, integrating with Hammerstone’s ReadyFleet™ platform to provide a real-time picture of sustainment demand, logistics movement and operational readiness. This integration ensures fuel distribution becomes part of the broader logistics common operating picture rather than a disconnected manual activity. MARS operates as a four-step cycle aligned to the Sense and Respond Logistics model:
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Capture fuel levels, system status and usage data from the refuelling system.
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MARS is designed for integration with ReadyFleet™, Hammerstone’s digital logistics and sustainment platform. ReadyFleet™ connects asset condition, usage, location and logistics data to provide a single operational and sustainment picture across the force.
Through this integration, MARS can:
This integration ensures that refuelling operations are part of the broader Sense and Respond Logistics cycle, allowing commanders and sustainment planners to anticipate demand and respond earlier to sustainment risks.
MARS is designed for environments where traditional manual refuelling is constrained, dangerous oroperationally inefficient. It is particularly suited to:
MARS was demonstrated during the Australian Army’s Land Autonomous Systems and Teaming Demonstration (LAST-D) at Puckapunyal. The demonstration explored how autonomous logistics capabilities can support human-machine teaming and distributed land operations, validating the autonomous refuelling concept in a realistic operational environment.
Following the LAST-D demonstration, MARS entered operational use within 1st Armoured Regiment. It supports forward refuelling of armoured and support vehicles, experimentation with robotic and autonomous sustainment operations, and integration with digital logistics systems.
The technology origin: Hammerstone developed the autonomous refuelling system through a Defence Innovation Hub (DIH) program (SCTM ARS, Jun 2022 – Jan 2024). The system demonstrated autonomous delivery of fuel to an M113AS4 APC and mock AS10 Ammunition Resupply Vehicle.
The ruggedisation phase (Jun 2024 – Oct 2024) integrated the system onto an M113 ALV and demonstrated autonomous delivery of fuel to crewed M113 Optionally Crewed Combat Vehicles (OCCVs) at LAST-D. Contracted directly with the Commonwealth.
The rearm capability — ARMHS (Automated Resupply Mechanical Handling System) — was developed and demonstrated in parallel, using AI to autonomously load and unload 155mm ammunition into an AS10 Ammunition Resupply Vehicle. Confirms Hammerstone’s broader autonomous sustainment credibility beyond refuelling.
MARS (Mobile Autonomous Refuelling System) is Hammerstone’s autonomous refuelling capability for vehicles, robotic platforms and distributed land forces. It combines deployable fuel storage and pumping with autonomous operation, digital monitoring and integration with ReadyFleet™ — providing commanders with real-time visibility of fuel distribution and sustainment demand. MARS has been demonstrated at the Australian Army’s LAST-D exercise and is in operational use at 1st Armoured Regiment.
Autonomous and robotic platforms still require physical sustainment — fuel, ammunition and supplies — but they cannot accommodate the manual handling methods used for crewed vehicles. MARS addresses this through autonomous fuel transfer capability that does not require an operator to be in close proximity during refuelling. This enables distributed, automated sustainment operations that match the tempo and dispersion of autonomous force operations without increasing logistics personnel exposure.
Refuel–Rearm–Reload is Hammerstone’s autonomous sustainment framework — three functions that future land forces will need to conduct without full manual logistics support. Refuel is delivered through MARS. Rearm is addressed through Hammerstone’s ARMHS (Automated Resupply Mechanical Handling System), proven at $1.5M through the Defence Innovation Hub. Reload covers payload replenishment for autonomous platforms. Together, the three functions enable sustained autonomous operations without proportional increases in logistics personnel.
MARS is an active product in operational experimentation with the Australian Army’s 1st Armoured Regiment. Hammerstone is working with Army to refine concepts for future autonomous sustainment and explore integration into existing sustainment frameworks. Organisations interested in MARS — for evaluation, experimentation or procurement — are encouraged to contact Hammerstone directly to discuss current capability status and development roadmap.
