Gladiator is a Tactical Unmanned Ground Vehicle (TUGV) designed, developed and produced by Carnegie Mellon University's National Robotics Engineering Consortium (NREC) and United Defense Industries. Gladiator remotely operated ground system provides scout, reconnaissance and surveillance capabilities while the system's operator remains concealed at a safe range. This remotely operated platform was launched under a US Congress initiative aimed at replacing one third of the US military's ground vehicle fleet by unmanned platforms in 2015.

The United States Department of Defense's Joint Program Office for Robotic Systems awarded NREC and United Defense a $26.4 million system development and demonstration (SDD) contract for Gladiator TUGV for the US Marine Corps on February 10, 2005. The system will improve Marine Air-Ground Task Force (MAGTF) survivability by identifying and neutralizing threats which previously required the Marines to assume high risks.