DETROIT, March 5 /PRNewswire/ -- The United States Army unveiled its
latest tool to speed the development of new military vehicles today from its
National Automotive Center (NAC) during the Society of Automotive Engineers
World Congress 2002.
    "We want to show the SAE membership some of the many technologies we're
working on in cooperation with the automotive industry," Dennis Wend, Director
of the National Automotive Center, told World Congress attendees.  "As the
Army transforms itself for 21st Century requirements, we must provide the best
technologies available for use in developing military vehicles that will help
our soldiers defend American interests at home and abroad."
    Based at the Tank-automotive and Armaments Command in Warren, Mich., the
NAC is the Army's official link with the auto industry and academia in
developing dual-use technologies for defense and commercial applications.
    "One technology unveiled here at the World Congress is the PTC 3-D
modeling and simulation tool.  The value that 3-D technology brings is that it
slashes the time it takes to get new vehicles into the field while at the same
time making them safer, more reliable and lethal," said Wend.  "To help us in
this effort we've established partnerships with companies like PTC, leaders in
the field of collaborative product development tools."
    PTC, based in Needham, Mass., gives designers and engineers tools they
need to create, collaborate, and control product and process lifecycle
information.  "Our Windchill product," said PTC President Paul Cunningham,
"connects people-to-people and people-to-information via the Internet.  We're
very proud of our role in partnering with the NAC and of PTC's contribution to
defining the Nation's future military vehicles."
    "The reality of today's military environment demands that we dramatically
accelerate the infusion of mobility and technology innovations into new
systems and bring them on line to respond to the military's worldwide needs,"
Wend continued.
    "These capabilities afford us the opportunity to enhance our nation's
homeland security by putting more robust vehicles into the hands of
firefighters, police and security personnel."
    The NAC is the Army's official link to commercial industry, academia and
government in developing important new dual-use automotive technologies that
meet the needs of both the defense and commercial industries.  These dual-use
technologies save time and utilize the benefits of defense and commercial
automotive developments to create vehicles that improve performance, safety
and endurance while reducing design, manufacturing, operations and maintenance
costs.  In order to develop these automotive technologies, the NAC establishes
partnerships with industry and academia.  "Our partnerships bring a win-win
situation to every program as new and better military vehicles are being
developed in less time and at a lower cost," said Wend.  The NAC is leveraging
industry partnerships to increase mobility and soldier safety in the field,
while at the same time meeting the Army's Transformation requirements.  Part
of this Transformation requires supporting a more agile Army through the NAC's
development of concept vehicles that have a reduced logistical footprint.

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