From WWI to Operation Iraqi Freedom, Michigan Plays Vital Role in Supporting
Troops with Advanced Military Vehicle Technology
DETROIT, Apr. 11 /PRNewswire/ -- The U.S. Army Tank Automotive Research
Development and Engineering Center (TARDEC), along with its National
Automotive Center (NAC), will demonstrate its ongoing commitment to industry
partnership at the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) 2005 World Congress,
April 11-14 at Cobo Hall in downtown Detroit, the birthplace of the modern
Automotive Industry. As SAE commemorates 100 years of working with the Army,
TARDEC and the NAC recognize the countless innovations developed in
conjunction with the Michigan automotive industry and academia -- from the
rugged, agile military trucks used during World War I to the vehicle armor,
alternative fuel sources and unmanned robotic systems currently used in Iraq
and Afghanistan.
Brigadier General William Lenaers, Commanding General of the U.S. Army
TACOM Life Cycle Management Command in Warren, Mich., stated that the
technology transfer between the military and commercial industry has
significantly impacted the effectiveness of our troops stationed here and
overseas.
"From the moment the first M3 tank rolled off the assembly lines in April
of 1941, our mission of providing Soldier support has always been accomplished
through partnerships with America's automotive industry and academia," said
General Lenaers. "Being in the heart of the automotive engineering capitol of
the world -- Michigan -- gives the Army a distinct advantage in providing the
best military vehicle technologies possible."
"The benefits to working with industry allow the Army to increase fuel
efficiency, reduce ownership and operating costs, reduce emissions, improve
safety and enhance vehicle performance," said Dr. Richard McClelland, director
of TARDEC. "The end result is longer lasting vehicles with higher performance
and better fuel efficiency -- for both the consumer and the Warfighter."
Specific examples of vehicle innovations developed in concert between the
Army and Michigan's automotive industry include Antilock Braking Systems, fuel
cells, night vision technology, collision protection systems, and advanced
vehicle intelligence, reliability and analysis technologies.
The Army at SAE
TARDEC's three displays will showcase its work with SAE to enhance Soldier
survivability, safety and mobility for the near and long term. In the main
booth (#701), TARDEC will showcase the progression from the World War II Army
Jeep to today's HMMWV, outfitted with an add-on Armor Survivability Kit, which
is currently saving lives in Iraq and Afghanistan. TARDEC will also highlight
various unmanned systems -- or robots -- currently in theater, including the
Omni-Directional Inspection System (ODIS) and PackBot. A new Daylight
Standoff Warning Device (DSWD) -- which recently shipped to Iraq and Southwest
Asia -- will demonstrate how Soldiers can warn motorists to slow down or stop
at vehicle checkpoints from up to 500 feet away. Also on display is
Santos(TM), a realistic Digital Human model capable of intelligent behavior
developed by the University of Iowa's Virtual Soldier Research program.
Santos(TM) has the ability to see, move, touch and grasp like a real human,
which provides engineers the opportunity to investigate attributes of weapon
systems and vehicles without using the real product.
The NAC, Quantum Fuel System Technologies Worldwide, Inc. (Nasdaq: QTWW)
and California Motors LLC will unveil the MP Hybrid vehicle platform. The MP
Hybrid is a modular, easily configurable light duty vehicle platform designed
to support a variety of homeland defense, military, and commercial missions.
Included with the MP Hybrid is an armor replacement body with added ballistic
performance, developed by Klune Industries, as well as a 5 kW Auxiliary Power
Unit (APU), a compact electrical power generating system developed by Advanced
Propulsion Technologies, Inc.
Booth #533 will showcase TARDEC efforts to enhance Soldier survivability,
safety and vehicle reliability. TARDEC engineers are developing and applying
engineering-fidelity simulations to evaluate vehicle designs, advanced
technologies and proposed product improvements throughout a vehicle's life
cycle. Specific developments in the booth include a Human Factors Mini-Motion
Base Simulator, which studies the effects of vehicle motions on Soldiers, and
a Family of Medium Tactical Vehicles (FMTV) Leaf Spring Prototype, which
promises to reduce overall vehicle weight and improve fuel economy.
Booth #626 will highlight a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement
(CRADA) between TARDEC and Lightening Motor Sports (LMS) to explore synergies
between the auto racing industry and military vehicles. Through this CRADA,
TARDEC is looking at ways to streamline and improve their simulation-based
testing capabilities to assess the best technology available in a low risk,
low cost environment, thus increasing the safety, endurance, reliability and
operational potential of future military vehicles.
TARDEC, headquartered at the Detroit Arsenal, Warren, Michigan, is the
nation's laboratory for advanced military automotive technology. TARDEC's
mission is to research, develop, engineer, leverage, and integrate advanced
technology into ground systems and support equipment throughout the life
cycle. TARDEC's 1,100 associates develop and maintain vehicles for all U.S.
Armed Forces, many federal agencies and more than 60 foreign countries.
TARDEC pushes the state-of-the-art in technology areas of Survivability,
Mobility, Intelligent Systems and Maneuver Support and Sustainment. TARDEC
leads several Army Future Force science and technology efforts --
collaborating with the Army's combat developers -- to ensure we field robust
equipment that meets aggressive cost, schedule and performance standards.
TARDEC's National Automotive Center is the Army's official link to
commercial industry, academia and government in developing dual-use automotive
technologies that meet the needs of both defense and commercial industries.
Together, they lead the way in providing our Soldiers vehicles and vehicle
technologies that will increase survivability and ensure mobility on the
battlefield while reducing design, manufacturing, operations and maintenance
costs.
SOURCE U.S. Army TARDEC
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Related links:
http://tardec.army.mil
CONTACT:
Scott Sadlon of TARDEC/NAC, +1-703-253-0944;
or Don Jarosz of U.S. Army TACOM, +1-586-574-8820
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