The United States Army DEVCOM Ground Vehicle Systems Center (GVSC) (formerly United States Army Tank Automotive Research, Development and Engineering Center (TARDEC)), located in Warren, Michigan, is the United States Armed Forces' research and development facility for advanced technology in ground systems. It is part of the U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command (DEVCOM), a major subordinate command of the U.S. Army Futures Command. GVSC shares its facilities with the United States Army Tank-automotive and Armaments Command (TACOM). Current technology focus areas include Ground Vehicle Power and Mobility (GVPM), Ground System Survivability and Force Protection, among others.
Laboratories
It features a number of research laboratories, including: Laser Protection Laboratory Crew Station Systems Integration Laboratory Robotic Systems Integration Laboratory Ground Vehicle Simulation Laboratory — ride motion simulator, pintle motion based simulator, crew station/turret motion based simulator and several vehicle "shaker" facilities High Performance Computing Laboratory — supports virtual prototyping and design development of combat vehicles and improves virtual reality capabilities Next Generation Software Laboratory Water Laboratory Petroleum Laboratory — researches properties and durability of a wide range of fuel including JP-8, Diesel, hydraulic fluids and lubricants Bridging Simulation Laboratory — Located at Selfridge Air National Guard base, this facility features computer-controlled load test areas with automated data acquisition capability for structural testing of bridging systems. Laboratory capabilities include static and dynamic structural load application for structural and fatigue testing. Propulsion Test Laboratory Physical and Rapid Prototyping Laboratory Advanced Materials and Manufacturing Center — researches a variety of alternative vehicle structural materials, including composite materials Center for Systems Integration (CSI) Advanced joining research facility (fusion & friction stir welding, adhesives and mechanical fasteners) Vehicle Protection Integration Laboratory (VPIL) Ground System Power and Energy Laboratory (GSPEL) (opened April 2012) Power and Energy Vehicle Environment Laboratory (PEVEL) Fuel Cell Research Laboratory Energy Storage Laboratory Air Filtration Laboratory Electric Components Laboratory Power Laboratory Thermal Management Laboratory Calorimeter Laboratory
Robotic Power and Energy Vehicle Environmental Laboratory (Opened 2021)
Relationship with Industry
U.S. Army GVSC maintains collaborative partnerships with a spectrum of defense and automotive industry entities with the purpose of co-developing key ground vehicle technologies while leveraging industry technology advancements and economy-of-scale. These relationships are formalized through one of a variety of mechanisms, including formal contracts, Other Transaction Agreements, and Cooperative Research and Development Agreements, among others. Occasionally these relationships extend to non-industry entities also, as with the Michigan Department of Transportation and various academic institutions.
Next Generation Combat Vehicle
U.S. Army GVSC is the lead Science and Technology (S&T) Center for the Next Generation Combat Vehicle (NGCV). As such, it investigates the technologies and develops the capabilities supporting the NGCV requirements. The NGCV is one of the U.S. Army's six modernization priorities.
Robotic Vehicles
U.S. Army GVSC is the Department of Defense's lead agency for automated, driver-optional, and driver-assist technology development for ground vehicles. Developed within its Ground Vehicle Robotics portfolio, these technologies apply through the common, open-source Robotics Operating System-Military to tactical and combat vehicle platforms and applications.
Automated Ground Resupply
GVSC furthers the development of autonomous driving in resupply activities through its Automated Ground Resupply (AGR) program. The keystone project in this program is its AMAS, or Automated Mobility Applique System, an applique kit that enables automated, driver-optional, and driver-assist behaviors to current Army vehicle platforms. This technology is intended to manifest as "leader-follower" or "platooning" of line-haul resupply vehicles in which a lead vehicle is manually driven, remotely-driven, or driven autonomously through waypoint navigation and the follower vehicles in a convoy are fed driving instructions from the lead vehicle.
