Army seeking to design tactical vehicle lab

The Army is asking industry partners for feedback to design a tactical vehicle integration lab as part of a decade-long effort to transform current combat systems, according to a public notice.

Estimated to cost between $25 and $100 million, the Manned/Unmanned Tactical Vehicle Lab will include “engineering-design space to enable the integration of technology required for the transformation of current combat systems to manned-unmanned systems to meet the Army’s strategic program delivery requirements,” the Wednesday announcement reads.

Planned for the Ground Vehicle Systems Center at the Detroit Arsenal in Warren, MI, the newly built facility will be 44,760 square feet and must be consistent with Defense Department Minimum Antiterrorism for Buildings requirements.

Issued by the Army Engineering Corps for small businesses, the “contract duration is estimated at 750 calendar days,” the statement reads.

The Detroit Arsenal serves as the headquarters of the Army Tank-automotive and Armaments Command, which is subordinate to the Army’s Materiel Command and oversees the services’ combat vehicle units.

The Army is currently developing a new generation of ground combat vehicles, including the Robotic Combat Vehicle and the XM30, which will replace the Bradley Fighting Vehicle.

Recently fielded projects include the Armored Multi-Purpose Vehicle, a replacement for the M113 armored personnel carrier and the M10 Booker, a tracked vehicle designed to slot between the Bradley and Abrams main battle tank.

Formerly known as the Detroit Arsenal Tank Plant, the facility produced tanks during World War II and the Cold War.