Centering

The Army Tank Automotive Research, Development and Engineering Center in Warren, MI, announced today that it has established a center intended to expand its capabilities and streamline operations.

The Center for Ground Vehicle Development and Integration will "align and expand research and development (R&D) activities and establish a new military nucleus for public-private ground vehicle systems collaborative partnerships," the announcement reads.

It cites roughly $14 billion in fiscal year 2010 Defense Department funding targeted at Michigan's defense industry and says the center will play a key role in ensuring that money is "effectively leveraged."

More specifically, the new vehicle center will incorporate work from TARDEC's Ground Vehicle Integration Center -- which provides technology assessment and systems integration for the Mine Resistant Ambush Protected vehicle and Joint Light Tactical Vehicle programs, among others -- and its Prototype Integration Facility -- which provides "hands-on design, metallurgy testing, physical prototyping and electronics integration for military ground vehicles systems."