DETROIT, Mich. -- The Army's massive MRAP dwarfs the Porsche 911 Targa 4 GTS -- but both are drawing crowds at this year's famed Detroit Auto Show.
The U.S. Army TACOM Life Cycle Management Command (LCMC) showcased the massive MRAP or Mine Resistant Ambush Protected vehicle along with an excavator, howitzer and other cutting edge technologies at the North American International Auto Show.
Army subject matter experts were on hand to answer questions and VIPs including the Assistant Secretary of the Army for Installations, Energy and Environment, the Hon. Katherine Hammack, stopped by the exhibit.
The show opened Jan. 18 with more than 110,000 enthusiasts checking out the latest and greatest in the auto industry. The 27th annual event continues through Jan. 25.
Lining up Army equipment alongside world-famous automakers may seem like a stretch, but it makes good sense to Maj. Gen. Gwen Bingham, commanding general of the TACOM LCMC. The command is the Army's automotive arm and mirrors the commercial auto industry by maintaining the same research and development, manufacturing assurance and logistics expertise for the military automotive industry.
TACOM LCMC is positioned in Southeast Michigan to be closely aligned with the businesses that are developing many of the world's most advanced automotive technologies and manufacturing techniques.
"We enjoy the great collaboration with our defense and industry partners which is critical to the Army," Bingham said.
Showcasing at the auto show gives the Army a rare opportunity to meet auto engineers, designer, manufacturers and business leaders to develop both relationships and partnerships.
"These relationships help us to develop technological and equipping solutions for our Soldiers and help us to save money for the American taxpayers by developing similar technologies and capabilities that might be shared between the defense and commercial sectors," said Mike Viggato, TACOM LCMC's deputy to the commanding general.
The U.S. Army exhibit includes the following:
Bradley Fighting Vehicle
Humvee CROWS (Common Remotely Operated Weapon Station)
Common Bridge Transporter
Autonomous Mobility Appliqué System
Stryker
High Mobility Engineer Excavator
M777 Howitzer
MRAP MAX PRO (Mine Resistant Ambush Protected Vehicle)
* The Army is also showcasing its Applied Robotics for Installation and Base Operations (ARIBO) and Autonomous Mobility Appliqué System (AMAS). These are the same cutting edge technologies as found in today's high-end commercial vehicles.
* ARIBO is a series of pilot projects which test and demonstrate systems of autonomous vehicles, improve the reliability of these systems, and increase the trust and confidence of users and non-users. ARIBO is being introduced to the Army at living test beds such as West Point and Stanford University where driverless vehicle systems are interacting with people in real-world environments.
* AMAS is an appliqué kit that can be installed on virtually any military vehicle making it an autonomous or optionally-manned vehicle.
* Autonomy-enabled technologies like AMAS keep military drivers safe with lane departure and roll-over warnings, obstacle avoidance, adaptive cruise control and full autonomy.
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