Accelerator partnership connects Army ground system need with industry expertise

Official Statements

• DEVCOM Ground Vehicle Systems Center, November 9: “AUBURN HILLS, Mich. — U.S. Army DEVCOM Ground Vehicle Systems Center is leveraging its partnership with Centrepolis Defense Manufacturing Accelerator and Lawrence Technological University to explore advanced ground-vehicle technologies that could keep Soldiers protected and ready to fight.

  Last month’s Michigan Autonomous Drone System and Component Industry Consortium meeting served as the latest engagement opportunity for GVSC, together with industry and academia, to identify innovations in ground-vehicle and unmanned aircraft system technology.

  Collaborative opportunities like these are essential to advancing new technology and getting it into the hands of warfighters faster, said Jason Middleton, associate director of Ground Vehicle Survivability and Protection at GVSC.

  “We’re not out there trying to invent the next capability,” Middleton said. “That’s where we leverage our industry partnerships.”

  The Accelerator program, established through a government Cooperative Research and Development Agreement, or CRADA, provides a framework for GVSC, industry and academic partners to work together on R&D, share technical expertise and explore solutions to Army challenges.

  Middleton explained that, from a survivability standpoint, the program objective is to figure out how to layer the different capabilities industry generates into effective protection across the entire formation. With numerous companies all in one room, he said, GVSC can efficiently determine what new commercial technologies have the potential to be integrated into the modular layered approach that enhances Soldier safety.

  “We have a hard mission,” Middleton said. “When it comes to survivability and protection, we have to stop every threat and protect everything within the maneuver ground portfolio.”

  A CRADA, like the one with the Centrepolis Accelerator at LTU, connects Army technology needs with industry expertise, manufacturing capabilities, and potential supply chain opportunities. According to Centrepolis Accelerator CEO Dan Radomski, who has worked closely with GVSC for many years, there was an urgent need to push for industry production domestically.

  “I was gravely concerned about outsourcing so many of our critical components that enable ground vehicles and UAS,” Radomski said. “Knowing that would have an impact on the supply chain for our warfighters, I launched the Accelerator.”

  Radomski said following the program’s success, he reached out to GVSC to express interest in steering its science and technology investments toward solutions to Army needs. Once a CRADA was established, he began working closely with different technical branches within GVSC to actively develop components and materials critically important to Army modernization.

  “GVSC tech teams tell us exactly what gaps they’re looking to fill and we actively seek those technologies,” Radomski said. “We then lend our in-house engineering to develop those capabilities according to Army requirements to be ready for evaluation and testing."

  One such example are the drones created by Swarm Defense. Founder and CEO Kyle Dorosz said following discussions with GVSC, his team, with Centrepolis support, took their commercial technology, made low-cost, easy-to-manufacture variations, and adapted it for use in counter-UAS training.

  “Meetings like this help us align our thinking and take our product development in the right direction,” Dorosz said. “Moving from commercial production to defense can be daunting, but these programs allow us to have direct communication and understand requirements.”

  Dorosz emphasized that accelerating defense innovation hinges on getting all the players in the same room. He said one-on-one conversations with GVSC and direct Soldier feedback have enabled his team to rapidly align their product with mission needs.

  “That is the direct effect of us taking what we do best - manufacturing drones at scale - and adapting our capabilities to meet what warfighters need today for testing and training over the course of just a couple months,” Dorosz said.

  Middleton reinforced that scalability is crucial. He said GVSC’s ability to rapidly integrate cutting-edge technology into a layered protection framework requires vendors to not only deliver ready-to-test capabilities, but the infrastructure to manufacture at volume.

  “That’s what we need most from our industry partners,” Middleton said. “We need them to one, continue to come to us with those innovative ideas; two, prove that they work; and three, ensure that they’re scalable.”

  By leveraging collaboration, GVSC bridges the gap between emerging commercial technologies and current ground-system requirements. Middleton said engagement with Michigan’s defense and manufacturing ecosystem will continue providing immeasurable value to readiness today and to the future force, while providing GVSC’s acquisition partners with informed options for future procurement.

  “Our biggest goal here is to identify capabilities that are at the appropriate maturity level to then obtain them in quantity,” Middleton said. “We want to equip our acquisition partners with the right options so they can be effective in procuring the equipment to protect the force.

  “That’s what success looks like for us.”