Army, Lockheed Complete Convoy Demo

Photo courtesy Lockheed Martin.

By Danielle Lucey



Today, the U.S. Army Tank-Automotive Research, Development and Engineering Center announced that it has completed a new autonomous convoy demonstration with Lockheed Martin on its Autonomous Mobility Appliqué System.



The Capabilities Advancement Demonstration, or CAD-2, tests took place at a Department of Energy facility in South Carolina and involved a leader vehicle controlling the operations of up to six additional follower vehicles, operating at speeds up to 40 mph. This is twice the length and speed of any convoy previously tested by the program. 



The vehicles used in the demonstration included one Family of Medium Tactical Vehicles, one Medium Tactical Vehicle Replacement, two Palletized Load System trucks, two M915 Line-Haul Tractors and one Heavy Equipment Transport. 



"I would describe these tests as a successful demonstration of the maturing capabilities of AMAS technology," says David Simon, AMAS program manager for Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control. 



The team will conduct further safety tests in the coming weeks, leading up to a six-week operational demonstration later this summer, where soldiers and Marines will assess the system, according to Simon. 



The first series of AMAS demonstrations took place at Fort Hood, Texas, earlier this year.