Printed from https://fiscalreceipts.com/program/0602145A/ — data as of August 12, 2026. Every figure is citation-backed; see the page online for per-number provenance.
Next Generation Combat Vehicle Technology
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Budget Figures
FY2026 award data is a partial year — USASpending awards are reported on a rolling basis and the fiscal year does not close until September 30. why partial FY2026 data? →
| Fiscal year | Amount |
|---|---|
| FY24 | $248.3M |
| FY25 | $167.2M |
| FY26 | $71.5M |
All series figures: R-1 TOA · PB2026
The vertical scale does not start at zero: the baseline sits just below this program’s smallest year, so a low point on this line is not a small amount. Read the shape for direction and the grid below for the figures.
● actuals (line) · ○ enacted · ◇ request — gaps are editions the program is absent from, never interpolated.
| Series | FY18 | FY19 | FY20 | FY21 | FY22 | FY23 | FY24 | FY25 | FY26 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Actuals | $0 | $0 | $255.0M | $258.3M | $239.3M | $273.2M | $248.3M | ||
| Enacted | – | $0 | $263.5M | $258.4M | $245.5M | $277.4M | $166.5M | $167.2M | |
| Request | – | – | $219.0M | $219.6M | $172.2M | $174.1M | $166.5M | $149.1M | $71.5M |
blank = series not published for this year; – = absent from that edition.
Asked vs spent: the PB2023 book requested $174.1M for FY2023; the PB2025 book reported $273.2M as actual total obligation authority — $99.1M above the request. 273.2 − 174.1 = 99.1 USD millions — the compact figures above are rounded for reading.
Program Lineage
No predecessor/successor lineage was recorded for this program element — no FY-to-FY transfer into or out of this line was stated in the ingested J-books, and none was inferred from the program structure.
Description
Mission — Next Generation Combat Vehicle Technology
This Program element (PE) line is directly aligned to the Next Generation Combat Vehicle (NGCV) Army Modernization Priority. This PE researches, designs, and evaluates combat vehicle technologies that enable the Army to have a smarter, faster, more lethal, more precise, more protected, and more adaptable force. The focus is on building upon the foundational vehicle architectures to support the Next Generation of Combat Vehicles, to include autonomy architecture, power architecture, vehicle electronic architecture, physical architecture, lethality architecture and vehicle protection architecture. The research conducted will provide technologies to enable leap ahead capabilities for manned, optionally manned and unmanned vehicles that deliver decisive lethality. Project BF3: Combat Vehicle Robotics Tech was eliminated in PE 0602145A to reflect Department of Defense priorities and will cease Governmental development of autonomy software. Project BH5: Platform Electrification and Mobility Tech was eliminated in PE 0602145A to reflect Department of Defense priorities and will cease the design and development of hybrid-drive systems for combat vehicles. Project BK2: Virtual Prototyping was eliminated in PE 0602145A to reflect Department of Defense priorities and will cease Army capabilities to digitally design and evaluate prototype combat vehicle platforms. Projects CG8: Human Autonomy Teaming and BF6: Crew Augmentation and Optimization Tech in PE 0602145A were eliminated to reflect Department of Defense priorities and will cease Governmental development of autonomy software and autonomous platform controls. Work in this PE complements PE 0602141A (Lethality Technology), PE 0602144A (Ground Technology), PE 0602146A (Network C3I Technology), PE 0603116A (Lethality Advanced Technology), PE 0603119A (Ground Advanced Technology), PE 0603462A (Next Generation Combat Vehicle Advanced Technology), and PE 0603463A (Network C3I Advanced Technology). Work in this PE will transition to PE 0603462A (Next Generation Combat Vehicle Advanced Technology). The cited work is consistent with the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering Priority focus areas. Work is performed by the Ground Vehicle System Center (GVSC); the Army Research Laboratory (ARL); the Command, Control, Computers, Communications, Cyber, Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (C5ISR) Center; the Geotechnical and Structures Laboratory; the Data and Analysis Center (DAC); and the Armaments Center (AC). Overseas Operations Costs (OOC) funds this requirement in the amount of $1,041 thousand for FY 2025 Budget Estimate. Overseas Operations Costs (OOC) are those financed with former Overseas Contingency Operations (OCO) funding. The FY 2026 request was reduced by $0.139 million for Advisory and Assistance Services to promote efficiencies and advance the policies of the Administration in alignment with Executive Order 14222, "Implementing the President's Department of Government Efficiency Cost Efficiency Initiative." The FY 2026 request was reduced by $0.403 million for civilian personnel to optimize the workforce in compliance with Executive Order 14210, "Implementing the President's Department of Government Efficiency Workforce Optimization Initiative."
Mission — Combat Vehicle Robotics Tech
This Project designs, develops, and evaluates a variety of innovative technologies that enable scalable integration of multi-domain robotic and autonomous system capabilities teamed within Army formations supporting all combat warfighting functions (close combat, reconnaissance, targeting and acquisition, etc.). This Project focus areas include autonomous architecture, autonomous behaviors and perception, and soldier machine integration. Autonomous Behaviors efforts focus on enhancing the performance of autonomy such as obstacle detection and avoidance. Soldier Machine integration efforts focus on design and development of technologies to become more efficient and effective for a robotic operator to complete missions on government owned software. This work is this Project is done in coordination with Program Element (PE) 0603462A (Next Generation Combat Vehicle Advanced Technology) / Project BF4 (Combat Vehicle Robotics). The cited work is consistent with the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering priority focus areas. Work in this Project is performed by Ground Vehicle System Center (GVSC).
Mission — Crew Augmentation and Optimization Tech
This project designs capabilities for reduced vehicle crew sizes to successfully operate a larger number of closed-hatch manned and remote unmanned vehicles in a complex multi-domain operations environment. This project will enable future crews to perform missions with increasingly sophisticated technologies, and in increasingly complex, dynamic socio-technical environments. The applied research will provide the fundamental technologies to enable integrated performance improved learning - Warfighter Machine Interfaces (WMIs) that are scalable to multiple crew hardware and functional configurations; reconfigurable frameworks and simulation for concept experimentation and exploration; and team-centered dynamic tasking by machine intelligence to effectively utilize full capabilities of crew and technologies. The research will generate Soldier-informed data, reports, and analysis to support operational use in future vehicles through Soldier experimentation and assessment of technical concepts in simulation and in-field WMIs. The capabilities created by this research will increase overall crew and team performance; improved Soldier safety due to fewer Soldier per vehicle, closed-hatch operations, and improved standoff from effective control; and vehicles that can effectively conduct multiple domain operations. Work in this project complements Program Element (PE) 0603462A (Next Generation Combat Vehicle Advanced Technology) and PE 0602143A (Soldier Lethality Technology). The cited work is consistent with the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering priority focus areas. Work in this project is performed by the Ground Vehicle System Center (GVSC) and the Army Research Laboratory (ARL).
Mission — Artificial Intelligence & Machine Learning Tech
This project develops and characterizes artificial intelligence and machine learning software and algorithms to team with soldiers in support of fully autonomous maneuver of the Next Generation Combat Vehicle (NGCV) and other autonomous systems, both physical and non-embodied. Efforts develop capabilities for NGCV and other autonomous agents that increase autonomy, unburdening the soldier operator, with a high degree of survivability and lethality in a highly contested environment. This work also investigates power distribution and conversion technologies to provide compact, efficient, and high-power capabilities for electrical and electro- mechanical loads supporting both mobile and stationary unmanned platforms. Research enables combat vehicles to rapidly learn, adapt, and reason faster than the adversary; accomplish missions in contested, austere and congested environments, characterized by lack of structure, adversarial actions, and minimal a priori knowledge; and provide force reduction through self-learning vehicles that can operate in complex militarily relevant environments. This project also matures emerging research leading to potential technology development in areas of strategic importance to the Army by bringing competitively selected Universities with research teams into Technical Alliances. The cited work is consistent with Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering priority focus areas.
Mission — Sensors for Autonomous Operations and Surv Tech
This project designs and develops modular and adaptive sensor components, novel embedded processing approaches, innovative threat cueing solutions and novel multi-function sensor payloads integrated with novel signal image processing techniques to provide improved manned and unmanned ground vehicle situational understanding in all environments. This project will also investigate and develop techniques to detect maneuver obstacles, to include explosive hazards, tank ditches, and concrete blockades. This research is coordinated with Program Element (PE) 0603462A (Next Generation Combat Vehicle Advanced Technology), PE 0603118A (Soldier Lethality Advanced Technology), PE 0602143A (Soldier Lethality Technology), PE 0602148A (Future Vertical Lift Technology) and PE 0603465A (Future Vertical Lift Advanced Technology). The cited work is consistent with the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering priority focus areas. Work in this project is performed by the Command, Control, Computers, Communications, Cyber, Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (C5ISR) Center.
Mission — Modeling and Simulation for MUMT Technology
This project develops Modeling and Simulation (M&S) tools and technologies to assess and improve freedom of movement for ground forces and supports vehicle developers by addressing challenges for robotic and ground vehicles. Through investigation and design, this project develops obstacle detection and classification algorithms for dynamic mobility hazards in urban and complex environments. This project develops tools to evaluate system performance reducing the need for physical testing including: real-time mobility decision support tools, vehicle-terrain interactive models for autonomous convoy operations, simulation tools for vehicle mobility in highly altered terrain, and M&S tools for predicting the performance of autonomous vehicles in a wide variety of weather and terrain conditions. These M&S technologies can be integrated across Army vehicle platforms as required. Work in this project complements Program Element (PE) 0603462A (Next Generation Combat Vehicle Advanced Technology) / Project BG3 (Modeling and Simulation for MUMT Advanced Tech). The work cited is consistent with the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering priority focus areas. Work in this project is performed by the Geotechnical and Structures Laboratory.
Mission — Advanced Concepts for Active Defense Technology
This project funds research for advanced materials and mechanisms to defeat the most common and most dangerous threats that are expected to be encountered by our ground forces in the near, mid and far term. Work conducted in this project will result in concepts for Adaptive and Cooperative Protection of ground combat vehicles. Additionally, research will focus on subcomponent/component models to predict performance of early concepts and the means to evaluate effectiveness on ground platforms. The project will balance developments of active threat defeat measures with the necessary advanced passive and active components to provide solutions which will help meet the requirements of current and next generation ground tactical and combat vehicles. This project is coordinated with and transitions to Program Element (PE) 0603462A (Next Generation Combat Vehicle Advanced Technology) and builds upon weapon target interaction research in PE 0602144A (Ground Technology) and PE 0601102A (Defense Research Sciences) / Project AA7 (Mechanics and Ballistics). The cited work is consistent with Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering priority focus areas. Work in this project is performed by the Army Research Laboratory (ARL), Command, Control, Communication, Computers, Cyber, Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Center (C5ISR), Data and Analysis Center (DAC), and Ground Vehicle Systems Center (GVSC).
Mission — Platform Electrification and Mobility Tech
This project researches and develops advanced power and energy technologies for tactical and combat ground vehicles that are necessary for parallel or series hybrid-electric drive. Research energy storage, distribution and battlefield charging technologies to enable future plug-in hybrid-electric drive and all electric tactical vehicle systems. This project researches and develops advanced power and energy technologies for combat ground vehicles that are necessary for parallel hybrid, series hybrid and all- electric vehicle systems. Work in this project complements PE 0603462A (Next Generation Combat Vehicle Advanced Technology). The cited work is consistent with the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering priority focus areas. Work in this project is performed by the Ground Vehicle System Center (GVSC)
Mission — Sensor Protection Technology
This project investigates, designs, and develops techniques for masking friendly force capabilities and intentions. The project pursues technologies to reduce the susceptibility of sensor systems to detection and targeting by threat forces, as well as to inform the development of next generation signature reduction schemas. This project also designs, investigates, fabricates, evaluates and characterizes advanced sensor protection technologies, components, and concepts that will enable the future soldier to see and operate through a laser directed energy weapon attack. Both active and passive protection technologies will be investigated to protect Army sensors that operate in the visible, short-wave infrared, mid-wave infrared, and long-wave infrared spectra from battlefield laser threats. Areas of research include passive optical limiters such as nonlinear organic dyes, semiconductors, and meta-materials, as well as fast active switches and tunable filters. Technologies investigated include novel optics designs combined with signal processing, spectral filtering, and threat sensing algorithms. Work in this project is coordinated with Program Element (PE) 0603462A (Next Generation Combat Vehicle Advanced Technology), PE 0603118A (Soldier Lethality Advanced Technology), PE 0603465A (Future Vertical Lift Advanced Technology), and PE 0602143A (Soldier Lethality Technology) The cited work is consistent with the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering priority focus areas. Work in this project is performed by the Command, Control, Computers, Communications, Cyber, Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (C5ISR) Center
Mission — Materials Application and Integration Tech
This project designs, develops, fabricates and evaluates a variety of materials (e.g. metals, ceramics, polymers and composites) to enable more survivable, lighter weight vehicle armor, chemical and biological protection, armaments and electronics for the next generation combat vehicle. Research focuses on unique and /or novel materials properties, developing physics-based models, materials characterization techniques, non-destructive testing methods and advanced fabrication/processing methodologies to transition candidate solutions for maturity, scale-up, and integration into systems. This project also continues the Advanced Vehicle Power Technology Alliance between the Department of Energy and the Army with a focus on materials, providing an emphasis on developing advanced technologies that enable military ground vehicles to become significantly more energy efficient. The alliance is chartered to accelerate the conceptualization and transition into deployment of inventive and creative energy-saving concepts that the Nation needs to achieve energy security. This project matures and integrates lightweight materials and joining technologies in support of lighter military vehicles which are more fuel-efficient and expeditionary with superior mobility and protection of both vehicles and occupants. Work in this project leverages research from Program Element (PE) 0601102A (Defense Research Sciences) / Project AA7 (Mechanics and Ballistics) and 0602144A (Ground Technology) / Project BL1 (Materials and Manufacturing Research Technology). This work is also coordinated with PE 0603462A (Next Generation Combat Vehicle Advanced Technology). The cited work is consistent with Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering priority focus areas. Work in this project is performed by the Army Research Laboratory (ARL).
Mission — Tactical and Navigation Lasers Sensors Technology
This project designs and develops novel laser sensor technologies which provide improved maneuver, lethality, and survivability capabilities via manned and autonomous navigation, adversary sensor threat detection, and target detection and designation in all environments. It will deliver novel laser technologies which will provide low size, weight, and power (SWaP) laser sources and receivers for optical augmentation detection systems; and compact Laser Detection and Ranging (LADAR) sources for situational awareness and air and ground vehicle operations and navigation in all environments. This project is a critical enabler for autonomous operations in environments where other imaging technologies are not sufficient. This project is coordinated with Program Element (PE) 0603462A (Next Generation Combat Vehicle Advanced Technology), PE 0603118A (Soldier Lethality Advanced Technology), PE 0603465A (Future Vertical Lift Advanced Technology), and PE 0602143A (Soldier Lethality Technology). The cited work is consistent with the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering priority focus areas. Work in this project is performed by the Command, Control, Computers, Communications, Cyber, Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (C5ISR) Center.
Mission — Virtual Prototyping Technology
This project designs and analyzes novel NGCV system level ground vehicle concepts by integrating advanced mobility, survivability, lethality, sensing and electrical/electronic technologies to address emerging and future advanced threats. This project provides system level ground vehicle design concepts and performance analysis, assesses cost and performance trades, and provides real-time soldier feedback on technology performance for the Army's NGCVs. Technologies to be evaluated include high efficiency advanced powertrains, power generation, vehicle electrification, active protection systems, active blast, advanced lethality and robotic control and autonomy technologies. The NGCV virtual prototypes include Virtual Soldier Operational Experiments (VSOE) with System Integration Labs (SILs) to give warfighters an understanding into how behaviors and tactics change given emerging operation concepts based on new technologies and capabilities. Future integration of VSOEs with software and hardware SILs with realistic interfaces and utilizing mixed reality technology will provide higher fidelity Soldier evaluations, without the time and cost associated with physical prototypes. The virtual prototyping results provide critical inputs to the Army's NGCV program by providing independent technical and operational performance results for the Army's next generation of ground combat vehicles while reducing risk and accelerating transition to physical prototypes. Work in this project is coordinated with Program Element (PE) 0603462A (Next Generation Combat Vehicle Advanced Technology) / Project BF4 (Combat Vehicle Robotics Adv Tech). The cited work is consistent with the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering priority focus areas. Work in this project is performed by the Ground Vehicle System Center (GVSC).
Mission — Adv Direct In-Direct Armament Sys (ADIDAS) Tech
This project matures and conducts experiments on component technologies for large caliber direct fire light-weight armament systems that will exceed the current capability of 120mm direct fire and be optimized for future operational environment with cross-domain engagement capability. This project also researches large caliber direct fire munitions to project overwhelming lethality while ensuring maneuver forces remains mobile and sustainable during close-combat engagements at extended ranges. Research in this project is related to and fully integrated with the efforts funded in Program Element (PE) 0603462A (Next Generation Combat Vehicle Advanced Technology) / Project BK6 (Advanced Technology Direct In Direct Armament Sys (ADIDAS) Advanced Technology). The cited work is consistent with the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering priority focus areas. Research in this project is performed by the Armaments Center (AC) and Army Research Laboratory (ARL).
Mission — Ground Vehicle Technology (CA)
Congressional Interest Item funding provided for Ground Vehicle Technology. The cited work is consistent with the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering priority focus areas.
Mission — Next Generation Combat Vehicle Technology
This Program element (PE) line is directly aligned to the Next Generation Combat Vehicle (NGCV) Army Modernization Priority. This PE researches, designs, and evaluates combat vehicle technologies that enable the Army to have a smarter, faster, more lethal, more precise, more protected, and more adaptable force. The focus is on building upon the foundational vehicle architectures to support the Next Generation of Combat Vehicles, to include autonomy architecture, power architecture, vehicle electronic architecture, physical architecture, lethality architecture and vehicle protection architecture. The research conducted will provide technologies to enable leap ahead capabilities for manned, optionally manned and unmanned vehicles that deliver decisive lethality. Project BF3: Combat Vehicle Robotics Tech was eliminated in PE 0602145A to reflect Department of Defense priorities and will cease Governmental development of autonomy software. Project BH5: Platform Electrification and Mobility Tech was eliminated in PE 0602145A to reflect Department of Defense priorities and will cease the design and development of hybrid-drive systems for combat vehicles. Project BK2: Virtual Prototyping was eliminated in PE 0602145A to reflect Department of Defense priorities and will cease Army capabilities to digitally design and evaluate prototype combat vehicle platforms. Projects CG8: Human Autonomy Teaming and BF6: Crew Augmentation and Optimization Tech in PE 0602145A were eliminated to reflect Department of Defense priorities and will cease Governmental development of autonomy software and autonomous platform controls. Work in this PE complements PE 0602141A (Lethality Technology), PE 0602144A (Ground Technology), PE 0602146A (Network C3I Technology), PE 0603116A (Lethality Advanced Technology), PE 0603119A (Ground Advanced Technology), PE 0603462A (Next Generation Combat Vehicle Advanced Technology), and PE 0603463A (Network C3I Advanced Technology). Work in this PE will transition to PE 0603462A (Next Generation Combat Vehicle Advanced Technology). The cited work is consistent with the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering Priority focus areas. Work is performed by the Ground Vehicle System Center (GVSC); the Army Research Laboratory (ARL); the Command, Control, Computers, Communications, Cyber, Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (C5ISR) Center; the Geotechnical and Structures Laboratory; the Data and Analysis Center (DAC); and the Armaments Center (AC). Overseas Operations Costs (OOC) funds this requirement in the amount of $1,041 thousand for FY 2025 Budget Estimate. Overseas Operations Costs (OOC) are those financed with former Overseas Contingency Operations (OCO) funding. The FY 2026 request was reduced by $0.139 million for Advisory and Assistance Services to promote efficiencies and advance the policies of the Administration in alignment with Executive Order 14222, "Implementing the President's Department of Government Efficiency Cost Efficiency Initiative." The FY 2026 request was reduced by $0.403 million for civilian personnel to optimize the workforce in compliance with Executive Order 14210, "Implementing the President's Department of Government Efficiency Workforce Optimization Initiative."
Mission — Combat Vehicle Robotics Tech
This Project designs, develops, and evaluates a variety of innovative technologies that enable scalable integration of multi-domain robotic and autonomous system capabilities teamed within Army formations supporting all combat warfighting functions (close combat, reconnaissance, targeting and acquisition, etc.). This Project focus areas include autonomous architecture, autonomous behaviors and perception, and soldier machine integration. Autonomous Behaviors efforts focus on enhancing the performance of autonomy such as obstacle detection and avoidance. Soldier Machine integration efforts focus on design and development of technologies to become more efficient and effective for a robotic operator to complete missions on government owned software. This work is this Project is done in coordination with Program Element (PE) 0603462A (Next Generation Combat Vehicle Advanced Technology) / Project BF4 (Combat Vehicle Robotics). The cited work is consistent with the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering priority focus areas. Work in this Project is performed by Ground Vehicle System Center (GVSC).
Mission — Crew Augmentation and Optimization Tech
This project designs capabilities for reduced vehicle crew sizes to successfully operate a larger number of closed-hatch manned and remote unmanned vehicles in a complex multi-domain operations environment. This project will enable future crews to perform missions with increasingly sophisticated technologies, and in increasingly complex, dynamic socio-technical environments. The applied research will provide the fundamental technologies to enable integrated performance improved learning - Warfighter Machine Interfaces (WMIs) that are scalable to multiple crew hardware and functional configurations; reconfigurable frameworks and simulation for concept experimentation and exploration; and team-centered dynamic tasking by machine intelligence to effectively utilize full capabilities of crew and technologies. The research will generate Soldier-informed data, reports, and analysis to support operational use in future vehicles through Soldier experimentation and assessment of technical concepts in simulation and in-field WMIs. The capabilities created by this research will increase overall crew and team performance; improved Soldier safety due to fewer Soldier per vehicle, closed-hatch operations, and improved standoff from effective control; and vehicles that can effectively conduct multiple domain operations. Work in this project complements Program Element (PE) 0603462A (Next Generation Combat Vehicle Advanced Technology) and PE 0602143A (Soldier Lethality Technology). The cited work is consistent with the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering priority focus areas. Work in this project is performed by the Ground Vehicle System Center (GVSC) and the Army Research Laboratory (ARL).
Mission — Artificial Intelligence & Machine Learning Tech
This project develops and characterizes artificial intelligence and machine learning software and algorithms to team with soldiers in support of fully autonomous maneuver of the Next Generation Combat Vehicle (NGCV) and other autonomous systems, both physical and non-embodied. Efforts develop capabilities for NGCV and other autonomous agents that increase autonomy, unburdening the soldier operator, with a high degree of survivability and lethality in a highly contested environment. This work also investigates power distribution and conversion technologies to provide compact, efficient, and high-power capabilities for electrical and electro- mechanical loads supporting both mobile and stationary unmanned platforms. Research enables combat vehicles to rapidly learn, adapt, and reason faster than the adversary; accomplish missions in contested, austere and congested environments, characterized by lack of structure, adversarial actions, and minimal a priori knowledge; and provide force reduction through self-learning vehicles that can operate in complex militarily relevant environments. This project also matures emerging research leading to potential technology development in areas of strategic importance to the Army by bringing competitively selected Universities with research teams into Technical Alliances. The cited work is consistent with Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering priority focus areas.
Mission — Sensors for Autonomous Operations and Surv Tech
This project designs and develops modular and adaptive sensor components, novel embedded processing approaches, innovative threat cueing solutions and novel multi-function sensor payloads integrated with novel signal image processing techniques to provide improved manned and unmanned ground vehicle situational understanding in all environments. This project will also investigate and develop techniques to detect maneuver obstacles, to include explosive hazards, tank ditches, and concrete blockades. This research is coordinated with Program Element (PE) 0603462A (Next Generation Combat Vehicle Advanced Technology), PE 0603118A (Soldier Lethality Advanced Technology), PE 0602143A (Soldier Lethality Technology), PE 0602148A (Future Vertical Lift Technology) and PE 0603465A (Future Vertical Lift Advanced Technology). The cited work is consistent with the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering priority focus areas. Work in this project is performed by the Command, Control, Computers, Communications, Cyber, Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (C5ISR) Center.
Mission — Modeling and Simulation for MUMT Technology
This project develops Modeling and Simulation (M&S) tools and technologies to assess and improve freedom of movement for ground forces and supports vehicle developers by addressing challenges for robotic and ground vehicles. Through investigation and design, this project develops obstacle detection and classification algorithms for dynamic mobility hazards in urban and complex environments. This project develops tools to evaluate system performance reducing the need for physical testing including: real-time mobility decision support tools, vehicle-terrain interactive models for autonomous convoy operations, simulation tools for vehicle mobility in highly altered terrain, and M&S tools for predicting the performance of autonomous vehicles in a wide variety of weather and terrain conditions. These M&S technologies can be integrated across Army vehicle platforms as required. Work in this project complements Program Element (PE) 0603462A (Next Generation Combat Vehicle Advanced Technology) / Project BG3 (Modeling and Simulation for MUMT Advanced Tech). The work cited is consistent with the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering priority focus areas. Work in this project is performed by the Geotechnical and Structures Laboratory.
Mission — Advanced Concepts for Active Defense Technology
This project funds research for advanced materials and mechanisms to defeat the most common and most dangerous threats that are expected to be encountered by our ground forces in the near, mid and far term. Work conducted in this project will result in concepts for Adaptive and Cooperative Protection of ground combat vehicles. Additionally, research will focus on subcomponent/component models to predict performance of early concepts and the means to evaluate effectiveness on ground platforms. The project will balance developments of active threat defeat measures with the necessary advanced passive and active components to provide solutions which will help meet the requirements of current and next generation ground tactical and combat vehicles. This project is coordinated with and transitions to Program Element (PE) 0603462A (Next Generation Combat Vehicle Advanced Technology) and builds upon weapon target interaction research in PE 0602144A (Ground Technology) and PE 0601102A (Defense Research Sciences) / Project AA7 (Mechanics and Ballistics). The cited work is consistent with Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering priority focus areas. Work in this project is performed by the Army Research Laboratory (ARL), Command, Control, Communication, Computers, Cyber, Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Center (C5ISR), Data and Analysis Center (DAC), and Ground Vehicle Systems Center (GVSC).
Mission — Platform Electrification and Mobility Tech
This project researches and develops advanced power and energy technologies for tactical and combat ground vehicles that are necessary for parallel or series hybrid-electric drive. Research energy storage, distribution and battlefield charging technologies to enable future plug-in hybrid-electric drive and all electric tactical vehicle systems. This project researches and develops advanced power and energy technologies for combat ground vehicles that are necessary for parallel hybrid, series hybrid and all- electric vehicle systems. Work in this project complements PE 0603462A (Next Generation Combat Vehicle Advanced Technology). The cited work is consistent with the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering priority focus areas. Work in this project is performed by the Ground Vehicle System Center (GVSC)
Mission — Sensor Protection Technology
This project investigates, designs, and develops techniques for masking friendly force capabilities and intentions. The project pursues technologies to reduce the susceptibility of sensor systems to detection and targeting by threat forces, as well as to inform the development of next generation signature reduction schemas. This project also designs, investigates, fabricates, evaluates and characterizes advanced sensor protection technologies, components, and concepts that will enable the future soldier to see and operate through a laser directed energy weapon attack. Both active and passive protection technologies will be investigated to protect Army sensors that operate in the visible, short-wave infrared, mid-wave infrared, and long-wave infrared spectra from battlefield laser threats. Areas of research include passive optical limiters such as nonlinear organic dyes, semiconductors, and meta-materials, as well as fast active switches and tunable filters. Technologies investigated include novel optics designs combined with signal processing, spectral filtering, and threat sensing algorithms. Work in this project is coordinated with Program Element (PE) 0603462A (Next Generation Combat Vehicle Advanced Technology), PE 0603118A (Soldier Lethality Advanced Technology), PE 0603465A (Future Vertical Lift Advanced Technology), and PE 0602143A (Soldier Lethality Technology) The cited work is consistent with the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering priority focus areas. Work in this project is performed by the Command, Control, Computers, Communications, Cyber, Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (C5ISR) Center
Mission — Materials Application and Integration Tech
This project designs, develops, fabricates and evaluates a variety of materials (e.g. metals, ceramics, polymers and composites) to enable more survivable, lighter weight vehicle armor, chemical and biological protection, armaments and electronics for the next generation combat vehicle. Research focuses on unique and /or novel materials properties, developing physics-based models, materials characterization techniques, non-destructive testing methods and advanced fabrication/processing methodologies to transition candidate solutions for maturity, scale-up, and integration into systems. This project also continues the Advanced Vehicle Power Technology Alliance between the Department of Energy and the Army with a focus on materials, providing an emphasis on developing advanced technologies that enable military ground vehicles to become significantly more energy efficient. The alliance is chartered to accelerate the conceptualization and transition into deployment of inventive and creative energy-saving concepts that the Nation needs to achieve energy security. This project matures and integrates lightweight materials and joining technologies in support of lighter military vehicles which are more fuel-efficient and expeditionary with superior mobility and protection of both vehicles and occupants. Work in this project leverages research from Program Element (PE) 0601102A (Defense Research Sciences) / Project AA7 (Mechanics and Ballistics) and 0602144A (Ground Technology) / Project BL1 (Materials and Manufacturing Research Technology). This work is also coordinated with PE 0603462A (Next Generation Combat Vehicle Advanced Technology). The cited work is consistent with Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering priority focus areas. Work in this project is performed by the Army Research Laboratory (ARL).
Mission — Tactical and Navigation Lasers Sensors Technology
This project designs and develops novel laser sensor technologies which provide improved maneuver, lethality, and survivability capabilities via manned and autonomous navigation, adversary sensor threat detection, and target detection and designation in all environments. It will deliver novel laser technologies which will provide low size, weight, and power (SWaP) laser sources and receivers for optical augmentation detection systems; and compact Laser Detection and Ranging (LADAR) sources for situational awareness and air and ground vehicle operations and navigation in all environments. This project is a critical enabler for autonomous operations in environments where other imaging technologies are not sufficient. This project is coordinated with Program Element (PE) 0603462A (Next Generation Combat Vehicle Advanced Technology), PE 0603118A (Soldier Lethality Advanced Technology), PE 0603465A (Future Vertical Lift Advanced Technology), and PE 0602143A (Soldier Lethality Technology). The cited work is consistent with the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering priority focus areas. Work in this project is performed by the Command, Control, Computers, Communications, Cyber, Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (C5ISR) Center.
Mission — Virtual Prototyping Technology
This project designs and analyzes novel NGCV system level ground vehicle concepts by integrating advanced mobility, survivability, lethality, sensing and electrical/electronic technologies to address emerging and future advanced threats. This project provides system level ground vehicle design concepts and performance analysis, assesses cost and performance trades, and provides real-time soldier feedback on technology performance for the Army's NGCVs. Technologies to be evaluated include high efficiency advanced powertrains, power generation, vehicle electrification, active protection systems, active blast, advanced lethality and robotic control and autonomy technologies. The NGCV virtual prototypes include Virtual Soldier Operational Experiments (VSOE) with System Integration Labs (SILs) to give warfighters an understanding into how behaviors and tactics change given emerging operation concepts based on new technologies and capabilities. Future integration of VSOEs with software and hardware SILs with realistic interfaces and utilizing mixed reality technology will provide higher fidelity Soldier evaluations, without the time and cost associated with physical prototypes. The virtual prototyping results provide critical inputs to the Army's NGCV program by providing independent technical and operational performance results for the Army's next generation of ground combat vehicles while reducing risk and accelerating transition to physical prototypes. Work in this project is coordinated with Program Element (PE) 0603462A (Next Generation Combat Vehicle Advanced Technology) / Project BF4 (Combat Vehicle Robotics Adv Tech). The cited work is consistent with the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering priority focus areas. Work in this project is performed by the Ground Vehicle System Center (GVSC).
Mission — Adv Direct In-Direct Armament Sys (ADIDAS) Tech
This project matures and conducts experiments on component technologies for large caliber direct fire light-weight armament systems that will exceed the current capability of 120mm direct fire and be optimized for future operational environment with cross-domain engagement capability. This project also researches large caliber direct fire munitions to project overwhelming lethality while ensuring maneuver forces remains mobile and sustainable during close-combat engagements at extended ranges. Research in this project is related to and fully integrated with the efforts funded in Program Element (PE) 0603462A (Next Generation Combat Vehicle Advanced Technology) / Project BK6 (Advanced Technology Direct In Direct Armament Sys (ADIDAS) Advanced Technology). The cited work is consistent with the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering priority focus areas. Research in this project is performed by the Armaments Center (AC) and Army Research Laboratory (ARL).
Mission — Ground Vehicle Technology (CA)
Congressional Interest Item funding provided for Ground Vehicle Technology. The cited work is consistent with the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering priority focus areas.
Justification
Accomplishments & Planned Programs (78)
Autonomous Behaviors and Perception
This effort contributes to the NGCV Robotic Autonomous Strategy (RAS) to advance the mobility performance of autonomous systems within complex environments/ operations to allow for the completion of mission goals in separate and teaming configurations at varying levels of autonomy.
Human Robotic Interaction
This effort contributes to the Next Generation Combat Vehicle Robotic Autonomous Strategy (NGCV RAS) to implement a focused approach to deliver optimized unmanned system and manned-unmanned system performance through reduced cognitive burden for the Soldier while maintaining real-time unmanned system status/activity, overall mission effectiveness, and predictive capability of the system's intended activity.
M&S for Autonomy Enabled Ground Systems
This effort contributes to the NGCV RAS program by designing and developing modeling and simulation (M&S) tools for the development and evaluation of autonomy technologies. The effort designs and develops tools necessary to virtually evaluate Combat Vehicle Robotics (CoVeR) program autonomy algorithms. The capabilities and contents of the M&S tools will emulate the CoVeR EET events conducted in PE 0603462A (Next Generation Ground Vehicle Advanced Technology) / Project BF4 (Combat Vehicle Robotics Adv Tech) and allowing these tools to scale on other Army and Department of Defense compute platforms.
Small Unmanned Ground Vehicle (UGV) as Deployable Sensor
This effort advances teaming between autonomous small Unmanned Ground Vehicles (UGVs) and Next Generation Combat Vehicles (NGCV) to execute collaborative mission tasks in support of reconnaissance and clearing missions.
Crew Capability Enhancement
This effort focuses on the dynamic interaction of Soldiers, responsible for both manned and unmanned ground vehicles, working together within a platoon formation. The project funds research on the simultaneous use of multiple technologies by Soldiers including transparent multi-modal user interfaces, commander's tools for maintaining and enhancing situation awareness, decision aids for enabling dynamic resource allocation and orchestration, and tools to interact with and adapt vehicle based autonomy. Products will include artificial intelligence algorithms, information display technologies, and team-centric design principles.
Characterize Soldier-Adaptive AI Interactions
This effort develops approaches for characterizing Soldier interactions and overall human-system performance of mixed Soldier and intelligent-agent teams to enable robust human system performance for manned and unmanned teams. This effort will focus on flexible, tailorable methodologies for laboratory-grade, high-resolution characterization of Soldier and Artificial Intelligence (AI) enabled intelligent-agent adaption in complex environments.
Human Augmentation for Collective Training
This effort investigates assessment techniques of crew performance to inform the development of individual and collective training for military vehicles. Assessment techniques will be applicable across a variety of vehicle platforms, training tasks and vehicle crew roles. This effort will support training and increased force readiness of vehicle crews in complex environments by developing accurate and efficient performance assessment techniques evaluated in complex Operational Environments (OE) enabled by the latest advances in simulation and training technology.
Crew Interaction Interfaces and Technologies
This effort focuses on the design and development of crew interaction interfaces and intelligent technologies. It includes WMI modification to improve cross-platform situational awareness and enables real-time, data-driven prediction of the crew to support changing mission goals.
Platoon Teaming Capability
This effort focuses on the design, development and validation of intelligent, real-time, within-vehicle task management; data-driven allocation of situational awareness (SA) across platforms within the platoon; coordinated platoon-level manned-unmanned teaming (MUM-T) semi-autonomous maneuver with complex formations; and on-the-fly, platoon-level task optimization. This effort includes WMI modification to conduct experiments with these capabilities in application of intelligent task management and data-driven prediction of crew to support changing mission goals.
Scalable, Adaptive, and Resilient Autonomous Systems
This effort develops emerging research in Autonomous Vehicle intelligence and decision making, human agent teaming, scalable and collaborative behaviors, embodied and embedded intelligence, and autonomous operations for next generation Army platforms in dynamic Army relevant environments, architectures, and missions. Specific focus will be on the application of Artificial Intelligence/Machine Learning (AI/ML) to autonomous systems and human-intelligent agent teaming; scalable and collaborative behaviors in support of heterogeneous air and ground manned-unmanned teaming (MUM-T) operations; methods for embodied and embedded intelligence for increased understanding, manipulation, and reflexive maneuver through and interaction with dynamic environments; techniques for improved perception, decision making, and adaptive behaviors in contested environments for MUM-T; and new methods for testing and evaluating emerging technologies for intelligent and autonomous systems under Army relevant constraints and environments and in Army relevant architectures.
Context-Based Information Dynamics
This effort investigates techniques that integrate on-board and external information sources, and it applies ML analytic approaches to support automated intelligence analysis and decision making. The goal is to enable tactical agents to cooperatively share relevant and timely tactical information within a distributed environment.
Heterogeneous Computing and Computational Sciences
This effort funds research to develop algorithms and architectures that allow adaptable, energy efficient information processing across different computing hardware platforms. The goal of this research is to provide high performance computing and processing capabilities to the Soldier on the battlefield.
Machine Learning with Constrained Resources
This effort will research new ML and reinforcement learning methods to address issues of statistically mismatched and incomplete information which must be annotated, collected, classified, and used for rapid decisions by joint intelligent agent-human teams. In addition, multi-modal human interaction approaches will be investigated to ensure effective Soldier interactions and understanding of intent. The goal of this research is to enable joint human-intelligent agent decision making, optimizing the strengths of each in the decision process and creating an adaptive, agile team. This work applies research conducted in PE 0611102A (Defense Research Sciences) / AA6 (Robotics and Mobile Energy) and AA9 (Information and Networking).
Intelligence for High Operational Tempo Maneuver
Applied research on intelligence for cognitive learning and control architectures to enable efficient and full use of embodied physical capabilities and create the machine intelligence required of autonomous systems to understand physical limitations. Investigates the means through which robotic physical performance attributes (e.g. speed, agility) will be coupled with artificial intelligence to enable resilient maneuver in high operational tempo missions in complex environments.
Operational Assessment of Artificial Intelligence Developmental Systems
This effort supports the Combatant Commander's needs by performing operational assessments of AI-intense developmental weapon systems.
Advanced Sensors with Embedded Processing
Designs and develops advanced, automated multi-spectral and multi-function sensor components, and image processing techniques with improved performance in all environments and against all threats to include low-contrast targets in camouflage or in degraded conditions to enable combined arms maneuvers in complex environments for NGCV via manned, optionally manned, and robotic platform applications.
Sensors, Electronics and Processing Approaches for Threat Overmatch
This effort design, develops, matures and validates novel electro-optic/infrared (EO/IR), radar and other sensor components, sensor payloads and image processing approaches to enable enhanced detection of line of sight and beyond line-of-sight threats and complex obstacles in all environments via manned, optionally manned and robotic platforms. It will enable cueing and target hand-off to maintain overmatch while on-the-move, at speed, in cluttered environments.
Advanced Technologies for Countermine in Complex Environments
This effort investigates and validates techniques and methods to automatically recognize maneuver threats and obstacles, such as landmines and other explosive hazards, using novel processing approaches. This project leverages existing tactical airborne and geospatial intelligence data to provide locations to lower echelon maneuver formations to direct UAS threat recognition and support breaching operations. It also provides content for inclusion within a modified combined obstacle overlay for intelligence preparation and situational awareness.
Autonomous Vehicle/Terrain Interactions
This effort develops Modeling and Simulation (M&S) capabilities to evaluate autonomous vehicle formation performance on mission-relevant terrain and environments (i.e., soft soil, gap crossing, obstacle override, cold regions, low-light, etc.). This effort develops algorithms for improved manned/unmanned and air/ground teaming for off-road tactical behaviors.
Multi-Threat Armor Technologies
This effort develops multi-threat hybrid armor technologies incorporating both active and passive mechanisms for ground vehicle systems that are effective against future conventional weapons and evolving improvised threats including kinetic and chemical energy as well as blast threats.
Adaptive and Cooperative Protection
This effort pursues a holistic approach toward achieving significant weight reduction and protection from future threats by utilizing real-time information, combined with threat knowledge, to provide ever-increasing protection. This approach includes integrating individual vehicle capabilities of armor, underbody blast protection, active protection systems, and advanced soft kill methods into one layered solution to maximize survivability and minimize weight for combat and tactical vehicles. This effort will investigate modern protective technologies that implement complex kinematic mechanisms in order to bend, break and disperse threat projectiles before they can injure crew or disable vehicles.
Emerging Overmatch Technologies
This effort designs, develops, and conduct experiments to validate the lethality and protection concepts that re-establish overmatch for the next generation of manned and unmanned combat platforms. It will tightly couple scientific research within a campaign of learning to form technology concepts for battlefield domination against current and future threats. This research will heavily leverage other efforts within PE 0602145A (Next Generation Combat Vehicle Advanced Technology) and PE 0603462A (Next Generation Combat Vehicle Advanced Technology).
Survivability/Lethality/Vulnerability Analysis Tools and Methodology
This effort devises state-of-the-art survivability/lethality/vulnerability methodologies to dynamically model the interaction of conventional ballistic threats against future weapon systems.
Collaborative Defense
This effort expands the capability of the Army to protect ground vehicles. This is done by conducting research into technologies that can enable the sharing of protection resources across multiple platforms in real time, allowing for the expansion of the zone of protection on the battlefield beyond a single vehicle and its protection system. These technologies include components such as sensors which can be used to identify and track incoming threats, radios/networks which will allow local sharing of threat detection and tracking information, and effectors which can disrupt or destroy threats before terminal engagement with the platform. In order to enable collaboration across multiple platforms, including integration factors such as size, weight, power consumption, and cost impacts to the platform, this effort will study various system-level approaches to integrating these aforementioned technologies. Additionally, this effort will validate performance of the system in the laboratory environment.
Directed Energy for Terminal Effects
This effort supports research to enable the Army to utilize the most promising directed energy sources against guided munitions in Global Positioning System (GPS)-denied environments and counter enemy unmanned ground vehicle (UGVs) while providing protection for our sensor technologies, denying adversaries a transparent battlefield.
Advanced Vehicle Survivability (AVS) Research
This effort expands the capability of ground vehicles to support multi-domain operations through research into the benefits of new and novel materials and threat defeat mechanisms that enable a lighter, more survivable maneuver force. The project will design armor and non-armor concepts, such as, for vehicle self-protection, and subsequent crew/occupant protection, against the spectrum of current and emerging threats including top, front, side, and underbelly attack. Emerging threats will be exploited, and surrogates will be developed for use in research experiments that determine efficacy of new designs. Vehicle integration studies will be used to validate overall concept design and support down-selection of technologies and concepts for further maturation and demonstration.
Vehicle Intelligent Survivability (VIS) Research
This effort will research interoperability between survivability technologies and other vehicle subsystems (e.g.: mobility, lethality, and C5ISR) and other formation assets to provide the Ground Combat Vehicle crew with the ability to take more suitable and effective defensive action while receiving an enriched threat picture. Will examine the state-of-art in vehicle interoperability and subsystem technology to identify opportunities for exploitation. These findings will inform the development of advanced control algorithms and interfaces for survivability technologies.
Advanced Threat APS Radar Technology
This effort develops ground combat vehicle survivability technologies including radar techniques to support hard-kill countermeasures as a part of an integrated survivability suite for ground combat platforms in all-weather, day or night conditions with 360 degree situational awareness and Kinetic Energy threat defeat.
Detection Avoidance Applique Technology Research
This effort is to design and develop a technology concept for ground vehicles that integrates multiple signature management component technologies into a system in order to create a holistic solution to avoid detection across spectrums of interest.
Scalable Electrification & Control Architecture
This effort designs and develops the power distribution and control components to implement a common, scalable, electrified vehicle power architecture to enable advanced lethality and protection capabilities, fast vehicle charging from the grid, and silent mobility on combat platforms across light to heavy weight classes. This power architecture enables the hybrid electric, fuel cell electric, and all-electric powertrains.
Platform Electrification Research
This effort designs and develops the electric power generation, energy storage and electrified components and sub-systems required to electrify combat vehicles across light to heavy weight classes.
Robotic Combat Vehicle Silent Watch and Mobility Range Extension
This effort designs and develops the Jet Propellant 8 (JP8) reformer based silent watch and mobility extension subsystem required to electrify robotic combat vehicles. The Army's robotic combat vehicles are expected to have increased silent watch and silent mobility requirements that are not met by current technologies.
Battlefield Electric Vehicle Recharge Technology
This effort develops technologies to enable highly mobile Electric Vehicle (EV) rechargers that are essential to allow highly electrified tactical and combat platforms to be fielded by the Army to enable capabilities such as persistent silent mobility. This effort includes highly mobile power generation and wireless power transfer to the tactical and combat platforms.
Sensor Protection Technology
This effort will design and develop component technology to improve protection of sensors and sensor electronics from threats via techniques to harden optics, reduce sensor optical cross sections, novel coating approaches, filter improvements, and emerging signature reduction schemas.
Novel Armor Materials and Processes for Vehicle Protection
Develop novel metal alloys and associated processes through the scale-up and exploitation of revolutionary new metal alloys, which have demonstrated capabilities to overcome traditional engineering trade-offs (e.g., strength and ductility) with exceptional high temperature stability.
Tactical and Navigation Lasers Sensors Technology
This effort designs and develops novel low SWaP, compact, high peak power pulsed laser sources and receivers for optical augmentation detection systems; and compact LADAR sources for situational awareness and manned and unmanned air and ground vehicle operations and navigation in all environments. This effort delivers component technologies needed to support future Army autonomous, covert targeting approaches.
Virtual Prototyping
This effort utilizes virtual prototyping to address technical and integration challenges in the areas of mobility, survivability, lethality, vehicle architecture, and systems integration for the Army's next generation of ground combat vehicles. Specifically, this effort focuses on developing integrated design concepts, performance analysis, identifying and assessing trade space, and conducting virtual operational experiments for the NGCV. The combination of technical performance and operational feedback provides insights that will inform designs and reduce development and testing time.
Advanced Lethality Armament System- Large Caliber (ALAS-LC)
Investigate increased lethality solutions for next generation large caliber direct fire armament systems that will ensure battlefield dominance of US ground forces. Design reduced recoil armament systems capable of increased rate of fire enabled by a compact autoloader with performance that exceeds current state of the art 120mm direct fire cannons for current and future Army platforms.
Decisive Lethality
This effort develops energy-efficient lethal mechanism technologies for the next-generation of large-caliber ammunition launched from direct fire weapon systems to maximize the lethality against an array of targets and provide tactical advantage at extended ranges against current and future threats. This includes research and development to produce a compact, high energy density propelling charge, engineered aerodynamics for improved accuracy, a novel kinetic penetrator with next generation lethal mechanism, and the ability to defeat advanced and smart armors.
Autonomous Behaviors and Perception
This effort contributes to the NGCV Robotic Autonomous Strategy (RAS) to advance the mobility performance of autonomous systems within complex environments/ operations to allow for the completion of mission goals in separate and teaming configurations at varying levels of autonomy.
Human Robotic Interaction
This effort contributes to the Next Generation Combat Vehicle Robotic Autonomous Strategy (NGCV RAS) to implement a focused approach to deliver optimized unmanned system and manned-unmanned system performance through reduced cognitive burden for the Soldier while maintaining real-time unmanned system status/activity, overall mission effectiveness, and predictive capability of the system's intended activity.
M&S for Autonomy Enabled Ground Systems
This effort contributes to the NGCV RAS program by designing and developing modeling and simulation (M&S) tools for the development and evaluation of autonomy technologies. The effort designs and develops tools necessary to virtually evaluate Combat Vehicle Robotics (CoVeR) program autonomy algorithms. The capabilities and contents of the M&S tools will emulate the CoVeR EET events conducted in PE 0603462A (Next Generation Ground Vehicle Advanced Technology) / Project BF4 (Combat Vehicle Robotics Adv Tech) and allowing these tools to scale on other Army and Department of Defense compute platforms.
Small Unmanned Ground Vehicle (UGV) as Deployable Sensor
This effort advances teaming between autonomous small Unmanned Ground Vehicles (UGVs) and Next Generation Combat Vehicles (NGCV) to execute collaborative mission tasks in support of reconnaissance and clearing missions.
Crew Capability Enhancement
This effort focuses on the dynamic interaction of Soldiers, responsible for both manned and unmanned ground vehicles, working together within a platoon formation. The project funds research on the simultaneous use of multiple technologies by Soldiers including transparent multi-modal user interfaces, commander's tools for maintaining and enhancing situation awareness, decision aids for enabling dynamic resource allocation and orchestration, and tools to interact with and adapt vehicle based autonomy. Products will include artificial intelligence algorithms, information display technologies, and team-centric design principles.
Characterize Soldier-Adaptive AI Interactions
This effort develops approaches for characterizing Soldier interactions and overall human-system performance of mixed Soldier and intelligent-agent teams to enable robust human system performance for manned and unmanned teams. This effort will focus on flexible, tailorable methodologies for laboratory-grade, high-resolution characterization of Soldier and Artificial Intelligence (AI) enabled intelligent-agent adaption in complex environments.
Human Augmentation for Collective Training
This effort investigates assessment techniques of crew performance to inform the development of individual and collective training for military vehicles. Assessment techniques will be applicable across a variety of vehicle platforms, training tasks and vehicle crew roles. This effort will support training and increased force readiness of vehicle crews in complex environments by developing accurate and efficient performance assessment techniques evaluated in complex Operational Environments (OE) enabled by the latest advances in simulation and training technology.
Crew Interaction Interfaces and Technologies
This effort focuses on the design and development of crew interaction interfaces and intelligent technologies. It includes WMI modification to improve cross-platform situational awareness and enables real-time, data-driven prediction of the crew to support changing mission goals.
Platoon Teaming Capability
This effort focuses on the design, development and validation of intelligent, real-time, within-vehicle task management; data-driven allocation of situational awareness (SA) across platforms within the platoon; coordinated platoon-level manned-unmanned teaming (MUM-T) semi-autonomous maneuver with complex formations; and on-the-fly, platoon-level task optimization. This effort includes WMI modification to conduct experiments with these capabilities in application of intelligent task management and data-driven prediction of crew to support changing mission goals.
Scalable, Adaptive, and Resilient Autonomous Systems
This effort develops emerging research in Autonomous Vehicle intelligence and decision making, human agent teaming, scalable and collaborative behaviors, embodied and embedded intelligence, and autonomous operations for next generation Army platforms in dynamic Army relevant environments, architectures, and missions. Specific focus will be on the application of Artificial Intelligence/Machine Learning (AI/ML) to autonomous systems and human-intelligent agent teaming; scalable and collaborative behaviors in support of heterogeneous air and ground manned-unmanned teaming (MUM-T) operations; methods for embodied and embedded intelligence for increased understanding, manipulation, and reflexive maneuver through and interaction with dynamic environments; techniques for improved perception, decision making, and adaptive behaviors in contested environments for MUM-T; and new methods for testing and evaluating emerging technologies for intelligent and autonomous systems under Army relevant constraints and environments and in Army relevant architectures.
Context-Based Information Dynamics
This effort investigates techniques that integrate on-board and external information sources, and it applies ML analytic approaches to support automated intelligence analysis and decision making. The goal is to enable tactical agents to cooperatively share relevant and timely tactical information within a distributed environment.
Heterogeneous Computing and Computational Sciences
This effort funds research to develop algorithms and architectures that allow adaptable, energy efficient information processing across different computing hardware platforms. The goal of this research is to provide high performance computing and processing capabilities to the Soldier on the battlefield.
Machine Learning with Constrained Resources
This effort will research new ML and reinforcement learning methods to address issues of statistically mismatched and incomplete information which must be annotated, collected, classified, and used for rapid decisions by joint intelligent agent-human teams. In addition, multi-modal human interaction approaches will be investigated to ensure effective Soldier interactions and understanding of intent. The goal of this research is to enable joint human-intelligent agent decision making, optimizing the strengths of each in the decision process and creating an adaptive, agile team. This work applies research conducted in PE 0611102A (Defense Research Sciences) / AA6 (Robotics and Mobile Energy) and AA9 (Information and Networking).
Intelligence for High Operational Tempo Maneuver
Applied research on intelligence for cognitive learning and control architectures to enable efficient and full use of embodied physical capabilities and create the machine intelligence required of autonomous systems to understand physical limitations. Investigates the means through which robotic physical performance attributes (e.g. speed, agility) will be coupled with artificial intelligence to enable resilient maneuver in high operational tempo missions in complex environments.
Operational Assessment of Artificial Intelligence Developmental Systems
This effort supports the Combatant Commander's needs by performing operational assessments of AI-intense developmental weapon systems.
Advanced Sensors with Embedded Processing
Designs and develops advanced, automated multi-spectral and multi-function sensor components, and image processing techniques with improved performance in all environments and against all threats to include low-contrast targets in camouflage or in degraded conditions to enable combined arms maneuvers in complex environments for NGCV via manned, optionally manned, and robotic platform applications.
Sensors, Electronics and Processing Approaches for Threat Overmatch
This effort design, develops, matures and validates novel electro-optic/infrared (EO/IR), radar and other sensor components, sensor payloads and image processing approaches to enable enhanced detection of line of sight and beyond line-of-sight threats and complex obstacles in all environments via manned, optionally manned and robotic platforms. It will enable cueing and target hand-off to maintain overmatch while on-the-move, at speed, in cluttered environments.
Advanced Technologies for Countermine in Complex Environments
This effort investigates and validates techniques and methods to automatically recognize maneuver threats and obstacles, such as landmines and other explosive hazards, using novel processing approaches. This project leverages existing tactical airborne and geospatial intelligence data to provide locations to lower echelon maneuver formations to direct UAS threat recognition and support breaching operations. It also provides content for inclusion within a modified combined obstacle overlay for intelligence preparation and situational awareness.
Autonomous Vehicle/Terrain Interactions
This effort develops Modeling and Simulation (M&S) capabilities to evaluate autonomous vehicle formation performance on mission-relevant terrain and environments (i.e., soft soil, gap crossing, obstacle override, cold regions, low-light, etc.). This effort develops algorithms for improved manned/unmanned and air/ground teaming for off-road tactical behaviors.
Multi-Threat Armor Technologies
This effort develops multi-threat hybrid armor technologies incorporating both active and passive mechanisms for ground vehicle systems that are effective against future conventional weapons and evolving improvised threats including kinetic and chemical energy as well as blast threats.
Adaptive and Cooperative Protection
This effort pursues a holistic approach toward achieving significant weight reduction and protection from future threats by utilizing real-time information, combined with threat knowledge, to provide ever-increasing protection. This approach includes integrating individual vehicle capabilities of armor, underbody blast protection, active protection systems, and advanced soft kill methods into one layered solution to maximize survivability and minimize weight for combat and tactical vehicles. This effort will investigate modern protective technologies that implement complex kinematic mechanisms in order to bend, break and disperse threat projectiles before they can injure crew or disable vehicles.
Emerging Overmatch Technologies
This effort designs, develops, and conduct experiments to validate the lethality and protection concepts that re-establish overmatch for the next generation of manned and unmanned combat platforms. It will tightly couple scientific research within a campaign of learning to form technology concepts for battlefield domination against current and future threats. This research will heavily leverage other efforts within PE 0602145A (Next Generation Combat Vehicle Advanced Technology) and PE 0603462A (Next Generation Combat Vehicle Advanced Technology).
Survivability/Lethality/Vulnerability Analysis Tools and Methodology
This effort devises state-of-the-art survivability/lethality/vulnerability methodologies to dynamically model the interaction of conventional ballistic threats against future weapon systems.
Collaborative Defense
This effort expands the capability of the Army to protect ground vehicles. This is done by conducting research into technologies that can enable the sharing of protection resources across multiple platforms in real time, allowing for the expansion of the zone of protection on the battlefield beyond a single vehicle and its protection system. These technologies include components such as sensors which can be used to identify and track incoming threats, radios/networks which will allow local sharing of threat detection and tracking information, and effectors which can disrupt or destroy threats before terminal engagement with the platform. In order to enable collaboration across multiple platforms, including integration factors such as size, weight, power consumption, and cost impacts to the platform, this effort will study various system-level approaches to integrating these aforementioned technologies. Additionally, this effort will validate performance of the system in the laboratory environment.
Directed Energy for Terminal Effects
This effort supports research to enable the Army to utilize the most promising directed energy sources against guided munitions in Global Positioning System (GPS)-denied environments and counter enemy unmanned ground vehicle (UGVs) while providing protection for our sensor technologies, denying adversaries a transparent battlefield.
Advanced Vehicle Survivability (AVS) Research
This effort expands the capability of ground vehicles to support multi-domain operations through research into the benefits of new and novel materials and threat defeat mechanisms that enable a lighter, more survivable maneuver force. The project will design armor and non-armor concepts, such as, for vehicle self-protection, and subsequent crew/occupant protection, against the spectrum of current and emerging threats including top, front, side, and underbelly attack. Emerging threats will be exploited, and surrogates will be developed for use in research experiments that determine efficacy of new designs. Vehicle integration studies will be used to validate overall concept design and support down-selection of technologies and concepts for further maturation and demonstration.
Vehicle Intelligent Survivability (VIS) Research
This effort will research interoperability between survivability technologies and other vehicle subsystems (e.g.: mobility, lethality, and C5ISR) and other formation assets to provide the Ground Combat Vehicle crew with the ability to take more suitable and effective defensive action while receiving an enriched threat picture. Will examine the state-of-art in vehicle interoperability and subsystem technology to identify opportunities for exploitation. These findings will inform the development of advanced control algorithms and interfaces for survivability technologies.
Advanced Threat APS Radar Technology
This effort develops ground combat vehicle survivability technologies including radar techniques to support hard-kill countermeasures as a part of an integrated survivability suite for ground combat platforms in all-weather, day or night conditions with 360 degree situational awareness and Kinetic Energy threat defeat.
Detection Avoidance Applique Technology Research
This effort is to design and develop a technology concept for ground vehicles that integrates multiple signature management component technologies into a system in order to create a holistic solution to avoid detection across spectrums of interest.
Scalable Electrification & Control Architecture
This effort designs and develops the power distribution and control components to implement a common, scalable, electrified vehicle power architecture to enable advanced lethality and protection capabilities, fast vehicle charging from the grid, and silent mobility on combat platforms across light to heavy weight classes. This power architecture enables the hybrid electric, fuel cell electric, and all-electric powertrains.
Platform Electrification Research
This effort designs and develops the electric power generation, energy storage and electrified components and sub-systems required to electrify combat vehicles across light to heavy weight classes.
Robotic Combat Vehicle Silent Watch and Mobility Range Extension
This effort designs and develops the Jet Propellant 8 (JP8) reformer based silent watch and mobility extension subsystem required to electrify robotic combat vehicles. The Army's robotic combat vehicles are expected to have increased silent watch and silent mobility requirements that are not met by current technologies.
Battlefield Electric Vehicle Recharge Technology
This effort develops technologies to enable highly mobile Electric Vehicle (EV) rechargers that are essential to allow highly electrified tactical and combat platforms to be fielded by the Army to enable capabilities such as persistent silent mobility. This effort includes highly mobile power generation and wireless power transfer to the tactical and combat platforms.
Sensor Protection Technology
This effort will design and develop component technology to improve protection of sensors and sensor electronics from threats via techniques to harden optics, reduce sensor optical cross sections, novel coating approaches, filter improvements, and emerging signature reduction schemas.
Novel Armor Materials and Processes for Vehicle Protection
Develop novel metal alloys and associated processes through the scale-up and exploitation of revolutionary new metal alloys, which have demonstrated capabilities to overcome traditional engineering trade-offs (e.g., strength and ductility) with exceptional high temperature stability.
Tactical and Navigation Lasers Sensors Technology
This effort designs and develops novel low SWaP, compact, high peak power pulsed laser sources and receivers for optical augmentation detection systems; and compact LADAR sources for situational awareness and manned and unmanned air and ground vehicle operations and navigation in all environments. This effort delivers component technologies needed to support future Army autonomous, covert targeting approaches.
Virtual Prototyping
This effort utilizes virtual prototyping to address technical and integration challenges in the areas of mobility, survivability, lethality, vehicle architecture, and systems integration for the Army's next generation of ground combat vehicles. Specifically, this effort focuses on developing integrated design concepts, performance analysis, identifying and assessing trade space, and conducting virtual operational experiments for the NGCV. The combination of technical performance and operational feedback provides insights that will inform designs and reduce development and testing time.
Advanced Lethality Armament System- Large Caliber (ALAS-LC)
Investigate increased lethality solutions for next generation large caliber direct fire armament systems that will ensure battlefield dominance of US ground forces. Design reduced recoil armament systems capable of increased rate of fire enabled by a compact autoloader with performance that exceeds current state of the art 120mm direct fire cannons for current and future Army platforms.
Decisive Lethality
This effort develops energy-efficient lethal mechanism technologies for the next-generation of large-caliber ammunition launched from direct fire weapon systems to maximize the lethality against an array of targets and provide tactical advantage at extended ranges against current and future threats. This includes research and development to produce a compact, high energy density propelling charge, engineered aerodynamics for improved accuracy, a novel kinetic penetrator with next generation lethal mechanism, and the ability to defeat advanced and smart armors.
Budget Line Items(workbook-cited)
P-1/R-1 workbook Total Obligation Authority basis (USD thousands) · PB2026.
Exhibit R-1
| Account | Org | Type | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|
| Research, Development, Test and Evaluation, Army | A | FY24 Actuals | $248.3M |
| Research, Development, Test and Evaluation, Army | A | FY25 Enacted | $167.2M |
| Research, Development, Test and Evaluation, Army | A | FY25 Total | $167.2M |
| Research, Development, Test and Evaluation, Army | A | FY26 Disc. Request | $71.5M |
| Research, Development, Test and Evaluation, Army | A | FY26 Total | $71.5M |
Budget Details(R-2/P-40 facts)
J-book detail basis (R-2/P-40, USD millions) · PB2026 — a different accounting basis from the P-1/R-1 workbook TOA above; where the two disagree, the reconciliation strip under Budget Figures shows both.
Wider than this screen — swipe the table sideways for the remaining fiscal-year columns.
| Project | FY24 Actuals | FY25 Total | FY26 Base | FY26 Request |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Program Element | $248.3M | $167.2M | $70.5M | $71.5M |
| BF8: Artificial Intelligence & Machine Learning Tech | $16.9M | $13.5M | $0 | $1.05M |
| BF9: Sensors for Autonomous Operations and Surv Tech | $25.3M | $24.8M | $23.2M | $23.2M |
| BG6: Advanced Concepts for Active Defense Technology | $32.4M | $30.2M | $29.0M | $29.0M |
| BI2: Sensor Protection Technology | $5.43M | $5.78M | $4.24M | $4.24M |
| BJ2: Tactical and Navigation Lasers Sensors Technology | $5.71M | $5.86M | $5.48M | $5.48M |
| BK5: Adv Direct In-Direct Armament Sys (ADIDAS) Tech | $10.7M | $11.6M | $8.53M | $8.53M |
| BF3: Combat Vehicle Robotics Tech | $15.9M | $18.7M | — | — |
| BF6: Crew Augmentation and Optimization Tech | $11.0M | $9.68M | — | — |
| BG2: Modeling and Simulation for MUMT Technology | $5.51M | $4.14M | — | — |
| BK2: Virtual Prototyping Technology | $5.41M | $7.04M | — | — |
| BP5: Ground Vehicle Technology (CA) | $94.7M | $36.0M | — | — |
| BH5: Platform Electrification and Mobility Tech | $11.9M | — | — | — |
| BI4: Materials Application and Integration Tech | $7.44M | — | — | — |
No follow-the-dollar view — this program's awards haven't been crosswalked at high confidence (flows cover 17 of 1,741 programs). why coverage is partial? →
Awards
No awards are linked to this program element at high confidence — the budget→award crosswalk only asserts links it can defend, and this line has none yet.
Lobbying Mentions
Showing 25 of 35 from the Senate LDA disclosure database.
National Defense Authorization Act, 2027 (HR XXXX/S XXXX); provisions regarding R&D - Navy, US Marine Corps, Air…
In support of the advancement of ground combat vehicle programs and submarine building.
H.R.____/S.____ Department of Defense Appropriations Bill, 2027 - Title IV, all provisions related to small aircraft…
Defense funding for V-22, RQ-7 Shadow, Ship to Shore Connector, and Robotic Combat Vehicle
National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2026 (HR 3838/S 2296); provisions regarding R&D - Navy, Air Force…
Department of Defense Appropriations Act, 2026 (HR 4016/S 2572); provisions regarding R&D - Navy, Air Force, Space…
Department of Defense Appropriations Act, 2026 (HR 4016/ S XXXX); provisions regarding R&D - Army, Navy/USMC, Air…
Full-Year Continuing Appropriations and Extensions Act, 2025 (PL 119-4); provisions regarding R&D - Army, Navy/USMC…
In support of the advancement of ground combat vehicle programs and submarine building.
In support of the advancement of ground combat vehicle programs and submarine building.
In support of the advancement of ground combat vehicle programs and submarine building.
In support of the advancement of ground combat vehicle programs and submarine building.
Production Act Title III funding FY26 National Defense Authorization Act (S.2296/H.R.3838) FY26 Defense Appropriations…
Production Act Title III funding FY26 National Defense Authorization Act FY26 Defense Appropriations Department of…
Production Act Title III funding FY24 and FY25 National Defense Authorization Act FY24 and FY25 Defense Appropriations…
Defense funding for V-22, RQ-7 Shadow, Ship to Shore Connector, and Robotic Combat Vehicle
Defense funding for V-22, RQ-7 Shadow, Ship to Shore Connector, and Robotic Combat Vehicle
Defense funding for V-22, RQ-7 Shadow, Ship to Shore Connector, and Robotic Combat Vehicle
Defense funding for V-22, RQ-7 Shadow, Ship to Shore Connector, and Robotic Combat Vehicle
US Army Next Generation Combat Vehicle, Defense work in Michigan
Department of Defense Appropriations Act of 2025 (HR 8774/S 4921); provisions regarding R&D-Army, Navy/USMC, Air…
Department of Defense Appropriations Act of 2025 (HR 8774/S 4921); provisions regarding R&D-Army, Navy/USMC, Air…
Department of Defense Appropriations Act of 2024 (HR 4365/S 2587; PL 118-47) and Further Consolidated Appropriations…
Department of Defense Appropriations Act of 2025 (HR 8774/S XXXX); provisions regarding R&D-Army, Navy/USMC, Air…
Production Act Title III funding FY24 and FY25 National Defense Authorization Act FY24 and FY25 Defense Appropriations…
Oversight
Department-level designation (not specific to this program)
GAO lists 5 high-risk areas for DOD as a whole. That designation covers the department, not Next Generation Combat Vehicle Technology — no program-specific GAO finding for this line is in the ingested data. See the DOD oversight record.
No research dossier for this program — dossiers cover 50 of 1,741 programs, the largest fully J-book-detailed lines by FY2026 requested dollars. why no dossier here? →