NATC provides the gamut of concept development, concept build, virtual simulation, automotive performance, environmental, survivability, lethality, amphibious, and durability testing as well as complete failure analysis and corrective action validation. Our operational area covers 1,200 square miles and includes over 3,000 miles of measured test courses that are correlated and validated to U.S. government (DOD, DOJ, DHS), international, and OEM duty cycles and mission profiles. Further, we have a more than 25-year legacy of providing full-up vehicle prototype design, integration, and fabrication of military ground vehicle systems that meet the Service’s operational requirements. We have designed, built, and evaluated Technology Demonstrators leading to government development of two fielded USMC vehicles (MTVR, LVSR) and two vehicles nearing fielding (JLTV and ACV 1.1) in addition to Technology Demonstrators for several vehicle modification programs.
We leverage our knowledge, experience and facilities to distill functional requirements that are operationally relevant, estimated as achievable, and are measurable and testable. This establishes a framework ensuring the end product will be operationally effective and cost-effective across the life cycle. We have significant experience in generating system concepts based on a preliminary description of requirements and use a thorough knowledge of the expeditionary operating environment to evaluate emerging requirements through a broad spectrum of analytical tools that include vehicle research, physics-based M&S, and terramechanics to predict system performance and then testing representative tasks in operational environments.
We conduct special studies of new geographical regions of MAGTF operations. We evaluate terrain and climate conditions of those areas to understand the specific mobility challenges and opportunities of the natural environment and infrastructure. Based on those studies, we select terrain conditions at NATC that provide a comparable, representative operational environment for testing. We replicate specific challenges for testing vehicle capabilities (legacy or new design solutions) through a government approved series of developmental and/or operational test regimes.
We perform all applicable TOP, VCI, mobility, SAE, DOT, ASTM, environmental, and MIL-STD tests. We document test results (test reports, test incident reports, etc.), prepare engineering/technical recommendations for correction of test related issues, update applicable drawings, and apply test identified fixes as necessary. We provide periodic updates of test status, completions, and preliminary results along with formal test reviews. We deliver final test reports and recommendations for mitigating or overcoming any emerging requirements not met by the vehicle. Vehicle testing may include:
- Accelerated life
- Acceleration and braking
- Characteristics (examples: center of gravity, weights)
- Corrosion/environmental
- Durability
- EMI testing
- Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards testing
- Fording/deep water swimming
- Ground vehicle testing
- Performance/mobility
- Reliability, availability, maintainability, and durability (RAM-D)
- Rollover and other non-FMVSS tests
- Survivability
- Terrain profiling
- Tilt Table
- Tire testing
- Transportability
- Vehicle dynamics
- Vehicle occupant protection
- Virtual proving ground
- Weapons testing