Nevada Automotive Test Center (NATC) hosted the first Cooperative Demonstration of Technology (CDT-1) for NATO AVT-435 from September 14 to 18, 2026. The event brought together representatives from 22 government, industry, research, and academic organizations across 14 countries to demonstrate methods for predicting military vehicle performance in operational terrain.
AVT-435 is formally titled End-to-End Demonstration of the Application of STANREC 4813 Architecture and the Next Generation NATO Reference Mobility Model for Ride Quality and Operational Speed-Made-Good Measurement and Vehicle Performance Prediction. CDT-1 focused on the practical implementation of methods developed through NATO AVT-380 and incorporated into STANREC 4813 and the Next Generation NATO Reference Mobility Model (NG-NRMM).
The central objective was to demonstrate how mobility assessment can move from traditional two-dimensional ride-quality terrain to three-dimensional terrain that represents an actual mission profile. This transition supports more accurate prediction of speed-made-good: the rate at which a vehicle can realistically move across a route after terrain, vehicle, and occupant limitations are considered. The resulting information can support vehicle development and testing, intelligence preparation of the battlefield, route planning, and operational decisions.
An End-to-End Implementation Demonstration
CDT-1 was organized as seven primary technical stations, with an additional Station 3A dedicated to human-response and casualty evacuation research. Although participants rotated through individual demonstrations, Stations 1, 2, 3, 3A, 4, 5, 6A, and 6B formed a single implementation sequence. Terrain data established the operating environment; virtual and physical testing validated vehicle, tire, and terrain interaction; ride-quality and human-response measurements linked vehicle dynamics to occupant effects; and the combined results supported mission-profile mobility prediction.
This sequence is important because a mobility prediction is only as reliable as the terrain, vehicle, component, and human-response data behind it. CDT-1 paired technical briefings with live demonstrations, ride-alongs, instrumentation, and data review so participants could see how each element contributes to a validated and repeatable assessment. Objective measurements and subjective occupant feedback were collected throughout the event to further inform implementation of NG-NRMM and STANREC 4813 across the NATO community.
Building the Terrain and Vehicle Foundation
Station 1 demonstrated three-dimensional terrain analysis and mapping. Activities included remote sensing, unmanned aircraft systems, ground-truth data collection, terrain digitization, and methods for organizing terrain layers at the resolution needed for vehicle-model validation. The station also examined how current local reconnaissance data can update existing maps and improve the representation of mission terrain.
Stations 2 and 3 addressed the vehicle and its interaction with the ground. Three-dimensional, physics-based multibody simulations were compared with physical vehicle performance to demonstrate model validation methods. The demonstrations included tactical wheeled vehicles, a modified 30-ton tracked vehicle, advanced suspension and powertrain systems, and tire, wheel-end, and track technologies. Tire parameter measurement, advanced instrumentation, and co-simulation of tire and vehicle digital models showed how component behavior affects whole-vehicle mobility.
Validated digital models of vehicle-terrain interaction provide a common technical foundation for system design, physical testing, and operational analysis. Fast-running versions of those models can also support maneuver-corridor mapping and autonomous vehicle route planning.
Connecting Ride Quality, Human Response, and Speed Made Good
Station 3A expanded the assessment to the people inside the vehicle. Human-response modeling, instrumented test devices, onboard sensors, and occupant feedback supported assessment of shock and vibration exposure. The station also examined ride-quality considerations for casualty evacuation, where vehicle motion can affect transport speed and patient well-being.
Stations 4 and 5 demonstrated the event’s central technical transition. Station 4 used the traditional two-dimensional terrain profiles and ride-quality methods associated with the original NATO Reference Mobility Model. Station 5 used mission-profile representative three-dimensional terrain and the 3-D methods recommended through AVT-380. Participants evaluated both approaches through instrumented testing and subjective ride-quality assessments across a range of wheeled vehicles and suspension configurations.
Two-dimensional profiles remain useful for controlled comparison, but they cannot fully represent vehicle response to the combined roll, pitch, and vertical inputs present on natural terrain. Three-dimensional mission-profile methods provide a stronger basis for predicting the speed a vehicle and its occupants can sustain in the area of operations.
Applying the Methodology to Operational Mobility
Station 6A combined the preceding work in an operational mission-profile speed-made-good demonstration. A tactical wheeled vehicle operated over mission-profile representative terrain so measured speeds could be compared with predictions based on three-dimensional terrain data and validated models.
The station also demonstrated maneuver-corridor mapping, vehicle-as-a-sensor concepts, advanced tire technology, and the integration of optimum travel-path mapping with a counter-unmanned aircraft system. These applications showed how validated mobility data can move beyond engineering analysis and support route selection, battle-management tools, and autonomous vehicle operations.
Improving River Crossing and Deformable Terrain Prediction
Station 6B addressed a difficult remaining element of mobility prediction: river crossings and deformable terrain. Water-gap conditions can change with precipitation, streamflow, soil composition, seasonal effects, bank geometry, vegetation, and soil strength. A crossing that is trafficable under one set of conditions may present a different risk after a storm or seasonal change.
The demonstration combined hydrologic analysis, terrain sensing, soil-strength characterization, deformable-soil simulation, and physical vehicle operation. Environmental monitoring and terrain-analysis capabilities were presented alongside methods for assessing riverbanks, streambeds, vegetation, and alternate routes. The goal is to integrate changing environmental conditions with vehicle-specific models so operational planners can make better-informed crossing and maneuver decisions.
International Collaboration and Next Steps
CDT-1 brought together an international group of government, academic, and industry contributors with expertise in vehicle systems, terrain characterization, and modeling and simulation. NATC hosted the event with its proving-ground infrastructure, mission-profile representative terrain, engineering staff, instrumentation, modeling expertise, and experience evaluating tactical and combat vehicle mobility.
The data and lessons from CDT-1 will support continued refinement of the AVT-380 methodologies and the implementation and update of STANREC 4813 and NG-NRMM. Future cooperative demonstrations will provide opportunities to continue the end-to-end work under different facilities and terrain conditions.
For NATC, CDT-1 connected decades of mission-profile testing and mobility-modeling experience to a common international framework. The objective is practical: provide vehicle developers, testers, and operational planners with a validated method for predicting how vehicles and occupants will perform across the terrain where missions occur.