The U.S. Army Tank Automotive Research Development and Engineering Center is the nation’s laboratory for advanced military automotive technology. Part of the Army Materiel Command’s Research, Development and Engineering Command, TARDEC is headquartered at the Detroit Arsenal in Warren, MI, located in the heart of the world’s automotive capital. Its technical staff leads research in both combat and tactical vehicle technology as well as in a wide variety of logistics equipment, water generation and purification systems, fuels and lubricants, military bridging, and countermine equipment.

TARDEC’s mission is to research, develop, engineer, leverage, and integrate advanced technology into ground systems and support equipment throughout the life cycle. TARDEC’s 1,100 researchers and engineers develop and maintain vehicles for all U.S. Armed Forces, many Federal agencies, and more than 60 foreign countries.

TARDEC pushes the state-of-the-art in ground vehicle Survivability, Mobility, Intelligent Systems, and Maneuver Support and Sustainment. TARDEC leads several Army Future Combat Systems science and technology efforts – collaborating with the Army’s combat developers – to ensure that we field robust equipment that meets aggressive cost, schedule, and performance standards.

While leading Future Combat Systems vehicle research, TARDEC is also supporting our Soldiers in Iraq, Afghanistan, and the Global War on Terror. TARDEC has successfully:

• Integrated and rapidly prototyped Add on Armor (AoA) kits for the standard HMMWV, 939 and 915 truck series, and engineering construction equipment
• Developed Omni Directional Inspection System (ODIS) robot to Force Protection Soldiers for under vehicle contraband inspections
• Developed Mobile Parts Hospital to make on-demand replacement parts for tactical vehicles in Iraq, Kuwait, and Afghanistan
• Researched HMMWV Liquid Cooling vests to cool the core body temperature of Soldiers in armored vehicles
• Rapidly prototyped and manufactured requested specialty parts for Stryker Brigade Combat Team.

With a thriving history of support since World War II, TARDEC is uniquely positioned to ensure that the Army remains a relevant and ready force across the operational spectrum. TARDEC is at the forefront of Army transformation, helping the Army move to a more agile and lethal force while working to provide the Soldier with technologies that they need today.