Military trucks weighed down by 'yesteryear's technology'.

• Author: Beidel, Eric
• Position: TACTICAL VEHICLES

Most small businesses would cherish a chance to work directly with the Army to develop new solutions for the military.

Century Inc. is no different.

The Michigan-based company worked hand in hand with Army researchers to produce an aluminum brake drum that weighs about half as much as its cast-iron equivalent. Tests have determined that the new drum could shave as much as 400 pounds from certain tactical vehicles. The breakthrough seems readymade for a military looking to upgrade its aging fleet of trucks without adding extra weight.

But after five years of research and development, now comes the hard part.

"You develop a technology and get to a high readiness level," said Jim McManus, new business development manager at Century. "You now want to transition the technology to the end user and there's not a bridge or funding mechanism to transfer that over."

Other companies have experienced the same frustration while watching their products disappear into the so-called "valley of death." They say they are delivering the innovation that the Pentagon says it needs from industry. But many times, vendors still find it difficult to secure long-term deals.

The Army Tank-Automotive and Armaments Command, or TACOM, recently sponsored research and development by another Michigan firm, Eaton Corp., as the company sought ways to reduce rollover tendencies in the Humvee.

Eaton came up with an electronically actuated axle differential.

"There are 130,000 Humvees in the military inventory" said Bill Batten, government account director at Eaton. "All could be updated tomorrow and we could significantly reduce the number of rollover accidents."

But the military continues to write specifications that include "yesteryear's technology," Batten said. The services have brought the cutting edge to their aircraft but seem hesitant to do the same with ground vehicles, he said.

"You buy an F/A-18 Hornet and you get the best of everything, and then you go to a ground vehicle and it looks like something from the Eastern Bloc countries," Batten said.

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Many industry solutions to improve the military's truck fleets revolve around delivering the weight savings sought by the Pentagon. No military vehicle is complete without armor, which is where this weight battle can be won or lost. The Army and Marine Corps have been slow in accepting solutions other than steel. This has left companies that specialize in lighter composites out in the cold, industry...