Army partners with Auburn to close capability gaps in light tactical vehicles
Published: Apr 1, 2025 11:00 AM
By Jeremy Henderson
One of the main motivations for establishing the Auburn University Applied Research Institute (AUARI) in Huntsville in 2022 was to take Auburn Engineering's commitment to national defense to the next level.
Another was to provide a pipeline between the Department of Defense (DOD) and the best and brightest young Auburn engineering talent.
Mission accomplished.
The U.S. Combat Capabilities Development Command Army Research Laboratory (DEVCOM ARL) Pathfinder program recently awarded Auburn University two projects totaling $1.4 million to support collaborations between its research laboratories and the frontlines, specifically U.S. Army tactical units. The goal of the projects is to close capability gaps by rapidly innovating high-impact technologies with a path to commercialization — and prompt acquisition by the Army.
The first project aims to effectively integrate mission command capabilities in the Polaris MRZR Alpha 4 vehicle. The second focuses on developing a litter support system for the vehicle to transport wounded soldiers on the Polaris MRZR Alpha 4 platform. Initial prototypes for both systems are currently undergoing experimentation and operational testing.
The announcement comes on the heels of a three-year project — the single largest prime research contract ever awarded to Auburn University — designed to help the U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command Aviation & Missile Center boost its increasing modernization efforts.
“Auburn University’s innovative engineering approach focuses on several key attributes to ensure high-quality engineered solutions that effectively meet user needs," said Brock Birdsong, acting director of the Auburn University Applied Research Center within AUARI. "I think the Pathfinder projects are a great example of that."
Birdsong says it's also a great example of the institute's applied approach effectively meeting the needs of students.
"The Pathfinder program is a fantastic way of exposing the next generation of engineers to the unique problem set of the entire DOD," said project lead Steve Mills, AUARI principal research scientist. "That's one of the main missions of the institute — to help current students gain an in-depth appreciation of the technology challenges of our partners and clients, and contribute to meaningful solutions through hands-on research."
For the Polaris projects, that research relies on user feedback regarding user environment, which factors heavily into an integrated digital engineering approach that includes advanced modeling and simulation techniques in order to predict system performance under various combat conditions.
"Projects like the Pathfinder program are helping reinforce our pipeline between the DOD and the best and brightest young Auburn engineering talent," Mills said. "Our students are gaining a robust understanding of how the user will employ their solution in the operational environment. In addition to delivering the very best results, our hope is that this sort of work will inspire our graduates to seriously consider working in either the public or private sector supporting DOD efforts."
![Soldiers stand next to a Polaris MRZR Alpha 4 vehicle. [Image: Polaris]](http://eng.auburn.edu/images/_wide/cropped-861.jpg)
Soldiers stand next to a Polaris MRZR Alpha 4 vehicle. [Image: Polaris]
