Battelle’s Tactical Systems business is transforming standard pickup trucks into Special Operations vehicles under a General Services Administration Blanket Purchase Agreement with an estimated value of $58 million over three years.
“Battelle has a proven track record of performing sophisticated systems integration for military and commercial applications. Under this contract, our vehicle systems team will execute on its custom designs and integrate complex systems to meet mission requirements–at a competitive cost,” said John Folkerts, vice president for Battelle’s Special Operations Market Group, and a retired Air Force major general.
Work begins immediately to fulfill the initial requirements for the Non-Standard Civilian Vehicle (NSCV)–valued at up to $2 million.
Battelle has always had a strong orientation toward product development and has always been in research and services, but now it is producing and selling products it has developed, Folkerts said. In the past Battelle-developed items were licensed or sold to others to turn into products.
For example, Battelle has put more emphasis on turning its developments into products and selling them itself, in certain areas such as cyber, maritime, and chemical, biological radiological nuclear and explosives (CBRNE).
Battelle has a history of working with the armed forces and protected vehicles, back to World War II tank armor, he said. In the more recent past for example, the institute has done work in Desert Storm and in the Iraq conflict, Folkerts said. For example, early on in the Iraq war, Battelle produced an armor kit for Humvees, training personnel and contractors to install more than 500 protective armor kits onto existing vehicles.
Battelle continued to move forward, ”working on non-standard commercial vehicles, and specific technologies, such as reducing vulnerability at the seams–the NSCV armor design does pretty well at that.”
For the past year, Battelle has steadily built its specialty automotive manufacturing capabilities in a nondescript west side industrial park that is about to go active. Over the past few years, the institute has invested specifically in manufacturing facilities to do small batches of things. It is making display units for UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters, for example, and manufacturing a liquid scanner used in airports liquids in bottles and containers.
“This is an area that is steadily growing,” Folkerts said.
“Increasingly, Battelle has looked to advanced manufacturing capabilities to help customers solve complex problems in the aerospace, maritime and automotive industries,” said Steve Kelly, President of Battelle National Security.
For the SOF work, Battelle takes existing vehicles, re-engineers them with protective armor and adds other durability features, such as stronger suspensions for operations in rugged terrain and enhanced alternators to withstand extreme climates, and produce the kind of power necessary.
Dealing with the client enables Battelle to receive the feedback it needs to refine the product, Folkerts said. “That’s another reason we like to produce our own solutions. Using feedback you can make (a product) better, refine the engineering and manufacturing techniques and drive costs down.”
Battelle is the prime contractor for the SOF vehicle and draws upon the skills and expertise of seven different sub-contractors, including small businesses that are disabled veteran-owned, and Native-American owned companies.
Battelle’s teammates include: Action Group of Blacklick; Hollingsworth Logistics in southwest Columbus; Defense Logistics Services; Gryphon Group; GS Engineering; Triad Services; and UPI Manufacturing.
There are needs for a commercial-like vehicle that is more rugged than can be bought from a new car lot, Folkerts said. There are potential customers within the government, such as Customs and Border Patrol, which subjects vehicles to difficult terrain.
There also is potential on the commercial side, “we can make non-standard commercial vehicles specifically for the oil and gas industry, he said.
Battelle will be showing the vehicle at the Special Operations Forces Industry Conference (SOFIC) in Tampa, Fla., next week. It will also be showing a model of its Proteus manned or unmanned underwater vehicle and its lithium polymer fire-safe battery, developed by its wholly-owned subsidiary, Bluefin Robotics.
For more information: www.battelle.org.