By Erika Fernandez |
Posted: Thu 4:39 PM, May 16, 2019 |
Updated: Thu 6:41 PM, May 16, 2019
COLLEGE STATION, Tex. (KBTX) – Technology is the way of the future, and the U.S Army is staying ahead of the game. Army Futures Command got a peek into what could be headed their way soon at the Texas A&M RELLIS Campus Thursday morning.
Click link above to continue reading and video.
Pratt Miller Defense (Pratt Miller) has been an active supplier and system integrator in the Defense industry since 2007, designing and building advanced military vehicles for the Department of Defense and many of the world’s largest defense prime contractors. The company is committed to helping bring our warfighters home safely by providing survivability systems that can withstand underbelly blast events and high mobility vehicles that are so off-road capable they can traverse in areas far from enemy sightlines.
In addition to Survivability and Mobility, Pratt Miller is also designing and building a variety of Robotic platforms that range in size and lethality. PME’s Director of Technology, Celyn Evans, has been integral in the company’s development of advanced capabilities for defense applications. “We have been developing the controls, hardware, hybridization and architectural designs for robotics for over a decade,” Evans said. “Combined with our ability to design, develop and build full vehicles, our Government partners are seeking companies like Pratt Miller to define what’s possible in robotics and develop specific vehicles focused on the next generation warfare.”
The newest and perhaps most mobile and lethal of the company’s robotic vehicles is known as the Expeditionary Modular Autonomous Vehicle (EMAV). EMAV was designed and built from the ground up by Pratt Miller, who worked closely with a partner for the autonomy layer and advanced navigation capabilities. Weighing in at 6,800 lbs, EMAV can carry an additional 7,200 lbs of payload while reaching speeds up to 45 MPH. The hybrid-electric powertain supports electric only silent watch and silent mobility. The continuous band track and low center of gravity helps the EMAV to climb a 60% grade, a 40% side slope and vertical steps up to 24 inches. EMAV was designed with a narrow hull to ensure it is transportable in the V-22 and CH-47.
Over the past 16 months, government customers have leveraged the EMAV platforms for experimentation in the area of combat support robotics and Manned Unmanned Teaming (MUM-T). The feedback received has been overwhelmingly positive. The EMAV system represents a joint service capability and meets the operational needs of multiple services.
EMAV is being further assessed May 13-17 at the Next Generation Combat Vehicle (NGCV) Robotic Combat Vehicle (RCV) Phase II Demonstration and Assessment Event. During the event the US Army Ground Vehicle Systems Center (GVSC) will conduct field market research on the Technology Readiness Levels of various industry platforms in support of the NGCV program.
“The battlefield revolution is here. Technology has reached a point where we can push robotic capability into larger platforms, stretching the art of the possible. This allows our Government partners to experiment with the right balance of assets and payloads to enable the warfighter and create a force multiplying overmatch,” said Evans.
Pratt Miller is participating in the RCV event as 1 of only 6 chosen companies. Jim Fontaine, Product Director of Ground Robotics, said “Being part of an advanced technology assessment that will help to define robotic combat vehicle requirements to provide our US forces additional capabilities brings our team great pride.”
About:
Pratt Miller is a product development company that, through technology and innovation, solves its customers most complex and technical challenges in the Motorsports, Defense and Mobility Industries. The company is helping to define the future of the defense industry by providing complete ground vehicle solutions to revolutionize platform Mobility, Survivability, and Robotics.
EMAV Media Contact
Jim Fontaine
248-278-5156
jfontaine@prattmiller.com
Pratt Miller Mobility (Pratt Miller) has a long and proud history working alongside the world’s leading automotive, commercial truck, powersports and new mobility OEM’s. On April 16th, Nikola Motors (Nikola), unveiled their entire line up of industry changing products at the Nikola World event in Scottsdale, AZ, and Pratt Miller Mobility was right there supporting as a strategic partner.
Pratt Miller and Nikola began working together in 2015, when the start up’s visionary, Trevor Milton, sought the services of the Michigan-based product development company to support the design, development and prototype build of their off-road electric NZT vehicle, as well as their hydrogen electric class 6-8 semi-trucks.
“Having the opportunity to work with a company like Nikola is exciting because they are truly transforming transportation in both powersports and commercial trucking,” said Matt Carroll, Pratt Miller CEO. “We have a team of really smart people who not only love building hardware, but they also love solving really difficult problems while they do it. Nikola challenged our team to balance performance and emissions, regardless of vehicle size and purpose, and we are confident that we have delivered.”
“Our team of experts is proud to be a strategic partner to the Nikola Motors team” said Christopher Andrews, Pratt Miller’s Director of Mobility and Innovation. “Our customers are always forward-thinking and at the leading edge of technology. It’s nice to see Nikola receiving the success they deserve with these industry changing products.”
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Jan. 27, 2019) – In more than two decades of competition, Corvette Racing has faced its share of adversity and challenging conditions. The championship-winning program experienced the highs and lows of endurance racing Saturday and Sunday in a soggy start to the 2019 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship.
The two Mobil 1/SiriusXM Chevrolet Corvette C7.Rs finished the Rolex 24 At Daytona despite some of the most treacherous conditions in the team’s 21-year history. Both Corvettes led the GT Le Mans (GTLM) class on multiple occasions in the opening half of the race before troubles beset Corvette Racing entries.
The No. 3 Chevrolet Corvette C7.R of Antonio Garcia, Jan Magnussen and Mike Rockenfeller led the team’s effort with a sixth-place class finish. Magnussen qualified second and led during his first 90 minutes in the Corvette before the two C7.Rs made contact in pitlane.
Despite losing three laps in the incident, the No. 3 Corvette crew and engineers took advantage of timely yellows and key strategic calls to move Garcia back into the lead less than 10 hours. Unfortunately, the No. 3 Corvette suffered an electrical issue that impacted the digital dash around the track. As a result, the car-to-pits telemetry was compromised including fuel monitoring. That issue reared its head just before halfway as Garcia ran out of fuel on the backstretch of the 3.56-mile circuit.
Once back in the pitlane Garcia handed over to Rockenfeller, who re-entered eighth in class. Attrition and the weather allowed the No. 3 Corvette to make up two positions before the race was stopped for the final two hours.
The No. 4 Corvette C7.R of Gavin, Tommy Milner and Marcel Fässler found itself in contention from the get-go after starting ninth in class. Gavin moved up to fourth before handing over to Milner near the two-hour mark, and the No. 4 Corvette raced its way to the lead a little more than an hour later. All three drivers spent time in the lead of the class.
The second half of the race held much of the same misfortune for the No. 4 C7.R as its sister car experienced. After having to stop for bodywork repairs not long after the rain began in earnest, Milner hydroplaned under braking going into the first corner and going into the tire barriers with the left side of the Corvette.
Once it returned to the garage, crews from both team entries went to work replacing a number of components on the No. 4 C7.R including left-side exhaust, rocker and bodywork plus the wing and nose, among other items. The stellar work took less than 30 minutes with Fässler returning to the circuit inside eight hours to go.
The next event for Corvette Racing is the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring on Saturday, March 16 from Sebring International Raceway in Sebring, Fla.
ANTONIO GARCIA, NO. 3 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C7.R – FINISHED SIXTH IN GTLM: “We fought the entire race even in bad conditions. There were some issues with the electronics where we lost some telemetry. We couldn’t even get information to the engineers… things like fuel. Nothing seemed to be working. That made things a lot more complicated. Even with all that, we made it back to the lead. That was a great feeling to be back up there and fighting for it. But we got to a point where we were guessing where we were on fuel. Maybe we could have gone a lap or two shorter but we come here to win and go 100 percent. It’s a shame. Everyone at Corvette Racing gave the maximum effort, which we as drivers appreciate. Things didn’t work out today so we move on to Sebring to try and get the result we know we can achieve.”
JAN MAGNUSSEN, NO. 3 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C7.R – FINISHED SIXTH IN GTLM: “Obviously the result is a disappointment because we had a fast Corvette when we were on track. Unfortunately we had a trip back to the garage to fix some of the electronics; we lost telemetry and because of that we ran out of fuel. That put us 10 laps back and ended our chance for a good result. Before that we got to the lead at the beginning and then got back up front after our problem in the pits. I’m sorry for the guys. I think we deserved a lot more but that’s how these 24-hour races can go sometimes. It’s also about not being unlucky and staying out of trouble. On to Sebring where we’ll go for another good result.”
MIKE ROCKENFELLER, NO. 3 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C7.R – FINISHED SIXTH IN GTLM: “Our Corvette was really good, actually. We had good pace in the race. We had some incidents obviously. The first one was with our sister car, but we knew it was early in the race. It was no big issue. Things can go wrong’ it’s normal under racing conditions. Then we were back in the lead and another problem occurred. That took us eight laps down to the leader and basically that was our race. So for myself I tried to not damage the car, and the end of the day there was nothing I could do. Unfortunately another year over for Daytona, but we are looking forward to Sebring. We will focus on that. Thanks to the team. The Corvette was really spot on-pace.”
OLIVER GAVIN, NO. 4 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C7.R – FINISHED EIGHTH IN GTLM: “Right from the start, it was clear that we had a good Corvette in dry conditions, and it looked like we were very good on the medium tire compound. Normally the way things usually play out, you’re looking forward to dry conditions on Sunday where you’ll be on the tire that we thought would be quickest for our car. I think we certainly would have been able to fight whoever to the end. But then the rain came, and it was a lot. From then on, it was always going to be a lottery. Tommy’s incident was unfortunate and there was nothing he could do. It shows the strength of our Corvette that he walked away. The whole team did a great job getting us back out where we didn’t lose so much time. After that, we were just looking at what we could get from the race and score as many points as possible. There were so many cars going off and crashing into each other. The officials and the series made the right call to red flag the race and finish it when they did. Congratulations to all the winners and thanks to everyone on the team for their work the last few weeks. No one ever gave up and really dug in on any problems we had. As drivers, we were given the best equipment all of the time which is all you can ask for.”
TOMMY MILNER, NO. 4 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C7.R – FINISHED EIGHTH IN GTLM: “This one will go down in history as one of the most difficult Rolex 24s that teams have been part of with the weather conditions. We had our own adversity with an unexpected extra engine change Friday. But we have a strong Chevrolet engine and power for the first half of the race. Things obviously unraveled for us later on but both Corvette Racing teams fought back from all those things to get us back up front but it wasn’t meant to be. That’s how it goes sometimes. It seems like today it was against us. Congratulations to all the winners for surviving the conditions out there. I tip my hat to them, as well as Olly and Marcel for finishing up in some pretty difficult conditions.”
MARCEL FÄSSLER, NO. 4 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C7.R – FINISHED EIGHTH IN GTLM: “This was a super-crazy race if you look back. We had really good speed overall in our Corvette and led many times. In the end, we were for sure a little unlucky but that is racing. With the circumstances in the rain, it was very tricky to drive. I’m really happy Tommy is OK because it was a hard crash; the Corvette held up really well. When I went out in similar conditions, it was very tricky to drive. It didn’t work out today for us unfortunately. But Corvette Racing showed that we have potential to always do great things. We should take positive things to Sebring and turn everything around there.”
Article by Ryan Smith
Photo’s by Richard Prince
We are thrilled to announce and congratulate the below (and pictured) PME Team Members on becoming Functional Safety Certified Automotive Engineers (FSCAE).
– Tri Gaffney
– Ben Beacock
– Jonathan Stauffer
– Gabriele Altare
– Chris Sebastian
– Denny Barker
– Rob Trostle
– Chris Ferone
– Steve Hechtman
– Tom Waligora
Thanks to the leadership of Gabriele Altare, Tri Gaffney and Pratt Miller’s Technology Road Map team, the team wrapped up the 5 day training successfully passing the exam by TÜV NORD just last week.
“I’m very proud of the guys for stepping up to become certified functional safety automotive engineers. This is not only a personal achievement for them, it is also an achievement for Pratt Miller,” said Gabriele Altare, PME Functional Safety Project Lead.
For Pratt Miller, the certification is a reflection of the importance and priority we place on Safety, the foundation of our STRIPEs values and also a significant step toward winning new business opportunities. In addition, the certification also puts PME a step closer on the path of becoming ISO 26262 compliant, which the team intends to achieve by 2025.
Thanks to a strong and strategically successful 2018, the team at Pratt Miller Engineering (PME) is excited to be kicking off 2019, its 30th year in business, with some exciting organizational announcements.
Going forward, the company’s division that serves the Defense and Mobility industries, formerly known as Engineering Services, will be operating under the name Engineered Solutions. This new name more accurately describes the company’s ability to address the entire product development lifecycle and their unique ability to take programs from research and development, engineering and design, prototype manufacturing, test and development, through to low rate production.
To lead PME Engineered Solutions, the company has appointed Kris Houghton to serve as the division’s Vice President. In the 10 years Kris has been with PME, he has been an essential part of diversifying the company’s business portfolio outside of Motorsports.
“Under Kris’s leadership, we have transformed what was once a mainly services-based business into the streamlined, end-to-end product development, solutions-based business it is today,” Jim Miller, PME, Chairman and Founder said. “I am thrilled to see Kris recognized for his contributions to our business.”
Over the past 30 years, PME has also expanded its operations in Motorsports, the fast-paced world in which the company was founded. To lead this side of the business, PME has appointed Brandon Widmer to Vice President of Motorsports.
“In addition to an impressive resume, when Brandon joined us in 2007, he brought a real passion for competition and Motorsports,” said Gary Pratt, PME, Executive Vice President. “He lives and breathes what we do every day and is an integral part of helping Pratt Miller exceed our client’s expectations.”
Brandon will continue to work closely with Doug Louth, PME’s recently appointed Chief Technology Officer (CTO) to ensure the most advanced technology is integrated into the company’s Motorsports operations. Doug has been with PME since 2002, with the majority of those years spent in the Motorsports side of the business.
“There are few people that understand the tech transfer opportunities between Motorsports and production vehicles quite like Doug,” said Brandon Widmer. “He is always looking for opportunities to develop technologies that can improve vehicle performance and the vehicle development process itself, which is why seeing him as our CTO is both exciting and inspiring.”
To lead the company’s strategy and growth plans in all of its business lines, PME has promoted Lynn Bishop, to serve as the company’s first Chief Growth Officer (CGO), an area he has been unofficially filling since he joined PME in 2002.
“Lynn’s inherent entrepreneurial spirit, ability to strategize, and desire to pursue new business opportunities, is like no one I’ve ever met,” said Matt Carroll, PME, CEO. “He is a true visionary and industry disrupter, so this is a very natural fit for him and an exciting transition for our team.”
As CGO, Lynn will lead Pratt Miller’s growth strategy, business development, corporate development, and new venture development, areas that Lynn has already demonstrated strong abilities and interest.
“The promotions of Kris, Brandon, Doug, and Lynn happened naturally for us and it gives me great confidence for us to promote from within,” said Matt Carroll, PME Chief Executive Officer. “If our 30-year history has taught us anything, it is that strong leadership starts with strong employees; employees who are passionate, eager to succeed, and focused on our clients most difficult challenges.”
###
Pratt Miller is a product development company that, through technology and innovation, solves customers’ most technical and complex challenges in the Motorsports, Defense, and Mobility industries.
www.prattmiller.com
CORVETTE RACING AT DAYTONA: Wrapping Up The Roar
Magnussen, No. 3 Corvette draft way to weekend’s quickest GTLM time
·Team completes more than 1,200 miles of testing ahead of Rolex 24
·21st season on tap for Corvette Racing
·Goal is fourth victory on high banks of Daytona
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla.(Jan. 6, 2019) – Corvette Racing completed its final test ahead of the 2019 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship with three days of testing at Daytona International Speedway, site of the season-opening Rolex 24 At Daytona.
Sunday marked the third and final day of running at the annual Roar Before the 24 around the 3.56-mile Daytona road course. Corvette Racing’s pair of Mobil 1/SiriusXM Chevrolet Corvette C7.Rs completed 341 laps and more than 1,200 miles from Friday through Sunday.
The highlight of the weekend was Jan Magnussen’s fastest GT Le Mans (GTLM) lap during qualifying for garage and pit positions for the Rolex 24. With drafting help from teammate Oliver Gavin, Magnussen posted a lap of 1:42.651 (124.844 mph) in the No. 3 Corvette.
As they did a year ago during time trials for the Roar and Rolex 24, the two yellow C7.Rs worked in tandem to take full advantage of the tow that cars generate on the super-speedway portion of Daytona. Magnussen, driving with Antonio Garcia and Mike Rockenfeller, used that to his advantage to take the GTLM pole in last year’s Rolex 24 qualifying.
Gavin, who will team with Tommy Milner and Marcel Fässler, set the No. 4 Corvette’s best lap during the qualifying session at 1:43.193 (124.188 mph). It was more indicative of the single-car pace of the Corvette around Daytona.
Apart from qualifying, Corvette Racing spent Friday through Sunday working through a variety of setup and Michelin tire options for the Rolex 24. Practice time will be limited during the week of the race, which heightens the importance of data-gathering for Corvette Racing engineers.
The best-possible result in the Rolex 24 will springboard Corvette Racing’s challenge for a fourth consecutive GTLM Driver’s Championship and 13th IMSA Manufacturer’s Championship in the class.
Corvette Racing will be back at Daytona International Speedway for the 57tth Rolex 24 At Daytona on January 24-27.
JAN MAGNUSSEN, NO. 3 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C7.R – QUICKEST IN GTLM QUALIFYING
HOW WOULD YOU GAUGE HOW THE WEEKEND HAS GONE?“We didn’t have a lot of new stuff to try out this year. We have a new tire from Michelin that we needed to get our heads around; we had some experience with it beforehand but here is where it matters. We did a good job developing the setup of our Corvette to suit the tire.”
TALK ABOUT THE LAP IN QUALIFYING.“We did exactly the same as we did last year where we agreed who was going to tow who. It was me again like in race qualifying last year. That gave us a good top-speed advantage in that session. Olly (Gavin) did a fantastic job placing himself at the right distance out of Turn Six so I could take full advantage of the tow down to the Bus Stop and then go by him at start/finish to get the fastest lap. We did the exact same thing at the Roar and the race last year, so I don’t really know why everyone else is doing the exact same thing. But it seems we’re the only one doing it at the moment, and it’s working out really well for us.”
WHAT DOES THIS DO FOR YOUR CONFIDENCE GOING INTO THE ROLEX 24?“The time today was a little artificial because of the towing we did, but we did want to try and win the session. We had one car at the front and one at the back. The difference between our cars is the difference the tow makes. We have some work to do in order to be competitive over the full race. I’m confident the guys at Corvette Racing and Michelin will give us the best chance to win the race.”
WHAT ARE YOUR CHANCES OF GOING FOR FOUR DRIVER CHAMPIONSHIPS IN A ROW FOR CORVETTE RACING?“What did for us last year was that we do work as a team. All the drivers here are to make Corvette Racing win races. That means we do work together. Very often the focus is put on one car. It’s not always the same car. If we work as a team like we did last year, then I’m sure we’ll have a great shot at getting another championship for Corvette Racing.”
WHAT CAN YOU DO BETWEEN NOW THE RACE TO MAKE SURE THE CAR IS AS FAST OR FASTER THAN TODAY?“We’ll do another session in the Chevrolet simulator, and I believe we’ll work through the program we ran here to make sure everything we do in the simulator is relevant. There’s a ton of data for the engineers to go through and fine-tune our setup. All of the drivers will hand in reports on their experiences with the different setups and the changes we think need to be done. Then it’ll be up to the engineers to come up with a good plan. We’ll have a little bit of testing at the race so we can try some different things. But we need to arrive back here with a car that’s ready for qualifying and for the race.”
OLIVER GAVIN, NO. 4 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C7.R:“In the last couple of sessions, we were able to dial in and find something that we should be relatively comfortable with in our Corvette. We set up qualifying to get the best possible outcome for one car. Jan and I talked beforehand how we were going to do it, and we executed it really well. We knew at what lap the tire was going to be at its best. I was really mindful of where I was in positioning so Jan could come off the Bus Stop and get a really good run. It all works and came together from a good plan. It’s nice having the team work together and carrying on in the same vein as last year. It’s a great result for all of Corvette Racing.”
ANTONIO GARCIA, NO. 3 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C7.R:“It’s very difficult to gauge after this weekend where everyone will be come Saturday of the race. We’ve done all we needed to do and ran through our testing plans. There’s not a ton on our Corvettes that we can try that is different. Everyone got good time in the car, which is great. The one area we needed to focus on most are the new Michelin tires, and know we have an idea of what to expect. We’ll analyze all we’ve done during these three days to come back as fast and as reliable as possible. If that’s enough then great. If not then we’ve done our best to perform at 100 percent.”
MIKE ROCKENFELLER, NO. 3 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C7.R:“Overall we had a solid time at the Roar. We didn’t change a lot of things because we know the car inside and out, plus we know the track very well, too. We ran through a couple of small adjustments and tried to get me some seat time for me. I hadn’t driven the car since Le Mans last June. I really enjoyed my time back with Corvette Racing. The weather and conditions were great except for Friday night’s rain. Hopefully it stays like this for the race.”
TOMMY MILNER, NO. 4 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C7.R: “Coming here for the Roar gives us an opportunity to try a lot of things we won’t have time to try come race week. So it’s a good thing to run through all those setup options. It’s still tough to get a lot of running here even though it’s three days; we’ve had a lot of red flags and relatively short sessions. It was good to get some final laps in the afternoon session. We’ve been here many years now with the C7.R and we have a handle on what it takes to go fast here. There are always things to try and to learn. We’ll put all that information to make our best effort come the Rolex 24.”
MARCEL FÄSSLER, NO. 4 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C7.R: “It’s been important for me to get back in the Corvette to get some rhythm and get back in a racing mindset for the race. It was important to do as many laps as possible, and it was really quality time spent in the car. So I’m happy on the performance side. We’ve tested a few things this weekend looking ahead to the race. I’m happy from the weekend. We’re all looking forward with some positive thoughts and are all motivated for the race.”
Pratt Miller Defense in conjunction with Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) recently unveiled and demonstrated their Multi-mode Mode Extreme Travel Suspension (METS) vehicle, which is part of the Ground X Vehicle-Technologies (GXV-T) program that seeks to improve the mobility, survivability, safety, and effectiveness of future combat vehicles. Traditionally, the formula to improve survivability has been to add armor which is detrimental to mobility, cost and efficiency. The intent of the GXV-T program is to create disruptive solutions that investigate the art of the possible by breaking the traditional mold while ensuring the operational viability of the next generation of combat vehicles.
METS specifically addressed GXV-T’s requirement of enhanced mobility and survivability through agility. Defense contractor, Pratt Miller, designed and built a concept demonstrator vehicle that combines high and low travel suspensions designed to navigate obstacles as high as 1.5 meters, navigate 95% of the world’s terrain, accomplish 90% of mission profiles with a single platform, and operate at speeds that greatly exceed any other vehicle while maintaining maximum driver comfort.
Pratt Miller Defense along with other program participants had the opportunity to demonstrate their respective technology at the U.S. Army Aberdeen Test Center (ATC) in May in front of several government agencies and officials.
“To see METS perform out of the box at ATC at speeds upward of 20 miles per hour over a 6-inch washboard surface validated everything our Team had seen in the virtual environment,” said Chad Lehner, METS Program Manager for Pratt Miller Defense. “Prior to the demonstration our Team had only one week of test and development time on the vehicle in preparation for the demo and we believe that we are only scratching the surface of METS capability.”
ATC has served as test grounds for many defense vehicles including HMMWV and JLTV. To date, top speeds over this same washboard course for a traditional wheeled vehicle has been only 6 miles per hour.
Leading test activity at ATC is Dr. Greg Schultz, Roadway Simulator Manager. Dr. Schultz is engaged in testing, validating and approving all vehicles released to the military.
“In my 30 years at ATC, I have never seen a wheeled vehicle go as fast as METS over the 6-inch washboard,” stated Dr. Schultz during the presentation portion of the demo. This statement re-affirmed Pratt and Miller’s success in demonstrating that GXV-T objectives can be achieved.
Ken Flory, METS Chief Engineer stated, “Our vision is to revolutionize the way the world moves. In two years, our Team has taken METS from a radical concept developed through modeling and simulation, in a strictly virtual environment, to a fully operational and functional vehicle. The ingenuity tapped into throughout the design, build and modeling process was something only Pratt Miller could accomplish.”
Leading Pratt Miller’s Defense Business Development department is Kevin Mulrenin, “Our goal is to protect our warfighters and help them win their missions. Given the extraordinary performance results seen on the GXV-T METS platform during initial testing, we are looking forward to connecting with industry and government partners to commercialize this technology for use on current and future extreme off-road vehicles.”
Pratt Miller is a product development company that, through technology and innovation, solves its customers most complex and technical challenges in the Motorsports, Defense and Mobility Industries. The company is defining the future of the defense industry by providing complete ground vehicle solutions to revolutionize platform mobility, survivability, and robotics.
NEW HUDSON, MI, NOVEMBER 2018– Pratt Miller Engineering (PME) is excited to announce that Logical Advantage will now be part of the PME family. The joining of these two extraordinary firms, similar in culture and with complementing capabilities, will enable both organizations to provide a much broader set of services and solutions to their respective client bases.
Logical Advantage (LA) is a custom software and Internet of Things (IoT) company located in Charlotte, North Carolina 20 miles from PME’s Huntersville, NC office. The addition of LA’s staff increases PME’s North Carolina team to over 70 employees, with the majority of its staff dedicated to software development.
Years ago, PME began developing custom software tools out of ingenuity and necessity to support their championship winning motorsports business. Over time, PME’s in-house software capabilities have grown significantly and with support from LA along the way, the company began developing custom software products and applications primarily marketed to the automotive OEM’s.
One representative example of PME’s robust software products is PM-VES (Pratt Miller-Vehicle Engineering System) that tracks and organizes large amounts of vehicle development and test program data, then accurately and efficiently records the configurations of multiple vehicles while also storing the results of vehicle testing, development, and benchmarking activities.
LA has supported PME since 2008 on the current version of PM-VES 1.0 by providing PME with a talented team of software developers and software application developers. Due to an overwhelming positive response from customers using the software product and now with a much larger team, PME is preparing for launch of PM-VES 2.0 at the end of this year.
“We have maintained a proven and successful working relationship with LA since 2008,” said Matt Carroll, PME CEO. “Combining forces with LA, brings together the best minds in the software industry. This merging of talent not only gives us the time and resources to focus on the successful launch of VES 2.0, but it provides these ultra-technical and creative minds the opportunity to develop products that will help our current customers work smarter and more efficiently. For our future customers, given the climate in the software space, the sky’s the limit.”
###
Pratt Miller is a product development company that, through technology and innovation, solves its customers’ most complex and technical challenges in the Motorsports, Defense and Mobility Industries.
SHANGHAI (Nov. 18, 2018) – Corvette Racing’s closed its 20th season of competition Sunday with hard-fought effort in the FIA World Endurance Championship’s Six Hours of Shanghai as Tommy Milner, Oliver Gavin and the whole of the Corvette Racing program weathered… well, the weather.
The Milner/Gavin pairing drove their No. 64 Redline/Mobil 1 Chevrolet Corvette C7.R to a 10th-place finish in the GTE Pro category on a challenging day at the SAIC International Circuit. Not only was it the first time for the Corvette Racing at Shanghai, but a moderate and steady rain in the race’s opening half and at the end made the day even more daunting.
Nevertheless, the team minimized both its time in the pitlane and mistakes in front of an enthusiastic crowd and a considerable group of Chevrolet’s Chinese guests.
Milner drove the first three hours and 20 minutes, but he and the rest of the field didn’t see the green flag until 75 minutes into the race. The first 15 minutes were under full-course yellow followed by nearly an hour of stoppage due to water on the circuit. After 10 minutes of green followed by 10 minutes of yellow, the race stopped again for about 35 minutes. The final red flag was lifted more than two hours into the race.
Milner was one of the first GTE Pro runners to make an initial stop for fuel just shy of the two-and-a-half hour mark. Once the race got into a rhythm, he found himself inside the top-five as conditions began to improve.
He handed over to Gavin with a little more than two hours and 40 minutes to go. Conditions continued to improve somewhat, which swung momentum toward the GTE Pro competitors which had more experience with the track and tire feedback.
Gavin did an admirable job despite struggling with grip level in the Corvette – a situation multiplied by the worsening weather. He finished the race in conditions as challenging as at the start, fighting mist and darkness to bring the Redline Corvette home in one piece.
Corvette Racing will open its 2019 season and its third decade of competition with the Rolex 24 At Daytona on Jan. 26-27. It will mark the start of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship.
OLIVER GAVIN, NO. 64 REDLINE/MOBIL 1 CHEVROLET CORVETTE C7.R: “I don’t think I’ve ever been in a race quite like that. I’ve done a lot of races in the rain and a lot of races in the dark, but I’ve done it at a track like this without external lights. It was a bit of a lottery. We worked hard throughout the race to find as strong a setup as possible and took quite a big swing there for the end. Fundamentally we were lacking the pace we needed in the rain, kind of like how we did in the dry. We need to understand why that was with this tire and package so we can come back stronger if we have another shot at this event.”
TOMMY MILNER, NO. 64 REDLINE/MOBIL 1 CHEVROLET CORVETTE C7.R: “This has probably been one of the most challenging races I’ve done in my career with the changing conditions, the safety car periods and red flags. The trouble is when we went out on hot tires, the visibility wasn’t good so the tires cooled off when we were behind the safety car. It was a frustrating situation for all of us – the series, the fans and the competitors. We come to every track to win races but it wasn’t in the cards today. It was a difficult race in many aspects. But it ultimately was a lot of fun to come here to China for the first time and race. This was a big challenge for all of us. We did a pretty good job all things considered. We can now look forward to going home and getting ready for Daytona.”
Article by Ryan Smith
Photo’s by Richard Prince
