Camp Atterbury, located near Edinburgh, Indiana. Photo from the U.S. Air Force Auxiliary.

By Casey Smith
Indiana Capital Chronicle

INDIANA — A portion of Camp Atterbury will soon be home to a proving and testing ground for new technologies that could be useful to both civilians and the military — largely those involving autonomous vehicles.

Officials announced the new deal during a ceremony on Friday. The 10-year, $940,000 lease of state-owned land and roadways within Camp Atterbury’s north post will allow PRŪV “an independent and secure location” to test “next-generation advanced mobility developments.”

Indiana National Guard Maj. Gen. Dale Lyles said the advancement of autonomous military vehicles and weapons could help save the lives of soldiers in future conflicts. He noted, for example, that the dangers of first contact with an enemy could be absorbed by robots and Artificial Intelligence.

As part of those autonomous vehicle developments, Lyles predicted that PRŪV will eventually use Camp Atterbury’s restricted airspace to test how unmanned aerial systems, like drones, could be used to “defeat systems or enhance their systems in the warfight.”

“It is imperative that we keep this place busy and we keep it open to ensure the safety of all Americans, and that we prevail against all of our adversaries,” said Lyles, Indiana’s adjutant general. He further applauded the project as a ground-breaking cooperation between the military and private sector.

“Our relationship with PRŪV strengthens our national security strategy, it strengthens our defense sector, it makes America safer. And this partnership is something that will endure for years, and it is something that will preserve the safety of our kids and our grandkids.”

Camp Atterbury, located near Edinburgh in south-central Indiana, serves as a major training site for the Indiana National Guard.

Lyles noted that because much of the National Guard’s training happens on weekends, “we have this available capacity through the week.”

New testing on the way

PRŪV’s initial lease includes 55 acres on the north side of the base on land owned by the state.

The new proving ground will be located on the northern portion of the base and include 10.2 miles of road behind a secure fence line. Military and company officials said it’s an ideal spot for secure and confidential research, as well as development and testing of advanced vehicle technologies.

PRŪV CEO John Fairbanks said the company started looking across Indiana for a new proving ground site in 2015. The Indiana Defense Network and Indiana Economic Development Corporation helped foster the partnership between PRŪV and the National Guard, he continued.

The startup company designs, builds, and operates advanced mobility proving grounds and research campuses to support development and testing of intelligent and efficient vehicle technologies. The company said its test beds provide “realistic and configurable environments” to evaluate vehicle performance, safety and reliability.

Former Indiana adjutant general Maj. Gen. R. Martin Umbarger, who retired in 2015, now serves on PRŪV’s board as the senior military advisor.

“We are excited to open this testing site with a vision for an advanced proving ground campus in Indiana that provides companies in the advanced mobility sector a premier location to safely test and validate new technologies,” Fairbanks said. “As a tremendous asset for automotive and associated technology groups, mobility companies and the Department of Defense in developing, testing and deploying advancements in vehicle technologies, this flagship facility will create economic opportunity, support workforce development, and cement Indiana’s position as a leader in transportation innovation.”

Fairbanks said PRŪV studies “the entire advanced mobility ecosystem,” which includes everything from the vehicle itself, to manufacturing materials, communication channels and cybersecurity.

“It’s kind of a combination of all those things,” he said. “We’re going to be very agnostic. We say we are building the sandbox for testing of advanced mobility technologies.”

The proving ground is expected to see testing of technology from other companies like Cummings, Allison Transmission and ClearFlame Engine Technologies, among others, he said.

Room to grow

The as-is site already offers configurable routes and scenarios to support testing of various levels of vehicle performance in a range of weather conditions and environments, according to the Indiana National Guard.

Once completed, the proving ground campus is envisioned to include a vehicle dynamics area, urban street grid, rural roads, off-road terrain and support facilities for various types of testing scenarios. The Indiana National Guard said the campus will be available 24/7 for use by vehicle developers, suppliers, technology companies, researchers and government entities.

The project will also make use of the network of streets in the area that used to be the Wakefield military hospital during World War II.

Fairbanks said PRŪV plans to make upgrades and infrastructure improvements at the site, including the construction of new buildings and facilities as the project expands. Eventually, the company has the option to use the whole 1,000 acres north of Atterbury, Lyles said.

Indiana National Guard officials said those investments will support current and future base operations.