What project BH8 buys
This project matures, integrates and demonstrates critical mobile and on-platform power, on-platform compute and network capabilities to enable advanced combat vehicles and dismounted Soldier effectiveness. This project will optimize increased onboard processing capacity, secure data networks, multi-classification architectures, high-power battery systems, mobility systems, mobile power generation, and on-platform power generation and distribution. These systems are all critical to enable emerging autonomy, AI enabled capabilities and power-hungry warfighting technologies. This project will leverage industry collaboration to accelerate technology integration and deployment to reduce acquisition timelines Building upon PEO GCS's Common Infrastructure Architecture (GCIA), this effort will foster collaborative partnerships between Army laboratories and centers and private industry to advance open system data architectures for military ground vehicles. This approach enables common interfaces and capability implementations, providing an open architecture that allows platforms and industry partners to accept future technologies without significant re-design as emerging technologies are developed and integrated. The result will be a scalable, adaptable, and rapidly deployable foundation for next-generation military capabilities. Key technical challenges include increasing processing capacity, power and energy storage density while minimizing size, weight, and effectively managing thermal load. Ensuring data separation across complex multi-classification architectures also presents a significant challenge. Success will enable faster integration of autonomy/AI capabilities along with emerging power-hungry warfighting technologies. This will reduce reliance on proprietary solutions and support a more agile and responsive force. Research in this project is coordinated with Program Element (PE) 0602145A (Next Generation Combat Vehicle Technology). Work in this project is performed by the Ground Vehicle Systems Center (GVSC)
Project BH8 funding, FY2025–FY2031
Prior years are actuals, the budget year is the request, and the outyears are the FYDP plan. Estimate types are colored and never summed into one figure. Projects carry the full five-year plan; the activities inside them stop at the budget year.
| Fiscal Year | Estimate Type | Amount ($M) |
|---|---|---|
| FY2025 | Actual | 15.9 |
| FY2026 | Enacted | 5.0 |
| FY2027 | Request | 22.5 |
| FY2028 | Outyear | 29.8 |
| FY2029 | Outyear | 30.9 |
| FY2030 | Outyear | 34.1 |
| FY2031 | Outyear | 39.1 |
5 accomplishments / planned programs
The R-2A exhibit — the only level of the budget that describes work that has not happened yet. Activities carry the prior, current and budget year only, no five-year plan. Coverage is partial across the corpus, so count activities, never total them.
FY2027 planned work Will evaluate technologies to facilitate long term safe storage of batteries. Will evaluate filler materials to increase the survivability of commercial batteries in environments. Will evaluate advanced power distribution technology to support high power systems on the battlefield. Will evaluate floating high voltage architectures to allow a broad array of commercial power components to be used in military vehicles.
FY2026 to FY2027 change Funding increase will assess technologies and materials to improve battery safety, survivability, and power distribution for military applications.
FY2027 planned work Will mature and demonstrate key ruggedized high-performance compute processing and intra-vehicle network functions within the common on-vehicle network architecture and electronics, enabling emerging artificial intelligence (AI)-intensive capabilities including autonomous mobility, aided targeting, identification, and recognition, active protection, and multi-sensor fusion. This effort leverages commercial technologies and collaborative partnerships to accelerate capability demonstration and the delivery of integrated high performance computer processing solutions.
FY2026 to FY2027 change Funding increase represents an economic adjustment.
FY2026 plans — current year Will leverage industry collaboration to optimize high performance computer processing and build upon the integrated GCIA instantiation to improve sensor information sharing and investigate automation of sensor processing; to support emerging artificial intelligence (Al) intensive capabilities such as autonomous mobility, aided targeting, identification, and recognition, active protection, and multi-sensor fusion; Matures the ground vehicle common architecture for incremental transition to PEO GCS for refinement of the GCIA architecture.
FY2025 accomplishments Mature and demonstrate key network functions within the common on-vehicle network architecture; demonstrate an integrated Ground Combat Systems (GCS) Common Infrastructure Architecture (GCIA) instantiation to validate an implementation of GCIA hardware and software; optimize the ground vehicle common architecture to Technology Readiness Level (TRL) 6 for incremental transition to PEO GCS for refinement of the GCIA architecture; initiate the maturation of the architecture to address further capabilities such as cyber, on-board high-performance computing for artificial intelligence (AI), and thermally efficient electronics.
FY2027 planned work Will evaluate technologies associated with track, running gear and chassis systems needed to operate in complex off-road terrain; evaluate power generation, storage and distribution technologies required for vehicle propulsion and for onboard power and energy-based capabilities.
FY2026 to FY2027 change Funding increase will evaluate and demonstrate advanced mobility and power technologies to enhance combat vehicle maneuverability and onboard energy capabilities for battlefield operations.
FY2027 planned work Will integrate a commercial automotive high power battery system on a military vehicle to evaluate and demonstrate capability in Soldier-operated evaluations.
FY2026 to FY2027 change Funding increase will evaluate and integrate commercially available high power batteries for application in military platforms.
FY2027 planned work Will integrate commercial power generation technologies onto a demonstrator offboard power system and demonstrate the capability in Soldier-operated evaluations.
FY2026 to FY2027 change Funding increase will integrate and demonstrate commercial mobile offboard power generation technologies to meet infantry squad power needs in Soldier-operated evaluations.