The Texas A&M University System’s George H.W. Bush Combat Development Complex will soon feature the nation’s largest enclosed hypersonic testing facility as well as an outdoor range for trying out autonomous combat vehicles.
Today, The Texas A&M University System Board of Regents approved spending a total of $60.3 million for the two facilities at the George H.W. Bush Combat Development Complex located on the RELLIS Campus.
The Bush Combat Development Complex (BCDC) is being built as part an agreement between the A&M System and the U.S. Army Futures Command based in Austin. The complex will serve U.S. researchers from universities, the military and industry as they develop advanced technologies to modernize the U.S. Army.
Of the total expenditures approved, $37.8 million will be spent on the Innovation Proving Ground (IPG), an outdoor testing site for autonomous aerial, ground and subterranean vehicles. IPG construction is expected to start next summer and be completed a year later.
Also, $22.5 million will be spent on the Ballistic, Aero-Optics and Materials (BAM) Test Range, a hypersonic and laser testing facility. BAM construction is scheduled to begin in February, with substantial completion expected by October 2022.
For more information, see the A&M System’s press release.
Bush Combat Development Complex
The Texas A&M University System’s George H. W. Bush Combat Development Complex (BCDC), located on the 2,000-acre RELLIS Campus, is the result of a partnership with the U.S. Army Futures Command. The BCDC will bring together academic researchers, the military and the private sector for collaboration, demonstrations and high-tech testing of various national security initiatives. Learn more about all of the BCDC’s planned facilities and capabilities.