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The U.S. Army Tank Automotive Research Development and Engineering Center (TARDEC) and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) are improving modeling and simulation technologies in order to predict the performance of Army ground platforms with a high degree of confidence. In order to provide a framework within which to evaluate the simulation technologies and provide a measure of the progress of the effort, a suite of virtual test operating procedures are being implemented. This framework is called the Virtual Evaluation Suite (VES). It is applicable to the study of ground vehicle stability, handling, ride, mobility, and durability over all terrains under all weather conditions. Although developed in order to evaluate simulation technologies, the VES may be considered a simulation that could be used to exercise any ground platform model that meets the VES standard vehicle interface.

A virtual, all-season test site for use in real-time vehicle simulators and mobility models was constructed of an Army firing range in Northern Vermont. The virtual terrain will mimic the terrain of our Virtual Data Acquisition and Test Site (VDATS) at Ethan Allen Firing Range (EAFR). The objective is to realistically simulate on- and off-road vehicle performance in all weather conditions for training and vehicle design for the US Army. To this end, several spatial datasets were needed to accurately map the terrain and estimate the state-of-the-ground and terrain strength at different times of the year. The terrain strength is characterized by terramechanics properties used in algorithms to calculate the forces at the vehicle-terrain interface. The performance of the real vehicles will be compared to the simulated vehicle performance of operator-in-the-loop and unmanned vehicles for validation of the simulations.