Bryan, Texas, will be the epicenter of technological innovation as The Texas A&M University System’s RELLIS Campus becomes home to the Bush Combat Development Complex and U.S. Army Futures Command. The partnership between the world-renowned Texas A&M System and the Army Futures Command will result in the development, testing and evaluation of next-generation technologies from the private sector and universities around the country.
The $130 million complex located on the 2,000-acre RELLIS campus includes a full complement of facilities, equipment and instrumentation. The Texas A&M System will build a $50 million Research Integration Center (RIC) with laboratories, accelerator space and offices for the Army Futures Command and other Texas A&M University System collaborators, and invest another $30 million in infrastructure improvements to support the new complex.
The Texas Legislature also appropriated $50 million to establish an Innovative Proving Ground, which is an outdoor testing area at RELLIS for designing, analyzing and validating new technologies in challenging environments.
The proving grounds will enable researchers to shorten the time it takes to move emerging technologies from the lab to the field and maximize technology capabilities through soldier feedback. A team of U.S. Army and Texas A&M System researchers will quickly evaluate prototypes that can be tested by soldiers in a real-world environment using a vast array of sensors and instruments at RELLIS.
The Army Futures Command, headquartered in Austin, is drawing on research from universities around the country and the private sector to modernize the U.S. Army. The new complex at RELLIS will be the central hub where many of the newest and most innovative ideas from across the nation are tested and evaluated.
Bush Combat Development Complex
Innovation Proving Ground (IPG)
The Innovation Proving Ground (IPG) will provide a challenging outdoor test site for autonomous aerial, ground and subterranean vehicles. The systems involved are highly complex, involving networks and sensors and innovative operating systems.
Research Integration Center (RIC)
The Research Integration Center (RIC) will be a state-of-the-art innovation hub where researchers, students, industry, government and the military can collaborate to create emerging technologies that will modernize the Army.
Ballistic, Aero-optics, and Materials (BAM)
Hypersonics and directed energy research will be conducted in the one-of-a-kind Ballistic, Aero-optics, and Materials (BAM) facility. BAM will feature an above-ground tunnel that is one-kilometer long and two meters in diameter, as well as integrated sensors.
Technology Innovation and Modernization Catalyst (TIMC)
The Technology Innovation and Modernization Catalyst (TIMC) supports management and transfer of intellectual property and technology to industry for commercial applications.
