Menu

Airless Tire Technology – Phase III

NCMS Project #: 142035

Problem: Airless tires would eliminate improperly filled tire blowouts as well as the associated dangers/inconveniences due to maintainer injuries, road hazards and other air loss causes.  Airless tire technology eliminates the need to mount tires on wheels.  Airless tires would solve many problems.

Benefit: Understanding and documenting the parameters for airless tire technology development will allow for scalable development for current vehicle sustainment platforms used by the general public, commercial industry and Department of Defense to provide improved maintenance and sustainment cost solutions. 

Solution/Approach: During Phase III, the project team will validate the durability, performance and ballistic survivability of the prototype airless tires developed in previous phases.  Phase III will demonstrate and conduct an extension of the testing support of the final on-vehicle validation testing at the Tropic Regions Test Center (TRTC) in Suriname, including managing the logistics, providing technician support, running the test and completing a test report that encompasses the full realm of airless tire technology potential for use across a wide variety of vehicles.

Impact on Warfighter:

  • Improve safety
  • Lower maintenance and sustainment costs
  • Reduce vehicle weights
  • Increase fuel efficiencies
  • Decrease environment emissions and waste/pollution
  • Maximize warfighter readiness and lethality

DOD Participation:

  • U.S. Army Ground Vehicle Systems Center (GVSC) – FOSOV

Industry Participation:

  • TRAX International
  • Michelin
  • NCMS

Benefit Area(s):

  • Cost savings
  • Maintenance avoidance and reliability
  • Positive environmental impact
  • Safety
  • Improved readiness
  • Durability
  • Reliability improvement

Focus Area:

  • Reliability improvement