BAE Systems, Inc. on Thursday said it has entered into a strategic teaming agreement with QinetiQ to further develop and offer electric drive technology on combat vehicles for customers in the U.S. and globally.
The two companies have previously partnered on electric drive to offer the technology for specific programs, including the U.S. Army’s Ground Combat Vehicle and Future Combat System, both of which were canceled.
The new arrangement between the two companies “is different because we have formed a strategic partnership to further develop the technology in advance of any requirement or program,” Alicia Gray, a spokeswoman for BAE Systems, Inc., told Defense Daily in an email reply to questions about the partnership.
BAE Systems Inc. is the U.S.-based subsidiary of Britain’s BAE Systems plc. QinetiQ is also based in Britain.
BAE said the teaming combines its capabilities in vehicle design, development, manufacturing and systems integration with QinetiQ’s expertise in electric drive. QinetiQ has matured its E-X-Drive transmission that was developed for tracked combat vehicles and has worked with BAE on demonstrating the technology in a range of programs. The company has also developed the Hub-Drive Unit for wheeled vehicles that the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency is examining as part of its Ground X-Vehicle Technologies program.
“This agreement marks a significant step toward wide-scale adoption of electric drive systems for combat vehicles,” Dr. David Moore, campaign director for Electrical Propulsion and Drivetrains at QinetiQ, said in a statement. Dean Medland, vice president of Combat Vehicle Programs at BAE, said in a statement that the partnership offers “our customer a mature, low-cost technology that can enhance the performance of current and future combat vehicles.”