Detroit News: Peters foresees autonomous future for military vehicles

Sterling Heights — U.S. Sen. Gary Peters said Thursday he expects features of self-driving and autonomous vehicles to be incorporated into future generations of military defense vehicles.

Peters, a Democrat from Bloomfield Township and a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, visited BAE Systems military production facility for the first time to discuss innovation and changes in the defense industry and view a test run of the Bradley Fighting Vehicle.

“It’s very impressive and certainly the folks to ask about it are marines and soldiers that are in it regularly who know its capacity,” Peters said, after watching the Bradley A3 drive 45 mph around a test track. “The exciting thing about being here is that we are going to be entering into an unprecedented era when it comes to mobility and technology.”

Peters lauded BAE Systems— which designs and develops combat vehicles, guns and other equipment— as a leader in defense industry technology.

He said research on self-driving vehicles will be key to protecting men and women in the armed forces.

The Bradley A3, an armored combat vehicle, is being modernized in the coming years with upgraded communications abilities and system performance, said Mark Signorelli, vice president and general manager for combat vehicles at BAE Systems.