Dana unveils Spicer central tyre inflation system for military and vocational applications

Dana Holding Corporation has launched new technology to support its Spicer central tyre inflation system (CTIS). The new technology is designed to optimize the performance of lower flow CTIS applications for smaller government defence and “vocational” vehicles with a new mechatronic control unit (MCU) option. According to the company, this technology identifies and reacts to tyre inflation issues more effectively by enabling individual wheel control. The MCU is an integrated unit that includes electronic, computer, and mechanical engineering with the intention of delivering improved reliability, a smaller footprint, reduced weight, and less wiring complexity.

Available now, Spicer CTIS with the MCU option has been specifically engineered for ground mobility vehicles (GMV), internally transportable-light strike vehicles (ITV-LSV), and high mobility multipurpose wheeled vehicles (HMMWV). It is also installed on the three vehicle designs that have entered the Engineering and Manufacturing Development (EMD) phase for the Army and Marine Corps Joint Light Tactical Vehicle (JLTV) program.

“Dana has a long history of supporting the defence industry with rugged drivetrain solutions and tire-management technologies that perform under pressure,” said Pat D’Eramo, president of Dana Commercial Vehicle Driveline Technologies. “This upgrade to Spicer CTIS demonstrates how we continuously refine our innovations to better meet the needs of specific applications.”

Spicer CTIS technology maximizes vehicle mobility by allowing operators, from inside the cab, to adjust tyre pressure to the optimum footprint on any terrain. Used on thousands of military vehicles worldwide over the past two decades, this innovative system also allows vehicles to effectively operate with extremely low tyre pressures and makes it possible to free a stuck vehicle or take on grades and other extreme conditions, transporting soldiers to safety in the most strenuous environments.

Spicer CTIS has been selected for most military vehicles that use a tyre management system, including the Oshkosh Family of Medium Tactical Vehicles (FMTV), the Textron M1117 Armored Security Vehicle, and the International MaxxPro mine-resistant ambush protected (MRAP) vehicle.

Dana’s history of supplying the US military dates to World War I, when it helped develop the Liberty Truck and produced four-wheel-drive-truck axles, universal joints, and anti-aircraft shells. In World War II it earned the Army-Navy “E” Award for “high achievement in the production of war equipment,” including the four-wheel-drive system for the Jeep – an advanced version of which it continues to produce more than seven decades later. It has also supplied products for the HMMWV since 1983.