Team Polaris® Stands Out in Army SMET Program

Minneapolis, MN and Albuquerque, NM (September 25, 2017) – Polaris Industries Inc., Applied Research Associates Inc. (ARA) and Neya Systems LLC have teamed to provide the U.S. Army with an elite platform for the Squad Multipurpose Equipment Transport (SMET) program: the Team Polaris MRZR^® X, that will evolve squad mobility with advanced unmanned systems technology from ARA and the pioneering and unsurpassed autonomous systems behavior of Neya Systems.

“The MRZR X provides a modular, multi-mission platform for the U.S. Army’s SMET program to provide squad overmatch, no matter what the mission. It is based on the very familiar Polaris MRZR platform – and creates an optionally manned platform,” said John Olson, PhD, vice president and general manager of Polaris Government and Defense. “Off-road autonomy is challenging, but no one does off-road better than Polaris. And absolutely no one does off-road robotics and autonomy better than ARA and Neya Systems.”

The modular MRZR is a prolific and preferred platform among infantry units in the U.S. and more than 25 allied countries, which helps make its integration and the transition from manned to unmanned vehicles easier for the Army and the soldier. The MRZR X maintains the same mission profile the Army is accustomed to, with additional capabilities for the soldiers that exceed SMET base requirements.

ARA is an employee-owned scientific research and engineering company that acquired Neya Systems earlier this year. Neya Systems is known for their development of unmanned systems for defense, homeland security, and commercial users. Neya Systems staff, under the continued leadership of Parag Batavia, PhD, have been recognized worldwide for their contributions in advanced unmanned systems technology, including Batavia’s development of open architecture used universally by the Department of Defense.

“With the combined skills and expertise of Neya Systems and ARA, we’re able to bring world-class robotic solutions to Team Polaris to provide the U.S. soldier with advanced capabilities, a lightened physical load, and increased situational awareness to equip them for the multi-domain battlefield,” says ARA’s President and CEO, Rob Sues, PhD.

Team Polaris | Evolving Squad Mobility | Polaris.com/SMET

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About ARA – ARA was founded 1979 to solve problems of national importance. The company’s applied research delivers scientific solutions for national defense, homeland security, aerospace, healthcare, transportation, and manufacturing. With over 1,000 Employee Owners at locations in the U.S. and Canada, ARA offers a broad range of technical expertise in defense technologies, computer software and simulation, systems analysis, civil engineering, biomedical engineering, environmental technologies, and blast testing and measurement. For more information, visit ara.com.

About Neya Systems – Neya Systems is a leading developer of advanced unmanned systems technologies in the United States. Neya works with defense, homeland security, and commercial customers to deliver novel solutions to some of the hardest problems related to autonomy, computer vision, and general unmanned systems development and deployment. Both government- and commercial-sector engineering managers consistently turn to Neya’s team when seeking expertise related to perception in difficult visual conditions. For more information, visit neyasystems.com.

About Polaris Government and Defense – Polaris Government and Defense vehicles are forged from more than 60 years of off-road innovation and leadership. The commercial prowess and innovative culture of Polaris Industries are leveraged to deliver unique value to government entities and military forces worldwide. This dedicated division provides highly capable, simple to use, and affordable mobility platforms and vehicles that are readily available through easy procurement channels and supported through lifecycle training, service and maintenance from Polaris – the original equipment manufacturer.