Weighing 125 tons, this machine became the largest in the history of the US Army. The machine was developed, built and delivered by Dynatest, a Danish-American company. It was created to aid in defense efforts. Listed as Heavy Vehicle Simulator, people involved in the project nicknamed it Titan, due to its incredible weight and size.
The HVS or Titan, will be used both to test and optimize surfaces used for military defense.
Dynatest is known for creating military machines to check the condition of roads and tracks. For example, testing the durability needed to land heavy jets – which pack a mighty punch – without damaging the surface they land on. They also continuously test the surfaces to ensure they stand up to continued wear.
Titan was taken to Vicksburg, Mississippi, where the US Army Development Department, US Army Engineers Research and Development Center (ERDC) is located. The ERDC will use the device to create tracks and roads that can withstand larger, more powerful vehicles and last longer.
Dynatest is headquartered in Copenhagen, Denmark, but also has a location in Gainesville, Florida. It took them two years of research and development to create Titan.
But how big is the biggest military machinery to date?
For reference, this is the same weight as:
- A blue whale
- A Boeing 757 filled with fuel
- A space shuttle (and more)
In addition, it is 150 feet long, which is:
- 6 cinema screens
- 15 stop signs
- 5 flag poles
Titan is also 16 feet wide and 17.5 feet tall.
In other words, this thing is BIG.
In a press release about the event, Jeb Tingle, Senior Scientific Technical Director at the Geotechnical and Structural Laboratory at the U.S. Army Engineers Research and Development Center, said:
“The heavy-duty vehicle simulator – Titan – built in partnership with Dynatest, is an essential research tool for evaluating new materials, design methods and construction techniques to optimize transport infrastructure. It’s been a long process to get us to where we are today, and with this new capability added to the ERDC toolkit, we’ll be able to discover, develop, and deliver solutions to the Warfighter and the nation a lot. faster.“We are also proud to say that the Titan has the ability to apply dynamic impact loading to simulate the impact loads of aircraft landing and vertical take-off and landing aircraft. No other heavy vehicle simulator is capable of performing these critical tests. The Titan also has new features to help ERDC meet military transport needs.
