Nominal Selected by Forterra to Power Data Infrastructure for Defense Autonomy Programs

Partnership brings production-grade test and operations platform to the most widely deployed autonomous ground vehicle system in defense

Mar. 12, 2026 at 6:37pm

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Nominal, a connected test and operations platform for complex hardware systems, has been selected by Forterra, the leader in autonomous mission systems for defense, to support testing, validation, and mission operations for its AutoDrive autonomous driving system. The partnership will provide unified data infrastructure for Forterra's production-rate delivery of the AutoDrive system, which is the most widely deployed defense operation, fielded across more than a dozen vehicle platforms, including combat zones.

Why it matters

As autonomous ground systems become central to how the U.S. and its allies operate, the ability to validate at speed — without sacrificing traceability — will separate programs that deliver from those that stall. The partnership reflects growing demand for modern data infrastructure among hardware-intensive defense programs.

The details

Forterra operates across distributed environments, from simulation labs to hardware-in-the-loop benches multiple test ranges in continuous operation. Nominal unifies data from all of these sources, giving engineering teams consistent methods for regression testing, real-time field validation, and post-test analysis regardless of where or how a test was run. As vehicle deployments scale, the same infrastructure supports fleet-wide analytics, anomaly detection, and sustainment planning across software versions and assets.

  • Nominal and Forterra announced the partnership on March 12, 2026.

The players

Nominal

A connected test and operations platform for complex hardware systems.

Forterra

The leader in autonomous mission systems for defense, delivering autonomous ground systems and robotic platforms.

Scott Philips

Forterra's Chief Innovation Officer.

Cameron McCord

CEO and co-founder of Nominal.

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What they’re saying

“We're at an inflection point where our testing infrastructure needs to match the pace and rigor of production. Nominal gives us a single source of truth across every test environment, simulation, HIL, and vehicle so our teams can validate faster and ship with confidence.”

— Scott Philips, Chief Innovation Officer, Forterra

“In autonomy development, the difference between weeks and hours for bug identification can determine program timelines. We built Nominal so teams building mission-critical hardware can run disciplined testing at scale and turn results into decisions fast.”

— Cameron McCord, CEO and co-founder, Nominal

What’s next

The partnership between Nominal and Forterra is expected to continue as Forterra expands production for programs including ROGUE-Fires and various Army ground autonomy initiatives, leveraging Nominal's data infrastructure to support consistent validation across simulation, hardware-in-the-loop, and vehicle testing, as well as real-time visibility for field operations.

The takeaway

This partnership demonstrates the growing demand for modern data infrastructure in the defense industry, particularly as autonomous ground systems become increasingly central to military operations. By unifying data across distributed test environments, Nominal's platform enables Forterra to validate its autonomous driving systems faster and with greater confidence, ultimately supporting the delivery of mission-critical hardware at scale.