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

LOS ANGELES, March 12, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Nominal, the connected test and operations platform for complex hardware systems, today announced that Forterra, the leader in autonomous mission systems for defense, has selected Nominal to support testing, validation, and mission operations for its AutoDrive autonomous driving system. The partnership extends Nominal's footprint in defense autonomy, providing unified data infrastructure for Forterra’s production-rate delivery.

AutoDrive, Forterra's autonomous driving system, is the most widely deployed defense operation, fielded across more than a dozen vehicle platforms, including combat zones. As Forterra expands production for programs including ROGUE-Fires and various Army ground autonomy initiatives, the company required data infrastructure that could support consistent validation across simulation, hardware-in-the-loop, and vehicle testing, while enabling real-time visibility for field operations at distributed test ranges.

"We're at an inflection point where our testing infrastructure needs to match the pace and rigor of production," said Forterra’s Chief Innovation Officer Scott Philips. "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."

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.

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

The partnership reflects growing demand for modern data infrastructure among hardware-intensive defense programs. 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.

For Nominal, the Forterra partnership deepens the company's presence in defense autonomy and demonstrates how the same data infrastructure principles that transformed commercial software development are now arriving for mission-critical hardware programs where reliability is non-negotiable.

About Forterra

Forterra delivers autonomous mission systems for defense. From self-driving land systems to coordinated swarms of robotic systems, Forterra builds scalable, robust, mission-critical hardware and software platforms that empower its customers to deploy autonomy as a force multiplier, extending reach, survivability and effectiveness across the battlespace and industrial applications. Forterra is headquartered in Clarksburg, Md., with offices in Arlington, Va., Winter Park, Fl., Ketchum, Id. and Palo Alto, Ca. To learn more, go to forterra.com.

About Nominal

Founded in 2022, Nominal is built on the belief that learning from tests faster than the threat is how the United States builds lasting technological advantage. By turning testing into a continuous, secure source of truth across complex programs, Nominal helps the government and its partners field mission-critical systems with speed and confidence. For more information, visit: https://nominal.io/. Follow Nominal on LinkedIn and X.

Media Contact: press@nominal.io

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