WASHINGTON (AP) — A 34-year-old soldier serving with the Indiana National Guard in Iraq has died in a non-combat incident, the Army said Monday.
Capt. Eric Richard Hart, 34, of Indianapolis, Indiana, died Saturday in Iraq, the Army National Guard said in a statement. Hart was assigned to the Headquarters and Headquarters Battalion of Indiana’s 38th Infantry Division in Iraq. His death is under investigation.
While all combat operations have ceased for U.S. forces in Iraq, the U.S. maintains a presence of 2,500 troops to assist the Iraqi military in counter-Islamic State operations and training. Those forces have repeatedly come under attack in the 14 months since Hamas attacked Israel, spurring a wider, deadly response from Tel Aviv.
During the last year, Iranian-backed forces have launched one-way attack drones, rockets and missiles at U.S. facilities in Iraq in response to Israel's military operations in Gaza and Lebanon.
In September, the U.S. announced an agreement with the Iraqi government to wrap up the American-led coalition's military mission against the Islamic State group in Iraq by 2025. U.S. troops have departed some bases that they have long occupied during a two-decade-long military presence in the country.
Washington has had a continuous presence in Iraq since its 2003 invasion. Although all U.S. combat forces left in 2011, thousands of troops returned in 2014 to help the Iraqi government defeat IS.
Since the extremist group lost its hold on the territory it once seized, Iraqi officials have periodically called for a withdrawal of coalition forces, particularly in the wake of a U.S. airstrike in January 2020 that killed Iranian Gen. Qassem Soleimani and Iraqi militia leader Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis outside the Baghdad airport.
Before Monday's announcement, a total of 4,419 troops had died in Iraq since the beginning of the 2003 Operation Iraqi Freedom military campaign, including 3,482 combat deaths and 937 non-combat deaths, according to the latest Defense Department data. A total of 31,993 troops were wounded in action in Iraq.
The Defense Department's summary does not include all of the forces who returned from war with wounds that surfaced later, such as post-traumatic stress disorder or toxic exposure.
FILE - U.S. Army soldiers stand outside their armored vehicle on a joint base with the Iraqi army, south of Mosul, Iraq, Feb. 23, 2017. (AP Photo/ Khalid Mohammed, File)
BLACKSBURG, Va. & MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan 2, 2025--
Aeva ® (NYSE: AEVA), a leader in next-generation sensing and perception systems, and Torc, an independent subsidiary of Daimler Truck and a pioneer in commercializing self-driving vehicle technology, today announced an expansion of their collaboration to advance the development of a new safety architecture for truck applications – enabling autonomous trucks to make safer, more intelligent decisions.
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Under the expanded collaboration, Torc and Aeva will work together on technology advancements in service of L4 autonomous trucking to benefit the development of Torc’s Virtual Driver vehicle software. The companies will share 4D LiDAR sensing data and share a Freightliner Cascadia vehicle platform for use in long-range sensing applications. The data captured will support deeper collaboration between global engineering teams at both companies.
“Aeva is pioneering the next generation of 4D LiDAR technology and we’re excited to enter a new phase of our collaboration to continue to position us as industry leaders in autonomous driving technology for production deployment at scale,” commented Peter Vaughan Schmidt, Torc CEO.
The collaboration builds on the production agreement signed last year when Daimler Truck selected Aeva as its supplier of long and ultra-long range LiDAR for its series production autonomous commercial vehicle program. The multi-year production agreement is targeting commercializing Daimler Truck autonomous trucks by 2027.
“Torc Robotics is a leader in commercializing autonomous truck technology and this expansion of our collaboration is a testament to the capabilities of our talented team and the strength of our production partnership with Torc and Daimler Truck,” said Soroush Salehian, Co-Founder and CEO at Aeva. “Now our global teams will work even closer together with joint sharing of sensing data from Aeva sensors on North America’s top trucking platform. We look forward to advancing our multi-year production collaboration to commercialize safe autonomous trucks on the road.”
About Torc Robotics
Torc Robotics, headquartered in Blacksburg, Virginia, is an independent subsidiary of Daimler Truck AG, a global leader and pioneer in trucking. Founded in 2005 at the birth of the self-driving vehicle revolution, Torc has nearly 20 years of experience in pioneering safety-critical, self-driving applications. Torc offers a complete self-driving vehicle software and integration solution and is currently focusing on commercializing autonomous trucks for long-haul applications in the U.S. In addition to its Blacksburg headquarters and engineering offices in Austin, Texas, and Montreal, Canada, Torc has a fleet operations facility in the Dallas-Fort Worth area in Texas, to support the company’s productization and commercialization efforts, as well as a presence in Ann Arbor, MI, to take advantage of the autonomous and automotive talent base in that region. Torc’s purpose is driving the future of freight with autonomous technology. As the world’s leading autonomous trucking solution, we empower exceptional employees, deliver a focused, hub-to-hub autonomous truck product, and provide our customers with the safest, most reliable, and cost-efficient solution to the market.
About Aeva Technologies, Inc. (NYSE: AEVA)
Aeva’s mission is to bring the next wave of perception to a broad range of applications from automated driving to industrial robotics, consumer electronics, consumer health, security and beyond. Aeva is transforming autonomy with its groundbreaking sensing and perception technology that integrates all key LiDAR components onto a silicon photonics chip in a compact module. Aeva 4D LiDAR sensors uniquely detect instant velocity in addition to 3D position, allowing autonomous devices like vehicles and robots to make more intelligent and safe decisions. For more information, visit www.aeva.com, or connect with us on X or LinkedIn.
Aeva, the Aeva logo, Aeva 4D LiDAR, Aeries, Aeva Ultra Resolution, 4D Perception, and 4D Localization are trademarks/registered trademarks of Aeva, Inc. All rights reserved. Third-party trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
Forward-looking statements
This press release contains certain forward-looking statements within the meaning of the federal securities laws. Forward-looking statements generally are identified by the words “believe,” “project,” “expect,” “anticipate,” “estimate,” “intend,” “strategy,” “future,” “opportunity,” “plan,” “may,” “should,” “will,” “would,” “will be,” “will continue,” “will likely result,” and similar expressions. These forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to expectations about our product features, performance and our relationship with Torc and Daimler Truck. Forward-looking statements are predictions, projections and other statements about future events that are based on current expectations and assumptions and, as a result, are subject to risks and uncertainties. Many factors could cause actual future events to differ materially from the forward-looking statements in this press release, including, but not limited to: (i) the fact that Aeva is an early stage company with a history of operating losses and may never achieve profitability, (ii) Aeva’s limited operating history, (iii) the ability to implement business plans, forecasts, and other expectations and to identify and realize additional opportunities, (iv) the ability for Aeva to have its products selected for inclusion in OEM products, (v) the fact that Aeva is operating in an emerging market and there can be no assurance that LiDAR sensors will achieve commercial success in sufficient volume in the automotive or other markets (vi) ability to commercialize and market acceptance of autonomous vehicles, (vii) whether the OEMs continue pursuing their autonomous vehicle programs, and (viii) other material risks and other important factors that could affect our financial results. Please refer to our filings with the SEC, including our most recent Form 10-Q and Form 10-K. These filings identify and address other important risks and uncertainties that could cause actual events and results to differ materially from those contained in the forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date they are made. Readers are cautioned not to put undue reliance on forward-looking statements, and Aeva assumes no obligation and does not intend to update or revise these forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise. Aeva does not give any assurance that it will achieve its expectations.
(Photo: Torc Robotics)
