Kerala-born Abraham Pannikottu’s American Engineering Group gets DOD funding

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American Engineering Group, an Akron, Ohio based company founded by Kerala-born Abraham Pannikottu has been awarded a contract by the Department of Defense to manufacture specialty next-generation tires.

Pannikottu, who hails from Puramattom, Pathanamthitta District,  is a polymer researcher and businessman, who serves as CEO of AEG.

A press release from the company said the $782 billion national defense spending bill includes $5 million in supplemental appropriations to address the crisis in Ukraine, for manufacturing Pressure Zero Army Tires, a next-generation technology that is AEG’s specialty

The development of this manufacturing technology replaces current run-flat inserts inside military tires for both manned and unmanned-autonomous vehicles, the press release said.

“These critical investments will go a long way to countering both Russia and China, who are working together to out-compete the United States,” the press release said, adding that Pannikottu was assisted by Dr. Thomas Abraham, a material scientist and nanotechnologist who serves as an advisor and president of the company.

“After decades of painstaking preparation and lab tire testing, AEG is finally poised for manufacturing, with the first pressure “Zero” tire to be delivered in 2023. Bringing this military tire from concept to reality has been a long, two-decade journey for AEG,” Pannikottu is quoted saying in the press release.

The project has drawn considerable attention, as it marks American Engineering Group’s first foray into the military tire manufacturing in Akron, Ohio. The Zero Pressure Tire is also symbolic of the recent trend of innovation among small engineering companies for U.S. defense, the press release said.

The carbon fiber tire continues running even after being shredded by roadside bombs or gunfire.

“Defense vehicle weight requirements are increased so much that the current tires cannot support the load and DOD wants to create a tire that extends the mobility of the vehicle as well as the survivability and maintainability, that is where AEG’s new zero pressure tire comes to rescue,” said AEG President Thomas Abraham.