Hellenic Army Panhard VBL.

Panhard VBL, Hellenic Army

With camera on hands, raw footage from inside a Hellenic Army Panhard VBL during military exercise showing vehicle's off road capabilities.

The Panhard VBL (Vehicule Blinde Leger) or LAV (Light Armored Vehicle) armored scout car was developed in 1988. It is also referred as the M-11. This vehicle was intended for French rapid reaction forces and for export customers. More than 2 300 of these scout cars were built for home and export markets. The VBL has been used in many peacekeeping operations.
   The VBL provides protection against small arms bullets and artillery shell splinters. NBC protection system is fitted as standard. It has a payload of 1 ton, including crew and armament.
   Vehicle is armed with a roof mounted 7.62-mm or 12.7-mm machine gun. Panhard has proposed over 20 models of the VBL, fitted with various armament.
   Vehicle is powered by the Peugeot XD3T turbocharged diesel engine, developing 105 horsepower. The Panhard VBL is fully amphibious after a short preparation. On water it is propelled by a single propeller at hull rear. Central tyre pressure system is fitted as standard. Vehicle can be airlifted by most medium military transports.

IAI RAM MkIII Armored Vehicle: Rough and Tough

RAM AT platform, loaded with eight LAHAT missiles. Photo: IAI

High performance, air-mobile armored combat vehicle combining extreme off-road mobility, high reliability and affordability, the RAM from IAI/RAMTA has been delivering those attributes for more than 30 years, proving its worth as a multi-mission combat proven platform in service with numerous military forces throughout the world.
   

MORE IN THE FULL ARTICLE: http://defense-update.com/20120327_r...and-tough.html

RAM MkIII Specifications:

• Combat weight 6.5 tons for the basic version, 7.2 tons for the configuration with add-on armored kit.
• Fuel capacity of 160 litres
• Engine: 6.472 liter Deutz 189 hp @2500 rpm
• Automatic transmission
• Power assist steering
• Hydraulic power assist brakes
• Overall length: 5,950mm (including spare wheel)
• Overall height: 2,120mm
• Overall width: 2,080mm

RAM MKIII Performance:

• Cruising speed: 100 km/h (0n-road)
• Cruising range: 800 km
• Seating: 1+7
• Fording: 1m (w/o preparations)
• Grade: 60%
• Side slope: 30%
• Vertical obstacle: 0.60m
• Ground clearance: 0.53m

Industry ready now for Joint Light Tactical Vehicle

WASHINGTON (Army News Service, Feb. 28, 2012) -- Industry bidders will respond March 13 to the most recent government request for solutions to modernize the light tactical vehicle fleet -- and they don't need any more time than that to do so, because they are prepared now.

"Industry, they don't need another two years to design this vehicle," said Col. Dave Bassett, the project manager for Army tactical vehicles. "They are ready now to respond with mature designs to our solicitation."
Bassett, along with Kevin M. Fahey, the Army's program executive officer for combat support and combat service support, spoke Feb. 23 in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., during a media opportunity at the Association of the U.S. Army's Institute of Land Warfare's Winter Symposium and Exposition Feb. 23.
"I have not seen substantial pressure to slow this program down," Bassett said. "The feedback we have got from industry confirmed we have folks prepared to bid mature designs now."
Fahey agreed. He said that industry is ready to present their options for the Joint Light Tactical Vehicle, or JLTV, and that the Army and Marine Corps program is structured as-is with current budget considerations in mind.
"One of the number one things is keep it focused, and from an Army and Marine Corps perspective, the program now as structured and the schedule we [are] on is also consistent with our fiscal constraints on how we are going to fund the capability we need over time."

The Army released the Joint Light Tactical Vehicle engineering and manufacturing development phase request for proposal, known as an RFP, Jan. 26. Industry has until March 13 to respond.
Bassett said in the JLTV technology development phase, the program received criticism because it was changing requirements and the schedule was slipping, but he said the TD phase "did exactly what it was intended to do, which is it gave us an opportunity to learn about our requirements, and learn the relationships between those requirements and costs."
It also allowed the Army to focus on the capability gaps that had to be satisfied by the JLTV -- protected mobility and restoring capability that was lost by having added armor to the Humvee.
"We came out of that with an industrial base that had learned a lot and had benefited from a round of competitive prototyping," he said. Having built prototypes, he said, industry learned key capabilities of the vehicle and also learned of the challenges of developing the JLTV. "They came out a whole lot better prepared to make the adjustments and requirements necessary to end up with the program that we have an RFP out on the street for today."

HUMVEE WAY AHEAD

The latest budget proposal has not provided funding for the "Modernized Expanded Capability Vehicle" program, or MECV program. The MECV program was to modernize the Humvee.
Fahey said, however, that the Humvee is still suitable to do its mission -- many of those missions inside the United States. There will be a "sustainment program for the HUMVEE fleet for the foreseeable future," he said, that includes less a of a focus on survivability of the Humvee fleet, and more on cost effectiveness and fuel efficiency. "We're going to be sustaining that fleet for quite a while, there will be times in its life it has to go back to the depots for some kind of reset."

Army preparing to produce JLTVs

ARLINGTON, Va. (Army News Service, July 27, 2011) -- After refining requirements during a two-year Technology Development phase for the Joint Light Tactical Vehicle, Army developers are poised to conduct a full and open competition geared toward formal production, service officials said.
The Joint Light Tactical Vehicle, or JLTV, will be a next-generation light vehicle designed to bring Soldiers an unprecedented blend of protection, payload and performance, said Tim Goddette, director of Sustainment Systems.

The Technology Development, or TD, phase for JLTV development, completed this past May, successfully demonstrated the vehicle's ability to meet a wide range of requirements, including fortified improvised explosive device, or IED, protections designed to withstand blast attacks, off-road mobility, variable ride height suspension, exportable power and essential command, control, communications, computers, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, or C4ISR, capabilities, Goddette said.
The 27-month phase included prototype vehicles from three teams of vendors: BAE-Navistar, Lockheed-BAE and General Tactical Vehicles (General Dynamics and AM General).
"The purpose of the TD phase was geared toward refining the requirements in order to demonstrate the JLTV's ability to meet the designated capability gaps," Goddette said. "The program has succeeded in identifying and proving out those areas of needed development -- and now the Army is analyzing what trade-offs might be required in order to best pursue an acquisition strategy that both lowers costs and delivers this needed capability to Soldiers."
The competitive prototyping and extensive testing pursued during the TD phase was designed to match technological capability with the vehicle's requirements and lower risk for an anticipated production phase, Goddette said.

"We demonstrated that every one of the requirements was achievable," Goddette explained. "We've learned that some trade-offs are necessary to pursue an overall strategy that best synchronizes requirements, resources, mature technologies and a cost-reducing acquisition strategy."
"We demonstrated not only that the requirements were achievable, but we gained valuable insight into the cost of each capability and effect that one capability might have on another. We've learned that some trade-offs are necessary to pursue an overall strategy that best synchronizes requirements, resources, mature technologies and a cost-reducing acquisition strategy," Goddette said.
Operating in today's more budget-constrained fiscal environment, Army developers are working on an approach to JLTV procurement that harnesses the best available technologies while minimizing costs and achieving efficiency in the process, he said.
One such approach includes the possibility of buying less add-on armor, known as B-kits, for the vehicles because not every JLTV will need the added protection and new, lightweight materials may likely become available in the future, Goddette said.

Due to its enhanced technological capabilities, the JLTV will be able to perform a wide range of missions and perform many roles Humvees are currently unable to do, Goddette said. At the same time, the Army has embarked upon a competitive Humvee recap program aimed at improving the survivability of the existing vehicle that is already in the Army inventory.
"The JLTV and Humvee-recap program are designed to complement one another as part of an integrated Light Tactical Vehicle strategy designed to best prepare our force for a range of anticipated future contingencies," Goddette said. "These two competitive efforts are also synchronized with one another to invest a limited amount of resources up front enabling a 'try before we buy' approach and capitalize on the vast experience our industry partners have gained over that past five years."
With its off-road ability, blast-protections and on-board electronics, the JLTV will bring a new set of capabilities to the Army and Marines.

There are two different variants or categories of JLTV:

-- Combat Tactical Vehicle is a four-person general purpose vehicle with a curb weight of 13,000 pounds and the ability to carry 3,500 pounds of payload and 3,500 pounds of add-on armor.

-- Combat Support vehicle is a two-passenger utility vehicle with a short cab/open bed for hauling equipment or putting on shelters. 

 

Source

Army producing enhanced Stryker with double-V hull.

Photo Credit: Army file photo. A Stryker vehicle crew belonging to the 4th Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division, fires a TOW missile during the brigade's rotation through the Joint Readiness Training Center at Fort Polk, La.

WASHINGTON (Army News Service, May 9, 2011) -- By this summer, Soldiers in Afghanistan will be riding in new Stryker armored combat vehicles that have an improved hull design to protect them from improvised explosive devices and roadside mines.

In the coming weeks, Soldiers in Afghanistan will begin to see 150 new Strykers with a double-V hull, or DVH, design that deflects blasts away from the vehicle and the Soldiers inside. The Stryker DVH, with enhanced armor, wider tires and blast-attenuating seats, went from conception to production in less than one year.
The double-V hull design on the new Styker is a proven technology similar to that found on mine-resistant, ambush-protected, or MRAP, vehicles currently being used in Afghanistan.
"The rapid turnaround of the DVH is responsiveness at its best," Col. Robert Schumitz, Stryker Brigade Combat Team Project Management Office, project manager, said. "Soldier survivability is the Army's number-one priority. Once we determined that the DVH effort was an achievable and acceptable risk, we swiftly engaged in executing the robust program."

Engineers at General Dynamics Land Systems conceived of the double-V-hull design and tested it at Yuma Proving Ground, Ariz., Aberdeen Proving Ground, Md., and the Army's National Training Center at Fort Irwin, Calif.
"We wanted to take advantage of the V shape and get the center of the vehicle farther away from the ground to aid survivability," said Mike Cannon, senior vice president of General Dynamics Land Systems.
Vehicles went through live-fire, developmental and operational testing that concentrated on force protection, safety, performance, reliability and durability.
There are 140 Stryker DVH's already in the Army supply chain, and plans are to field a total of 450 vehicles.
"The Stryker program has been continually responsive to evolutionary threats," Schumitz said. "The Stryker DVH is a robust program that has enjoyed the Army's full support to increase Soldier survivability in Operation Enduring Freedom." 

Source

Machinist creates universal MRAP key

KHOWST PROVINCE, Afghanistan (Mar. 2011) - Innovations in military equipment and tools are often the result of many hours of research and development, along with the expenditure of significant amounts of taxpayer dollars.

However, this need not be the case, as Cpl. Scott Mayer, a machinist of the 6th Squadron, 4th Cavalry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, Task Force Duke, has shown by developing a universal key that will unlock all varieties of lock used to secure the doors on the Mine-Resistant, Ambush Protected family of military vehicles.
The key is the result of Mayer's ability to identify a potential issue and come up with a simple, inexpensive solution that took him less than an hour to make in his welding shop.
"I'm a machinist," said the Lubbock, Texas, native, "and from day one we are taught to think outside the box to solve problems."

MRAP vehicles come in several different variants, each of which uses a different type of lock. Some variants even have as many as three different types of door locks on the same vehicle, all with a unique outer access point designed to allow them to be unlocked from the outside using the proper tool.
Creating a universal key that fits all locks could make a huge difference in responding to emergency situations when every second counts.
Mayer is currently working on more keys, intending build enough to supply each vehicle in 6-4 Cav.
"I just hope that, in urgent situations, we won't have to worry whether or not we have the right key," said Mayer, "and we can rely on one key to get us out of any vehicle.

UAE BMP-3 Infantry Fighting Vehicle Upgrades

The UAE and Russia are to work together to upgrade the UAE Armed Forces’ fleet of BMP-3 amphibious IFVs.

These land and water-capable Infantry Fighting Vehicles are Russian-made military designs that date back to the 1980s. Weighing close to 19 tonnes each, they’re capable of accommodating up to ten military personnel and boast an array of firepower including a main 100mm rifle gun.

BMP-3s are in service with many nations, including Kuwait, Sri Lanka and the Ukraine. The United Arab Emirates has more than anyone else – the latest published data indicates a fleet comprised of almost 600 examples. These were supplied from 1992 to 2000.

Infantry Fighting Vehicle Upgrades

Now, approximately 30 per cent of them will be enhanced with new technologies through an agreement with Russia’s main arms export group – Rosoboronexport. The Infantry Fighting Vehicle upgrade contract has a value of $74m and will boost the BMP-3s to mid-life BMP-3M status.

New features to be added include hi-tech UTD-32 engines rated at 660 horsepower, better firing abilities and a boost in protective armour.

In related news, the UAE Armed Forces is to get new land-based vehicles, too. These will be provided by Oshkosh Defense in collaboration with local conglomerate the Al Jaber Group.

The vehicles involved in this deal will be Global HETs (Heavy Equipment Transporters), which have 700hp engines and can carry loads of up to 70 metric tons. This gives them the capacity to transport MBTs (Main Battle Tanks), construction equipment and other armoured vehicles.

UAE BMP-3 Infantry Fighting Vehicles

Global HETS are modified versions of the standard HET design, with improvements made to ensure they can still be effective under the hot sun of the desert, where they will operate alongside the UAE’s BMP-3 Infantry Fighting Vehicles.

“We are pleased to partner with the Al Jaber Group to deliver and support the Oshkosh Global HET vehicle in the UAE”, Oshkosh Defense International Programs general manager and senior vice president, Serge Buchakjian, stated in a company press release issued at the end of February 2011.

“We are committed to serving the Middle East region, and our relationship and initial sale to Al Jaber Group will allow Oshkosh vehicles to play an important role in supporting the UAE’s Armed Forces programs”, he added.

UAE BMP-3 image courtesy of the US Army

Army armors more heavy tactical trucks

Photo credit Army file photo
New modular, add-on armor is now available for the Army's newest tactical trucks, such as the M915-A5 Line-Haul Tractor shown here.

ARLINGTON, Va. (Army News Service, Feb. 16, 2011) -- The Army has introduced modular, add-on armor capability to key portions of its fleet of heavy tactical trucks to include the new M915-A5 Line-Haul Tractor, Palletized Load System PLS-A1, and Heavy Equipment Transporter HET-A1, service officials said.
"These vehicles are designed so you can take armor off during peacetime to reduce the burden on the platform itself -- as well as drive down the peacetime operating costs," said Col. David Bassett, project manager for Tactical Vehicles.
The move toward scalable armor for medium and heavy tactical vehicles is part of the Army's Long Term Armor Strategy articulated in its recently released 2011 Tactical Wheeled Vehicle Strategy - a document which lays out the Army's plans for its 290,000 vehicle-strong tactical fleet through 2025.
"The truck fleet that the Army has and is continuing to field today is really different than the one we went into these conflicts with. We've gone from having what was almost a completely un-armored fleet to one in which every vehicle that is used operationally overseas today is armored against the threats that face our Soldiers. We've rapidly modernized our fleet," said Bassett.

These new armored trucks represent the most recent addition to a large TWV fleet of trucks already equipped with modular armor, including the new Family of Medium Tactical Vehicles and the Heavy Expanded Mobility Tactical Trucks, know at HEMTTs.
The modular armor approach - explained as an A-kit plus B-kit solution - allows a truck with a small amount of built-on integrated armor to accept additional add-on armor when dictated by the threat environment.
"In accordance with our Army modernization strategy, we are going to procure trucks that are adaptable so that they can be used in many different environments. They will have the ability to accept armor and then relinquish that armor when it is no longer needed," said Maj. Gen. Tom Spoehr, director of force development, Army G-8.
The modular armor strategy is designed to allow for the rapid incorporation of newer, potentially lighter-weight armor composites as technology progresses and makes them available, Spoehr said.
"They will be able to accept new forms of armor as science and industry produce new materials," he said. "These vehicles will have growth potential."

Source

Chicago Auto Show spotlights Army technology

Photo credit OCPA Midwest
The Military Extreme Truck, known as the MXT-MV, is part of the Army's display this week at the Chicago Auto Show.

CHICAGO (Army News Service, Feb. 14, 2011) -- This week the Army is exhibiting prototype vehicles and other technologies at the Chicago Auto Show.

The Army exhibit covers 12,000 square feet and is showcasing green and stealth technology, unmatched in the civilian sector, at the show which runs through Feb. 20.
The Clandestine Extended Range Vehicle, or CERV, is one of the future concept vehicles on display by the Army's Tank Automotive Research, Development and Engineering Center. This hybrid vehicle combines an all-wheel-drive diesel power train with a light-weight chassis aimed at reducing fuel consumption by up to 25 percent compared to conventional vehicles.

The CERV was jointly designed by Quantum Fuel Systems Technologies and TARDEC's National Automotive Center in Detroit.
The Future Tactical Truck System, or FTTS, is another Army vehicle on display by TARDEC. The FTTS has onboard diagnostics and prognostics along with advanced suspension propulsion systems, and an onboard power generator. It was designed to be deployable by C-130 aircraft.
A third vehicle on display, the Military Extreme Truck, known as the MXT-MV, is now being tested by several commands, including the Michigan Army National Guard. The MXT-MV has a 30-foot fording capability and Diamond Logic electrical system.

In addition to the vehicles, the U.S. Army Accessions Command, Recruiting Command and Cadet Command are conducting operations at the show to increase public awareness of the Army. The "Strength in Action Zone," hosts numerous interactive displays.
The displays are designed to increase understanding and appreciation of the benefits and value of Army service, officials said. They said the displays should enhance awareness of the unmatched education, career and leadership opportunities available in the Army, as well as educate the public on Soldiers, Army life and the leading-edge technology the U.S. Army provides.
Brig. Gen. Bryan Roberts, Recruiting Command's deputy commanding general, hosted a Partnership for Youth Success, or PaYS program signing ceremony with the mayor of Itasca, Ill., at the auto show. Also in attendance at the ceremony were representatives from the Itasca Police Department and Soldiers from the Homewood, Ill., Recruiting Station.

Chicago Recruiting Battalion Commander Lt. Col. Brian Bassett and Command Sgt. Maj. Renee Dozier joined Miss Illinois Whitney Thorpe Klinsky at the PaYs ceremony.
The Partnership for Youth Success program began in FY 2000 as a U.S. Army Recruiting Command program designed to reconnect America with the Army. This program is a strategic partnership between the U.S. Army and a cross section of corporations, companies, and public sector agencies intended to provide an additional recruiting incentive to increase the Army's ability to man the force.
The program provides America's youth with an opportunity to serve their country while they prepare for their future.

Source

Picatinny 'squeezes in' solution for MRAP ammo stowage

PICATINNY ARSENAL, N.J. -- Duct tape, bungee cords, straps, netting, plywood. Do these items sound like safe and secure ways to store 200 pounds of ammunition on a combat vehicle in the middle of a war zone?

For years, Soldiers have been relying on their own makeshift methods to secure ammo containers inside Mine-Resistant, Ambush-Protected (MRAP) vehicles, because they were not provided with any other solution. Virtually every cubic inch within an MRAP is occupied with mission-essential equipment, making ammunition stowage a challenge.

The situation posed several problems. Once Soldiers cut the straps or removed the bungee cords, it was difficult (and sometimes impossible) to re-secure the ammo again, especially in the rapid pace of a combat mission. Moreover, in the event of an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) explosion, loose ammunition containers and the make-shift storage materials Soldiers used could become deadly missiles inside an MRAP, even when the bomb failed to pierce the crew compartment.
But as a result of the innovation and expertise of the Armament Research, Development and Engineering Center (ARDEC), Soldiers are now using an Army-approved ammo stowage system that is safe, reliable and effective.

The system is called MARS, which stands for Modular Ammunition Restraint System. ARDEC has already sent more than 700 into combat zones. But that is only the beginning. The Army estimates that several thousand MARS will be sent to Iraq and Afghanistan within the year.

Custom design provides safer stowage.

Essentially, MARS is a custom-engineered bag, similar to a camera bag or backpack that holds standard metal ammunition containers. Inside the bag is a steel, L-shaped bracket that not only supports the weight of a full ammunition box (about 50 pounds), but it also provides a strong surface for mounting the bag to a custom interface rail, another component of the MARS system.
Additionally, the adjustable hook and loop closures (most-commonly known as Velcro) and specially-designed buckle allow Soldiers to tailor MARS for smaller ammunition containers

"The buckle used is called the 'Cobra' and is manufactured by Austi-Alpin," said Mike Ivankoe, an inventor of the MARS design with ARDEC's Packaging Division. "It's widely used in both military and mountaineering applications as it is extremely strong, reliable and easy to operate," Ivankoe said. "The design allows Soldiers to easily open, close and adjust it with gloves on or in the dark."
Manufactured by Black Hawk Products, MARS is made of commercially available, easy-to-manufacture materials, another reason the invention was able to be prototyped and mass-produced quickly. MARS is a government-developed and government-owned design that has been submitted for a patent from the the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.

Mike Ivankoe (left) and Peggy Wilson, engineers with the Armament Research, Development and Engineering Center (ARDEC) Packaging Division, and Lt. Col. Glenn Dean (currently Project Manager for Bradley Fighting Vehicles, not pictured) were the three inventors of the Modular Ammunition Restraint System (MARS), which provides Soldiers safe and effective ammo stowage on Mine-Resistant, Ambush-Protected (MRAP) vehicles.

From blueprint to battlefield

The story of MARS began in November of 2009 when ARDEC received a request from Soldiers in the field for better ammo stowage. Because loose ammo containers presented a risk of injury in the event of an IED blast or vehicle rollover, the Army sought an effective and timely solution.
The ARDEC team, including the Packaging and Future Concepts Division, Warfighter Central and the Quick Reaction Cell, responded immediately. Funding was provided through efforts by the Quick Reaction Cell and RDECOM's Forward Advisory Team for Science and Technology (FAST) office.

"We had an RG-31 at Picatinny, so we immediately went to the vehicle and spent hours inside it talking about our ideas," Ivankoe said. "We thought about shelves or collapsible racks. But then Lt. Col. Glenn Dean (currently PM for Bradley Fighting Vehicles) mentioned the concept of a bag, and the design just took off from there."
The three inventors of MARS - Ivankoe, Dean and Peggy Wilson, ARDEC Senior Packaging Engineer - fashioned an initial blueprint design in one weekend.
Within three months, ARDEC sent a working prototype to Afghanistan for Soldier feedback. This timeline is nearly unheard of in the world of research, development and acquisition. But because ARDEC used innovative thinking with in-house and industry resources, the prototype came together quickly.

The Joint Program Office (JPO) for MRAP has also been a key partner to the success of MARS. After the first MARS prototype came back along with excellent Soldier feedback, JPO-MRAP helped secure a Joint Urgent Operational Needs Statement, or JUONS - a necessary milestone to fund and field a new product.
"JPO-MRAP enabled ARDEC's innovation to become a reality for the warfighter," Ivankoe said. "Jennifer Johnson, Chief Engineer Vehicle Systems, JPO-MRAP, and Brian Ernst, Vehicle System Engineer, JPO-MRAP have been excellent partners in giving the project high priority to meet the urgent need."

The team made several design revisions to MARS based on feedback from Soldiers and load exercises conducted on MRAP variants. The final design was tested for high G-force shock survivability using an in-house fixture that was designed and modeled by Rob Kim, a senior packaging engineer who works within Ivankoe's group.
The next step was determining the best place to mount the interface rail inside the RG-31. The problem is the inside of the vehicles are already cramped for space.

There was no simple solution.

JPO-MRAP arranged for General Dynamics Land Systems, the original equipment manufacturer of the RG-31, to study optimal placement of MARS, including the repositioning of some equipment.
The manufacturer was also tasked to design the interface rail specific for the RG-31.
With these modifications, the team incorporated the MARS interface rail (which holds three MARS) into the current production of RG-31 vehicles.

"Kyle Bruner, JPO-MRAP and project manager for RG-31, has been a tremendous help in integrating MARS into the vehicle," Ivankoe said. "He and his team were just as committed to the project as we were."
ARDEC is supplying more than 700 MARS to be installed on 250 newly-arrived RG-31 vehicles in theater.
But the RG-31 isn't the only potential use for MARS. The team is also developing an interface rail for the M-ATV and Caiman MRAPs, among other variants.
"We are working with the JPO-MRAP project managers and the original equipment manufacturers for these vehicles," Ivankoe said. "We expect to have MARS integrated over the next few months."

Further updates to MARS include the development of a jumbo-sized MARS that can hold much larger ammunition containers, including those used to store 40mm grenades. The team is constantly looking for ways to expand, retrofit and integrate the invention to maximize Soldier benefit.
"MARS is a perfect example of how teamwork, motivation and a drive to achieve results can bring a much needed technology to our Soldiers in record-breaking time," Ivankoe said.

Marine dies as amphibious vehicle sinks off Calif.

Marines at Camp Pendleton, Calif., work on a rescue mission Friday after an amphibious assault vehicle sinks.

 CAMP PENDLETON, Calif. – A Marine died after going down with an amphibious assault vehicle that sank Friday during a training exercise in a harbor in Southern California, authorities said.

According to a spokesperson with the 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit, search and rescue crews had pumped oxygen into the vehicle to increase the chances of the Marine's survival.

The man was pulled from the vehicle at about 2:15 p.m. and flown to Scripps Memorial Hospital in La Jolla, where he was pronounced dead, the Marines Corps at Camp Pendleton said. His name was being withheld until relatives were notified.

Five other Marines escaped without injury from the training vehicle as it became submerged shortly before noon in the Del Mar boat basin in San Diego County's Oceanside Harbor, the  Corps said.

The training vehicle, which moves Marines between ships and shore, was part of the Amphibious Assault Vehicle Schools Battalion, KNSD said.

Three instructors and three students from the Assault Amphibian School Battalion were conducting initial driver training when the vehicle sank, Maj. Daniel Thomas, the executive officer or second in command of the battalion, told the San Diego Union-Tribune. It wasn't immediately known whether the dead man was an instructor or a student.

They were operating about 300 feet offshore in water 30 to 40 feet deep while a companion vehicle waited nearby, he said.

"We are not placing a hold on training. But obviously we are going to take a look at this and then the commander will make a decision before anything goes back into place, to make sure any safety briefings that need to be given are conducted," Thomas told the Union-Tribune.

The Marine Corps said the incident was under investigation and it was not known what caused the vehicle to sink.

The vehicle is a type of seafaring tank armed with a .50-caliber machine gun and a grenade launcher that is used to transport Marines to shore, according to the Union-Tribune.

When driven off a ship, the 32-ton armored vehicles often drop below the surface before they pop above water. They travel at about 8 miles per hour on water and 45 miles per hour on land, and can carry as many as 24 fully loaded combat Marines into battle.

By Associated Press 

Reports say Pentagon will ax EFV program

An Expeditionary Fighting Vehicle enters the water to execute test exercises off the coast of Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, Calif. A report says that Defense Secretary Robert Gates will announce the program's termination on Jan. 6.

By Dan Lamothe - Staff writer
Posted : Wednesday Jan 5, 2011

A frequently maligned and heavily over-budget program to develop the Marine Corps’ next amphibious personnel carrier is on the verge of being canceled, according to several media reports published Wednesday.

Defense Secretary Robert Gates was “poised to cancel” the Expeditionary Fighting Vehicle program Thursday morning, when defense officials said he would announce new budget cuts amid heavy political pressure to reduce the Pentagon’s budget, The New York Times reported. The wire service Agence France-Press reported Gates was expected to brief lawmakers Thursday before announcing cuts to several projects, including the cancellation of the EFV program.

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General Dynamics V-22-Deployable Truck

The Flyer Vehicle
The Flyer is an air-transportable, lightweight vehicle capable of internal or external transport on the V-22, CH-53, C-130 and C-5 aircraft. It is highly adaptable to severe, rugged and restrictive terrains and provides off-road, cross-country mobility. The vehicle can be quickly configured in the field to perform multiple missions such as light strike assault, rescue and evacuation, command and control and reconnaissance, either armored or unarmored. The Flyer is offered in partnership with Flyer Defense, LLC.

The Flyer has an integrated C4ISR package, provided by General Dynamics C4 Systems, that improves Size, Weight, Ergonomics, Efficiency, Power and reduces Cost (SWEEP-C). This approach eliminates stovepiped engineering where multiple, disparate systems are installed after vehicle delivery, resulting in a costly mismatch of electronics which affect vehicle safety, usability, maintenance, logistics and operator performance.  The Vehicle Service Oriented Framework (VSOF) is an open, license-free Service-oriented architecture (SOA), with a software development kit (SDK). It provides for rapid “plug-n-play” insertion of new capabilities and is hardware platform independent.

Soldiers test 2-seat mine clearance vehicle

By Michael Hoffman - Staff writer
Posted : Monday Nov 22, 2010

The Army is testing a two-seat Husky Mine Detection System — equipped with a new remote weapon system — in Afghanistan to help soldiers find more roadside bombs and protect themselves from ambushes.

Huskies are wheeled vehicles with V-shaped hulls that resemble front loaders. They drive in front of route clearance teams with ground-penetrating radars and metal detectors mounted to the vehicle’s front arm. In the standard one-seat models, the soldier must drive the vehicle while monitoring the radar and mine detector and keeping an eye out for command wires connected to the improvised explosive devices.

Two two-seat Huskies deployed to Afghanistan in October — one in the south and one in the east — for a 120- to 180-day test period to help assess whether the Army wants to buy more.

Army engineers added a common remotely operated weapon system, called CROWS II, that allows a soldier to stay in his seat and fire a MK19 automatic grenade launcher, a .50-caliber M2 machine gun, a M240B machine gun, or a M249 light machine gun, which would be mounted to the Husky before a mission.

 

Full Article

Husky Mounted Detection System with VISOR™ 2500

ArmorWorks 3D camouflage applique dubbed “TactiCam.”

ArmorWorks is introducing at AUSA an innovative 3D camouflage applique called TactiCam that has the potential to reduce vehicle signature in radar, infrared and visual spectrum.
The new material has already demonstrated effective signature reduction in tests and is undergoing optimization. The outer layer of the TactiCam material is shaped in randomly generated three-dimensional pattern displaying varying geometric shapes, in different depth levels.
This digitally generated random pattern surface reflects energy from the vehicle in an irregular pattern, disrupting the detection of the vehicle by electro-optical and millimeter-wave radar sensors.
The material can be applied with infra-red or radar absorbing suppressing materials, and be filled with insulation that can both suppress emissive spectral frequencies, while reducing solar heat gain.

According to Gary Sopko, Director of vehicle programs at ArmorWorks, the new, lightweight material operates passively, and as an insulating layer, also contributes to reducing the thermal signature emitted by the vehicle’s surface, wheels and engine.
Visual camouflage can be applied over the outer layer matching camouflage patterns used by the military or adapted to operational requirements. Sopko added that the TactiCam could eventually be integrated into armor panels in production, or as retrofit to any ground vehicle.
The company plans to include the material with a ceramic basis layer, providing additional ballistic protection to the vehicle. TactiCam was displayed at AUSA 2010 applied onto the improved Stryker wheeled armored vehicle at the General Dynamics Land Systems (GDLS) stand.

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MRAPs reducing IED deaths in Afghanistan

Vehicles have reduced deaths and injuries by 30 percent since 2009

By Tom Vanden Brook - USA TODAY
Posted : Wednesday Sep 8, 2010

WASHINGTON — The military’s new armored Mine Resistant Ambush Protected vehicles in Afghanistan are significantly reducing troop deaths in roadside attacks at a time when insurgent bombings are at record levels, according to statistics provided to USA TODAY.

Deaths of U.S. and allied troops fell from 76 in July 2009 to 57 in July of this year, according to the military command in Afghanistan.

Nearly 80 percent of roadside bomb attacks on Humvees from January 2009 through the end of July 2010 killed occupants, according to Air Force Maj. Michael Johnson, a spokesman for the International Security Assistance Force, the top command in Afghanistan. That figure dropped to 15 percent for attacks on MRAP vehicles, and an all-terrain MRAP model tailor-made for Afghanistan’s rugged terrain. The trucks are designed to shield people from roadside bomb blasts.

The military estimates that MRAPs have reduced deaths and injuries by 30 percent over that time. That amounts to dozens of lives saved each month.

More than $40 billion will have been spent by the end of September to build, ship and maintain MRAPs.

Defense Secretary Robert Gates made the armored truck the Pentagon’s top priority during the most intense fighting of the war in Iraq in mid 2007. Humvees, the one-time workhorse vehicle of the military, have been mostly confined to bases in Afghanistan in recent months.

The trucks’ performance in Afghanistan, where IEDs have become the insurgents’ weapon of choice, has prompted Gates to continue to push for more of them, said Geoff Morrell, Pentagon press secretary. There are about 12,000 MRAPs in Afghanistan and about 100,000 U.S. troops.

“This is precisely why the secretary has been so adamant that we get as many MRAPs as possible to Afghanistan,” Morrell said. “In the counterinsurgency fight, one of the best ways to protect our troops has been the MRAP.”

The MRAP’s ability to reduce casualties is important, said Andrew Krepinevich, president of the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments. But other factors are also considered in determining its usefulness.

“Ultimately it will be judged more on whether it helped U.S. troops accomplish their mission in Afghanistan than on its ability to reduce casualties,” Krepinevich said in an e-mail. “Right now the war’s outcome is still in doubt. If we succeed, the MRAPs, despite their high cost, will be seen as worth it. If we fail, some people will likely question whether we could have succeeded by adopting a different strategy and employing our resources differently.”

Meanwhile, IEDs remain deadly in Afghanistan. Last week, seven troops from the U.S.-led coalition were killed by roadside bombs.

Military officials rarely release data regarding attacks on vehicles, citing concerns about providing information of use to insurgents.

Johnson, the military spokesman in Afghanistan, said there has been a drop in deaths and injuries from IEDs in the last 12 weeks compared with the same period in 2009. “This period covers what is historically the enemy’s last offensive push before retreating for the winter,” Johnson said in an e-mail.

JLTV prototypes roll out on Army testing sites

By Matthew Cox - Staff writer
Posted : Saturday Jun 12, 2010

ABERDEEN PROVING GROUND, Md. — Both the Army and Marine Corps intend to begin fielding the JLTV in 2015 as a replacement for the venerable Humvee in combat operations.

The services plan to spend $175 million on the program over the next two years.

The Army plans to field 60,000 of the new vehicles, which are designed to provide soldiers with increased mobility and reliability over the Humvee while offering protection on a par with the mine-resistant ambush-protected vehicle.

Program officials have begun the technology demonstration phase of the effort, which involves prototypes from BAE Systems, Lockheed Martin and General Tactical Vehicle, a dual venture between AM General and General Dynamics Land Systems. Each company delivered prototypes across three weight classes in early May.

Over the next 12 months, the prototypes will undergo testing at Aberdeen Test Center and Yuma Proving Ground, Ariz. The results will help complete program requirements in preparation for a full and open competition scheduled to begin next summer.

“We’ll say, ‘OK did we get it right or did we ask for a bridge too far in requirements?’ ” Army Lt. Col. Wolfgang Petermann, product manager for the Army’s JLTV program, told reporters at a June 3 prototype demonstration.

Reporters had a chance to ride in two different styles of prototypes.

The prototypes, from each of the three companies, rolled over the hills, dips and bumps on the dirt test track with ease.

The four-seat Category A vehicles are the lightest of the prototypes so they can be loaded into a C-130 aircraft as well as sling-loaded from CH-47 and CH-53 helicopters. They have a payload of about 3,500 pounds.

The Cat A’s will “support those early-entry requirements, so units have that combat capability, so they can hit the ground and get moving right away,” Petermann said.

There will also be a Category A Enhanced Protection variant, which will provide more armor protection when needed.

The Category B vehicles will have six seats, more armor protection and a payload of up to 4,500 pounds. Category C vehicles will be designed for the support role and have payloads of up to 5,100 pounds.

All the JLTV prototypes are designed to provide “MRAP-like protection” to passengers from the powerful, homemade bombs that have become commonplace on battlefields in Iraq and Afghanistan, said Dean Johnson, deputy program manager for the Marine Corps JLTV program.

They have a base armor package, but have suspensions and attachment points to handle additional armor packages capable of stopping sophisticated explosively formed penetrator bombs known as EFPs. The hulls are either V-shaped or an inverted U-shape on the Lockheed prototypes to redirect the force of bomb blasts away from the vehicle.

All the seats are designed to be attached from the walls to better protect passengers. Seats attached to floor of the vehicle, like those on the Humvee, transfer the blast energy to the passengers.

The windows and windshields on the JLTV are smaller and positioned closer to the ceiling than on the Humvee to provide better protection. All the prototypes are designed to offer improved rollover protection over the Humvee.

In addition to protection, all the prototypes are equipped with the option to have a turret gunner or the Common Remotely Operated Weapon Station, or CROWS, which lets the soldier track and kill targets from a computer monitor inside the safety of the vehicle.

The prototypes seem to offer a smoother ride than the Humvee, and the high-tech suspension systems can be adjusted for varying terrain.

“The ride quality is significantly better ... so the soldier is not as beat up when he gets where he is going,” Petermann said.

All the JLTV vehicles and the accompanying trailers are equipped with adjustable suspension so they can be raised or lowered to fit inside the tight confines of transport ships and aircraft cargo holds.

Once the technology demonstration is complete, program officials will finish the requirements for JLTV and issue a request for proposal in June 2011.

The plan is to award two contracts in December 2011 for prototypes that will enter the Engineering, Manufacturing and Development phase.

The Army plans to begin fielding the final versions of the JLTV in mid-2015.

In addition to improved performance, the JLTV is being designed to be more reliable with 4,400 to 6,600 miles between failures — that’s three times less than the failure rate experienced in the current fleet, Petermann said.

Once completed, the JLTV will be “as fast, as off-road mobile, as nimble as a Humvee; it has a better ride and it’s survivable,” Johnson said.

A new ride

Here is a look at three makers’ prototypes for the lightest class of the Joint Light Tactical Vehicle, called Category A JLTV:

BAE Systems

• Curb weight: 13,200 pounds.

• Combat weight: 20,850 pounds.

• Range: 364 miles.

• Payload: 3,500 pounds.

• Top speed: 82 mph.

General Tactical Vehicle

• Curb weight: 13,400 pounds.

• Combat weight: 20,400 pounds.

• Range: 300 miles.

• Payload: 3,500 pounds.

• Top speed: 76 mph.

Lockheed Martin

• Curb weight: 12,600 pounds.

• Combat weight: 20,400 pounds.

• Range: 400 miles.

• Payload: 3,500 pounds.

• Top speed: 74 mph.

Note: Prototypes for the JLTV program remain under development and specifications may change.

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