"U.S. Military Seeks Heavier, More Fuel-Efficient Vehicle"
Allegedly the new vehicle will incorporate lessons learned from Iraq and Afghanistan, BUT, since the development outline does not call for a V'shaped vehicle floor (they are just "looking at it" instead of including it in the basic design), it will remain highly vulnerable to IED's that explode underneath it. The Air Force V series perimeter security patrol vehicles in use for many years and vehicles in use by other nations (South Africa and Britain) that have dealt with insurgencies and bombs have the V-hull to divert explosive power to the sides and upward instead of pentrating the vehicle bottom. Why is it that the U.S. Army and Marine Corps can't seem to grasp and apply that bloody lesson? Sadly, it is likely that grunts in the field will again be victims of the "not invented here" syndrome. David Bier http://www.defensenews.com/story.php?F=1541823&C=thisweek Posted 02/20/06 09:56 Replacing the Humvee U.S. Military Seeks Heavier, More Fuel-Efficient Vehicle By GREG GRANT, FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. The U.S. Army and Marine Corps are teaming to develop a replacement for the ubiquitous Humvee that will incorporate combat lessons from Iraq and Afghanistan and the latest automotive and off-road vehicle technologies. After the 2006 defense authorization bill ordered the two services to work together on new wheeled vehicles, they merged the Marine Corps Combat Tactical Vehicle program and the Army's Future Tactical Truck System program into the new Joint Light Tactical Vehicle (JLTV) program. Officials are looking to develop a family of vehicles with up to 80 percent common parts similar to the High-Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle, or Humvee, which comes in at least 16 variants. Proposed variants include a six-passenger troop transport for the Marines, a reconnaissance vehicle, and a nine-person rifle squad transporter for the Army. Industry sources said the troop transport is likely to be the first one fielded, and that other possible variants include different combat roles and a field ambulance. Army officials can't yet say how many vehicles they want to buy. They view the program as a feeder for its Future Combat System brigades, rather than a strict replacement for the Humvee. They also could not say how much they intend to spend on the program. An industry source said the Army wants the vehicle to cost less than $200,000 apiece, which he called a difficult job considering all the new technologies and requirements the Army and Marines are looking at. Commonalities and Differences The Army and Marine versions would share about 80 percent of their parts, said Maj. Gen. William Lenaers, commander, Army Tank and Automotive Command. The services have some different requirements, many stemming from the Marines' need to carry and maneuver the vehicles aboard Navy ships. Lenaers said the services want to double the Humvee's 350-mile range, perhaps with hybrid engines, but "I don't know if the technology is quite there yet." Industry sources said the hybrid engine variants displayed at the Army's Feb. 8-9 vehicle "rodeo" outside Carson, Nev., were underpowered and that the range requirements likely will have to be achieved with larger fuel tanks. The new vehicles will be equipped with better armor than the Humvee. "There are no secure rear areas any more," Lenaers said. "We need better protected vehicles in the future." Its construction will follow the Army's new armoring plan for wheeled vehicles. They will come with a standard level of armor, the A kit, that will stop 7.62mm rounds fired from 30 meters away, or deflect shrapnel from a 155mm shell bursting 100 meters away. The vehicles will be able to be fitted in war zones with the B kit, which will stop 14.5mm rounds and deflect 155mm shrapnel from 60 meters away. Even with all this armor, the vehicles are not to exceed the 6-ton weight of an up-armored Humvee. That likely means manufacturers will have to use composite materials, particularly in the armor. Combat-Dictated Requirements The fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan and especially the threat of roadside bombs is shaping the new vehicles. They will have to be able to withstand a 6-kilogram mine blast from under the vehicle. Army officials also are looking at other passenger-protection ideas, such as adding a V-shaped hull and suspending the seats from the ceiling. Other possible requirements include modular construction that allows crews to change components for different missions, onboard diagnostics, a rear-attached crane and a remote-controlled weapon system. More exotic technologies, such as onboard water generation, are being studied, although Lenaers said that probably won't be on the vehicle and will be treated as a separate technology. The recent rodeo featured 16 different vehicles, which were put through their paces on a rough test course that included rocky, mountainous and desert terrain. The Army told industry to "think creatively" and push the art of the possible, industry officials said. To help refine the JLTV requirements, the Army picked two companies, International Truck and Lockheed Martin, to produce three prototype test vehicles. Their tests begin in January at Fort Lewis, and the results were used to shape requirements. Another rodeo will be held in May 2007. E-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] -------------------------- Want to discuss this topic? 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