DRS DEMONSTRATES VEHICLE C4I SYSTEMS FOR OUVS AT DVD
By Julian Nettlefold
25 Jun 08. At the OUVS Industry Day in January, Mrs Annelies Look, Project Manager OUVS gave a Project Overview. A major part of the OUVS Requirement revolves around the fitting of complex C4I Systems into the vehicle to provide the user with 24/7 driving capability in all conditions and terrains.
Given the large amount of sophisticated electronic equipment including BOWMAN radios and IED detectors, the vehicle would be ESM optimised to prevent reduce interference. ECM fits would be GFE by the MoD, but the ability fit ECM is mandated.
Alternator and power requirements must accommodate 24/7 usage of a number of electronic systems – outline continuous power requirements have been set.
Julian Bryan of Millbrook and Alan Cooper of Dstl gave an overview to the Power and Mobility Requirements for OUVS. Millbrook would be the testing centre for all OUVS vehicles and would be made available to those manufacturers wishing to trial their offerings. Rob Ward of Millbrook outlined the Safety Case Requirements whilst Robin Warwick of Dstl gave a brief on Mobility Modelling and the Requirement for NATO Mobility Standards.
Power is not deemed to be an issue; there are a number of power generation devices currently available which are able to produce significantly more than the predicted power required for OUVS. However, the more power that can be supplied to the platform the better. It would be sensible to incorporate growth potential into the platform, as throughout the service lives of these vehicles, additional electronic equipment is likely to need to be installed. If the power is already available, then this will reduce costs in the future.
DRS is well placed to meet these requirements as it already has a suite of advanced C4I and RSTA systems which it has supplied to the U.S. and other armed forces. DRS has supplied computers for the U.S. FBCB2 and U.K. BOWMAN requirements and RSTA products, particularly the Driver’s Vision Enhancer (DVE) to the U.S. and U.K. Armed Forces.
Driver’s Vision Enhancer (DVE)
DRS had its own live demonstration of the DVE demonstrating the equipment’s ability to operate in any conditions, particularly sand and dust 24/7. The Driver’s Viewer Enhancer Immersive SIL is a 3-dimesional “theatre” style demo of the capability of the 640X480 DVE system.
The DVD was also installed on the Hobson Industries Ranger Armoured Land Rover, where DRS was giving live demos. The size of the equipment makes it an ideal fir for light and medium vehicles.
DRS’s Driver’s Vision Enhancer (DVE) B-kit provides combat and
tactical-wheeled vehicle operators with unparalleled flexibility to conduct day/night operations or maneuver in severely degraded visual conditions caused by smoke, fog, dust or other battlefield obscurants.
The DVE B-kit provides situational awareness, vehicle tracking, support elements for the combat force, and gives an operator the ability to detect targets or ambushes.
The DVE B-kit System is comprised of two Line Replaceable Units (LRUs): the Sensor Module (SM) with the integral Uncooled Mini-Microbolometer module and the Display and Control Module (DCM). These LRUs are interchangeable in the non-captive A-kit adapter bracket which fits into the vision block of various combat vehicles or mounted externally on the vehicle to maximize the viewing area. These units fit into all standard vehicle A-kits and are adaptable to other customer furnished A-kits. DVE B-kits fit into A-kits of various tactical wheeled vehicles as well. DRS’s DVE B-kit is upgradeable (e.g., improved optics and focal plane arrays for increased resolution and field-of- view). This reduces the potential for technical obsolescence and allows inexpensive upgrades to maintain the equipment utility.
Features
• Day/night 24-hour operation capability
• Ability to see through dust, smoke and other battlefield obscurants
• Enhanced situ