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19 Mar 13. LMV: Lessons from the field as drivers for innovation. The Light Multirole Vehicle (LMV) was launched in 2006 and, from that point onwards, it has been the subject of continuous development and innovation. Iveco Defence Vehicles’ appreciated from the outset that a vehicle such as LMV would have to evolve with changing requirements. The company therefore implemented a programme of product development which focused on delivering incremental improvements, usually from lessons learned in the field, whilst maintaining the excellence of the basic design. The company’s success in achieving this has been recently recognised at the International Armoured Vehicle conference (Farnborough, UK 5-7 February) organised by IQPC in Farnborough where IVECO DV won the award for the best platform. The recent announcement of the Norwegian Army to procure a further batch of vehicles further endorses the effectiveness of the approach adopted. Maintaining a vehicle design weight below 8 tonnes GVW presents a continuous challenge to Iveco’s engineers, seeking to meet the demands of the user for ever more capacity, protection and protection. Iveco DV’s challenge is to maintain LMV as the technical leader in this market segment. The first and most noticeable feature is a newly design of crew cell, still not publically launched, which is now available to customers. Internal volume and ergonomy are significantly enhanced, whilst protection is improved both through the use of novel materials, such as nanotechnology, and by design innovations which optimise performance against mines and kinetic threats. The crew cell design has been driven in particular by the need to accommodate a fully equipped soldier, including body armour and personal equipment. Safety is enhanced by the provision of additional escape routes for the crew in case of accident. Sub-system integration is greatly eased by the adoption of a fully digitised electronic architecture, an improved power supply and by the increase in the usable volume. The result is a much simpler integration task for such mission systems as remote controlled weapon stations, BMS, intercom, and ECM. Providing maximum agility requires a combination of appropriate weight and size, and outstanding mobility. Beside a newly launched automatic gearbox which gives an smoother transition between gears when off-road, integration of an automatic drive management system represents the best ensures that the vehicle performs optimally at all times. For the driver, this translates into a much simplified driving
21 Mar 13. Textron to supply turrets and support services for Colombian APCs. Textron Marine & Land Systems (TM&LS) has been awarded a contract to supply components and support services for the Colombian Army’s (COLAR) armoured personnel carriers (APC). Awarded by the US Army Tank-Automotive and Armaments Command (TACOM), the $5.5m contract covers production and delivery of 12 armoured turrets, vehicle repairs and spare parts, as well as technical support services for the Colombian APCs. A number of TM&LS’s Commando Advanced APCs are currently operational with the Colombian Army, which has also requested purchase of additional units under a separate US foreign military sales (FMS) programme. (Source: army-technology.com)
19 Mar 13. Shortlisted companies vying to meet Denmark’s armored personnel carrier (APC) requirement must now deliver their vehicles to test ranges by mid-April as Europe’s most keenly fought armored vehicle export competition of the year moves into high gear. The Danish Defence Acquisition and Logistics Organization (DALO) last month winnowed the contender list from eight vehicles to five as it seeks to replace the Army’s aging fleet of M113