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11 Apr 13. CV90 Armadillo delivered for Danish Army trials. BAE Systems has delivered a new variant of its CV90 Armadillo to the Danish Army Oksbol base for competitive evaluation to meet Denmark’s armoured personnel carrier requirement. Trials begin mid-April and will continue until September with contract scheduled for February next year. First deliveries will be in 2015. Armadillo offers class-leading protection and optimum mission flexibility. A “hot” production line (CV90 is in build for Norway) and six existing operators mean a proven low-risk solution, both for initial purchase and long-term sustainment and upgrade. Denmark is looking to buy between 200 and 450 armoured personnel carriers and five support variants to replace its existing M113s. The deal will also include a 15-year innovative support contract. Armadillo is a turretless version of CV90 with ballistic and mine protection which exceed Stanag 4a/b. Removal of the turret gives six tonnes of “spare” payload for further protection or other purposes on top of its “fighting configuration” while its state-of-the-art electronic architecture allows “plug and play” of new systems.
10 Apr 13. The Kurganmashzavod Joint Stock Company (JSC) is developing a more specialised version of the BMP-3 infantry fighting vehicle (IFV) for the Russian Army. The unified artillery command and surveillance vehicle is based on a BMP-3 IFV hull, but has a raised roof line in the rear area to provide greater internal volume for its specific role. To locate and identify targets for artillery and mortar units the artillery command and surveillance vehicle is fitted with a retractable mast-mounted sensor pod that includes day/night observation devices and a laser rangefinder. This sensor package is claimed to be able to measure targets out to a maximum range of 9,000m to an accuracy of 10m. Target information can be relayed to a typical artillery or mortar battery command post (CP) up to 15 km away. This then supplies target information to the weapons, which can be located up to 2.4 km from the CP. Like the standard BMP-3 IFV, this variant is fully amphibious and is propelled through the water at a maximum speed of up to 10 km/h by two water jets located on either side at the rear of the hull. (Source: Jane’s)
09 Apr 13. US Army develops virtual windows for Bradley vehicles. Scientists from the US Army Tank Automotive Research, Development and
Engineering Center (TRADOC) have developed a new virtual window to help enhance visual situational awareness of the Bradley infantry fighting vehicle (IFV) crew in the battlefield. A commercial 46in LED display mounted onto the interior of the rear ramp, the Virtual Window 1 provides soldiers with a comprehensive view of surroundings before they proceed out of the vehicle. Bradley IFV is generally surrounded by a protective armour unlike mine-resistant ambush-protected (MRAP) vehicles, which features several transparent armoured windows for crew to survey the surroundings. Tank Automotive Research, Development and Engineering Center engineer Andrew Kerbrat said the window receives and displays imagery collected by the high-definition camera installed on the rear of a Bradley vehicle, enabling troops to view outside the vehicle even when the ramp is closed. “The window receives and displays imagery collected by the high-definition camera installed on the rear of a Bradley vehicle, enabling troops to view outside the vehicle even when the ramp is closed.” Virtual Window 1 sketches were created by design students and professors from the College for Creative Studies in Detroit, with support from army warrant officers from the US Army Ordnance School, as part of an innovations solutions training event