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29 Mar 19. Land 400 Phase 2: Australian Government inspects first Australian Boxer vehicle at Rheinmetall in Kassel, Germany. The Australian Ambassador to Germany, H. E. Lynette Wood, senior Australian military representatives and senior Rheinmetall representatives have attended an official inspection ceremony in Kassel, Germany. The first Boxer Multi-Purpose Vehicle (MPV), being delivered to the Australian Government under the LAND 400 Phase 2 program, was inspected prior to being shipped to Australia in the coming weeks. Rheinmetall will deliver 211 Boxer vehicles to the Australian Army under its contract with the Australian Government. The first vehicles will be operated by the Australian Army by the end of this year.
Gary Stewart, Managing Director of Rheinmetall Defence Australia, said: “These first Boxer vehicles will enable the Australian Army to develop training programs for soldiers who will operate the vehicles out of bases in Townsville, Adelaide and Brisbane.”
The Boxer vehicles will enable Army to locate, monitor and engage with enemy forces and ensure Australian soldiers are protected in combat. The vehicles will fill seven different roles on the battlefield: reconnaissance, command and control, joint fires, surveillance, multi-purpose, battlefield repair and recovery. The reconnaissance variant – accounting for 133 of the 211 vehicles – is equipped with Rheinmetall’s cutting-edge Lance turret system and armed with a 30mm automatic cannon.
Once in Australia, these first Boxer vehicles will receive a number of Australia specific modifications prior to final delivery to the Army. Modifications include installation of Australian Army specific communications and computing equipment, a remote weapon station, and Australian Army paint.
Armin Papperger, Corporate CEO Rheinmetall AG, said: “Work on these first vehicles in Germany will help Rheinmetall transition the know-how necessary to establish a sovereign military vehicle industry in Australia and enable the local manufacture of combat vehicles. This, in turn, will underpin the enduring partnership with the Government to design, manufacture, deliver, support and modernise this world-leading capability.”
The Boxer CRV was selected after rigorous trials conducted by the ADF. Under Australia’s LAND 400 Phase 2 selection process, the Boxer CRV was chosen in 2016 as one of two candidates for Risk Mitigation Activity trials where the 8×8 wheeled armoured vehicle performed convincingly in the categories of survivability, mobility, firepower, and command & control.
20 Mar 19. The US Army’s newest tracked vehicle is headed to Europe next year. The US Army’s newest tracked vehicle, set to replace the half-century old Armored Personnel Carrier, is set to field next year in both the United States and Europe, according to recent Army budget documents.
The Armored Multi-Purpose Vehicle, or AMPV, has been steadily rolling through testing and initial production in recent years. The Army bought 131 of them two years ago and another 197 last year.
For the upcoming fiscal year, Army brass want money to buy 131 next year — about half for bases stateside and the other half headed to Europe — to bulk up armored capabilities to counter Russian ground and missile modernization efforts.
And their plans continue with another 143 in both 2021 and 2022, then 192 in 2024. In total, service leaders expect to eventually have 2,897 AMPVs across the Army at a cost of about $14bn. That’s a good thing as they decided to quit upgrading the APCs in 2007 and have only funded maintenance. The AMPV will make up a third of armored formation vehicles and the swap to the AMPV will provide a host of other options for ground commanders, according to Army documents. The Army aims to replace five mission roles that the Bradley performs. Variants include a mission command vehicle that houses the Tactical Operations Center and Tactical Command Vehicle options. A medical treatment vehicle offers a mobile, protected platform for battlefield surgery.
The medical evacuation AMPV can hold a three-soldier crew and a combination of five to six patients, depending on the severity of their wounds. The medical evacuation version is a rolling, tracked, lightly armored ambulance. The general purpose vehicle does resupply, maintenance and casualty evacuation, while the mortar carrier provides “immediate responsive fire support” to the formation.
The mortar carrier can fit two crew members and two mortar crew. It fires a 120 mm mortar. During evaluations last year, observers with the Pentagon’s Director of Operational Test and Evaluation spotted some flaws that needed correcting before an estimated 258 AMPVs begin rolling out to soldiers in 2020.
Those included driver and vehicle commander displays that would lock up with long reboots. Also, radio communications equipment couldn’t be removed from docking stations inside of the vehicle.
More space for analog planning options such as map boards was needed. Leaking hatches caused concerns about damage to electronic gear.
There’s another effort underway to make the AMPV pack a more efficient battlefield punch. The Army recently posted to industry a request for information on building a remote-operated turret that can fire both 30mm cannons and a 7.62mm machine gun. That was aimed at giving such a capability to the Stryker, M113 and AMPV. The Army began adding 30mm cannons to the Strykers at least two years ago, replacing its twin .50 caliber machine guns for extra firepower. The fire support AMPV mortar version has that indirect fire capability but the 30 mm cannons could pack additional direct fire punch. (Source: Defense News)
28 Mar 19. JLTV Reduction To Happen Over FYDP, Officials Planning Program Assessment For 2020. Army officials this week clarified that a reduction to the Joint Light Tactical Vehicle (JLTV) program will result in slowing down the planned buy over the next five years while keeping the current acquisition objective, a number that could potentially change as leadership conducts an assessment of its tactical vehicle fleet through 2020. Under Secretary Ryan McCarthy and Gen. Mike Murray, head of Army Futures Command, told reporters at the AUSA Global Force Symposium in Huntsville, Alabama, the previously announced plan to reduce JLTV by 1,900 vehicles and $800 million will occur over the course of the Future Years Defense Program as the service looks to truncate large programs to shift funds toward development of future weapon systems.
“If you look at this FYDP there will be a reduction,” McCarthy said. “The truncation of the buy across the FYDP is ultimately going to change the program of record. We have not totally communicated that, the bureaucratic means to do that, but the signal is clear that we arelooking at this weapon system.”
Following the release of the FY ’20 budget request, McCarthy confirmed JLTV was among 186 programs the Army either cut or truncated to find $33bon to shift toward modernization priorities (Defense Daily, March 14). McCarthy clarified that the JLTV reduction will occur as a “slowing the buy” over the FYDP through FY ’24, and that the overall acquisition objective of 49,099 vehicles by 2042 remained intact. Oshkosh Defense [OSK] is the current contractor for JLTV after receiving a $6.7bn JLTV production contract in 2015 for 17,000 vehicles. Murray added the Army is planning to conduct an analysis of its tactical vehicle fleet, including JLTV, over the next year and said that the effort could “maybe” lead to a change in the acquisition objective.
“The [acquisition objective] is out to 2042. I mean, really, we’ve got a lot of time to figure that out. But industry’s counting on a more firm answer than definitely maybe,” Murray told reporters.
John Bryant, president of Oshkosh Defense, told Defense Daily on Thursday he was not specifically told JLTV would be included among the program cuts to fund modernization, while noting there were conversations with Army leadership following the release of budget request to discuss adjustments to the program.
“After the president’s budget request rolled out, then the Army had a couple more discussions with us providing directional guidance on what we would see in the detailed budget books that were going to roll out a week later,” he said.
Bryant said the earlier conversations with senior Army leadership focused more on where the service would be prioritizing funds.
“They never actually told us there would be an adjustment. I deduced that from the conversations where they told us about the big six and the fact those programs would be consuming dollars across the FYDP,” Bryant said. “I had a sense that they were foreshadowing the fact that since we’re a big program that we could see some kind of a slow down. They never specifically said that ahead of the budget request, but you could connect the dots pretty easily.”
George Mansfield, Oshkosh’s vice president for joint programs, told Defense Daily JLTV remains on track for a full-rate production decision in May. Oshkosh has also worked through several adjustments to the final version of the vehicle to address feedback soldiers provided during Multi-service Operational Test and Evaluation in 2018.
“There were three big items that came out of that. They wanted to improve the situational awareness, so we’re increasing the size of the rear windows on the rear doors and we’re putting a forward-facing camera on the front of the vehicle. That allows them more visibility. We’re also
putting a muffler on the vehicle, because they wanted to reduce the noise,” Mansfield said.
“Once those are evaluated, that’s when we believe they’ll make the full-rate production decision.”
Oshkosh during the show also unveiled a new ambulance vehicle, the L-ATV Ambulance, that is based off the JLTV.
“We saw that there was a capability gap for an ambulance to be protected and have extreme off-road mobility,” he said.
Mansfield said the L-ATV Ambulance has the same engine, drive line and TAK-4 Independent Suspension System as the JLTV.
“It is the only ambulance that can keep up with the JLTVs that keep up with combat forces,” he said. “We have talked to some of the senior leadership and they are interested in a protected extreme off-road ambulance, and that’s what we’ve got here.” (Source: Defense Daily)
28 Mar 19. Grizzly UGV breaks cover. Textron’s Howe and Howe displayed its bid for the US DoD’s Squad Multi Purpose Equipment Transport (SMET) programme for the first time during AUSA Global Force in Huntsville as the programme reaches its phase II conclusion. The tracked UGV has been developed as an electric diesel hybrid platform and is configurable both for a load carrying and weaponised payloads. Grizzly, as Howe and Howe’s RS2H1 SMET platform is named, in line with SMET programme requirements is able to accommodate a 500kg payload and can cover over 12 miles in its silent all-electric mode.
Phase II of the SMET programme will finish at the end of May 2019 and the presence of the UGV for the first time indicates the confidence of Howe and Howe technologies in the platform being selected for Phase III, where the programme could become a robotics programme of record.
UGVs are becoming increasingly common along with government programmes to develop unmanned vehicles. However, commitment form militaries to launch UGV procurement programmes remains relatively uncommon.
Geoff Howe, one half of the founders of Howe and Howe Technologies said that he believes the SMET programme is a viable one and will become a programme of record with a production contract being awarded.
However, Mike Cooney Business Development with Polaris, of which its MRZR-X has also been participating in phase II, told Shephard: ‘What the SMET system is, is that they [the US army] are trying to figure out whether the technology is mature enough.
‘Is it to a point where we ought to spend hundreds of millions of dollars to buy or should we continue to put in a couple of million dollars and develop the technology and maybe in a few years it becomes more of what we [the army] want to do?’
The Grizzly was downselected for the US Army’s SMET programme phase II and the platform is undergoing testing and evaluation alongside the Polaris MRZR-X, the Multi-Utility Tactical Transport from General Dynamics Land Systems and the Hunter Wolf from HDT Global. (Source: Shephard)
28 Mar 19. Russia completes delivery of T-90S/SK tanks to Vietnam. Moscow has completed the delivery of 64 T-90S/SK main battle tanks (MBTs) to Vietnam, the Russian Federal Service for Military-Technical Cooperation (FSVTS) confirmed to Jane’s on 28 March. A military-diplomatic source said “the multi-faceted contract” that was signed in 2016 for the MBT acquisition “has been fulfilled in accordance with the original schedule”.
“All the financial issues under the contract have been resolved, and the Vietnamese tank crews and technical specialists have already been trained,” the source added.
A representative of the Vietnam People’s Army (VPA) told Jane’s that the MBTs were shipped in two large batches, each totalling “no fewer than 30 platforms”.
“The first batch was delivered last December, while the second one arrived in Vietnam in late February,” said the source, adding that the VPA received the MBTs equipped with Kontakt-5 explosive reactive armour and a turret-mounted missile countermeasures system.
“The vehicles will replace outdated Chinese Type 59 and non-upgraded Soviet-era T-54 tanks,” he said, pointing out that the VPA has already begun operating the new vehicles.
In July 2017 Vietnamese state-run news agencies confirmed that Hanoi had ordered 64 T-90Ss, including an undisclosed number of T-90SK variants, pointing out that the acquisition would be funded by credit provided by Moscow. The T-90S is the basic export model, while the ‘K’ is a reference to command versions. (Source: IHS Jane’s)
28 Mar 19. First Ajax reconnaissance variant to begin British Army trials by September. British Army crews will begin trialing the turreted reconnaissance version of the Ajax family of armoured vehicles during the third quarter of this year, according to the UK Ministry of Defence (MoD). In a sign of growing confidence in the programme to purchase 589 Ajax vehicles for the British Army from General Dynamics Land Systems UK, the ministry told Jane’s that the first squadron-sized sub-unit will be equipped with the full complement of the variant in early 2020 ahead of the initial operating capability (IOC) being declared the following July.
“The first British Army squadron will be equipped with the Ares protected mobility reconnaissance support (PMRS) variant by mid-2019 to allow soldiers to convert onto the common base platform,” said a senior ministry source familiar with the programme. “The other five variants, including reconnaissance, command, engineer, recovery, and repair vehicles, will be delivered later in 2019.” (Source: IHS Jane’s)
27 Mar 19. The Army is expected to release the final request for proposals on Friday for its Optionally Manned Fighting Vehicle (OFMV), the program to replace its Bradleys, a lead official told reporters here on Wednesday. Brig. Gen. Ross Coffman, director of the Next-Generation Combat Vehicle cross-functional team, confirmed the Army will open its OMFV competition this week after a series of industry engagements to inform requirements, with plans to accept proposals in October and downselect for prototype awards in FY ’20.
“That is the goal, and we are making every effort to get that on the street by the last work day of this quarter,” Coffman told reporters at the AUSA Global Force Symposium. “We want the latest and greatest technology in the hands of our soldiers now, and we’ve written requirements to get them.”
OMFV is the Army’s top future combat vehicle effort, with plans to replace its Bradleys with a new platform designed to move toward more autonomous operations, integrating advanced sensors, eventually incorporating a 50mm cannon and running on fuel cell technology.
The Army released a draft RFP in the beginning of February, which clarified plans to begin fielding OMFV in 2026 (Defense Daily, Feb. 1).
Coffman said the draft RFP was “very, very aggressive” and included the Army’s reach goals that were not “attainable in [their] entirety” to push industry to engage with officials on where technology currently stands and help inform requirements.
“We wanted to see, perhaps, what [independent research and dollars] have been put toward technology from different companies, so that they may be able to reach our stretch goals,” Coffman told reporters. Coffman specifically highlighted discussion with industry on going for 2nd generation FLIR over next-generation 3rd generation as an initial objective requirement, as well as including a threshold requirement for a 30mm cannon with the goal of building in capacity to accept a 50mm capability.
“We really want the 50mm. We think that gives us a marked advantage on the battlefield. But because we’re so fast, industry can absolutely do it, but what do they have today and they have to show us the path to 50mm,” Coffman said.
Discussions with industry also included transportability of the new platform and the goal to meet the CFT’s effort to carry two OMFVs on a C-17 while meeting the entire range of requirements for lethality and survivability.
“In each of those areas, the collective industry has said we can do anything that you’ve asked in this draft RFP individually, but when you put it together we’re not going to be able to meet the transportability of this system,” Coffman said. “If you push the survivability standard so
high that you need incredible armor protection, you need incredible height of the vehicle, we’ve had to really sharpen the point on those areas to ensure that it meets the weight that we can move these vehicles wherever in the world we need them with the appropriate assets.”
BAE Systems’ CV90, General Dynamics’ [GD] Griffin III and Raytheon’s [RTN] Lynx vehicle developed in partnership with Germany’s Rheinmetall, and an SAIC [SAIC] model based off its offering for the Army’s Mobile Protected Firepower program, have all been proposed as potential options for OMFV. (Source: Defense Daily)
27 Mar 19. Renewed Category 2 MRV(P) bids go in. The two contractors, Thales with Bushmaster and GDELS with Eagle 5 have submitted new bids for the UK’s Category 2 MRV(P) requirement for around 260 vehicles for a decision expected to be in October. The Category 1 Requirement is being fulfilled by the Oshkosh JLTV for 2000 vehicles for which negotiations are ongoing.
Category 1
Is the 4×4 variants which will be fulfilled by an FMS funded contract with Oshkosh for a first batch of approximately 750 JLTV base vehicles believed to be worth approx. $1.88bn or $250,000 per vehicle ex-works. The vehicles will be shipped to the UK in base form to a facility, yet to be chosen by Oshkosh, where they will be equipped with added electronic ECCM systems, Jammers and EW equipment along with any required upgrades to make them UK Roadworthy. It is believed they will be left hand drive. Millbrook is the likely choice for Trials of the vehicle. The first order for JLTV was announced on 23 March 2016 with the U.S. Army ordering 657 JLTVs, along with kits and support. The $243m order includes vehicles for the Army and Marines. According to Oshkosh, “The vehicles, trailers, and installed kits for this order will be delivered by first quarter FY2018.”[55] Overall JLTV requirements remain at 5,500 for the US Marines and 49,099 for the Army. In April 2016 it was disclosed that JLTV’s Initial Operating Capability (IOC) for both services would be delayed as a result of earlier protests and associated issues. Initial USMC operating capability will be delayed by about one year to the first quarter of fiscal 2020, with 69 JLTVs for a Marine infantry battalion, with procurement by the Marines complete by FY 2022. The Army anticipates a six-month delay, reaching IOC in mid-2019. Army procurement will last until approximately 2040. (Source: Wikipedia) The Cat 1 vehicles will be procured in 3 variants, Logistics, Command and Control and Liaison.
Category 2
Is the Requirement for the Ambulance and Personnel Carrier vehicles. 12 contenders bid for the Programme and a down-select of two companies was made which included Thales with Bushmaster and General Dynamics European Land Systems with the Eagle 5 6×6 vehicle.
The decision is believed to be close but Thales is perceived to have the upper hand as the Bushmaster is already in UK SF service.
26 Mar 19. Oshkosh Rolls Out New JLTV As Army Talks Cuts. The Army may be buying fewer Joint Light Tactical Vehicles, but manufacturer Oshkosh is still so confident in its armored 4×4 that it’s rolling out a new variant here at the AUSA Global trade show: a JLTV ambulance the company developed at its own expense.
“We see a slight slowing of the Army buy across the FYDP [the 2020-2024 Future Year Defense Plan],” said Oshkosh Defense president John Bryant, an experienced former Marine Corps program manager himself. “It’s not an unusual thing in defense acquisition.” Very few major programs ever proceed as fast as originally planned.
But the important thing is the service hasn’t officially changed its plan to acquire almost 50,000 JLTVs over the life of the program, which will run into the 2030s.
“We’ve seen no change and we’ve heard no discussion about any change to the Army’s approved acquisition objective of 49,099 vehicles,” Bryant told me in an interview. Meanwhile, he said proudly, “the Marine Corps has publicly stated that it plans to increase its acquisition objective from 5,500 to 9,091.”
4×4 vs. Big Six
Now, Bryant may be too optimistic about the Army. In a roundtable with reporters just two days after the budget officially dropped, Army Undersecretary Ryan McCarthy gave a blunt “yes” when asked if the service was reassessing the total number of JLTVs it would buy over the whole program. If the Army continues with its current plans, he said, it would end up with more than 100,000 4×4 tactical trucks of various types. “55,000 Humvees, 49,000 JLTVs, 800 infantry squad vehicles,” McCarthy said. “We were buying more than we needed.”
UPDATE The Army’s 2020-2024 plan cuts JLTV funding by $800m, McCarthy elaborated during a media roundtable at AUSA Global this morning. But the service doesn’t know how many fewer vehicles it’ll buy, because lowering the production run loses some efficiencies of scale and increases the price per vehicle. Depending on how the details work out between the Army and Oshkosh, the undersecretary said, “that $800m could account for anywhere from 1,500 to 1,900 total vehicles.”
The Army is still assessing how many JLTVs it needs overall, but with the program set to run through 2042, there’s time to make a deliberate decision. Will that total number — the Acquisition Objective (AO) — ultimately change? “Maybe,” said Gen. John Murray, chief of Army Futures Command, speaking alongside McCarthy this morning. “Has the AO changed yet? No.”
Cutting JLTV does fit with the Army’s Big Six modernization priorities, which emphasize systems for frontline combat — artillery, armor, aircraft, the network, air & missile defense, and soldier gear, in that order — rather than support equipment, such as lightly armed and armored 4×4 trucks. Yes, the JLTV is much better protected than the Humvee and more mobile off-road than MRAPs, the two main vehicles used against insurgents in Afghanistan and Iraq, but the Army is now focused on fighting (or, better yet, deterring) Russia and China.
All that said, Bryan’s big picture is still absolutely correct. The Army is going to buy tens of thousands of JLTVs over the next decade or two, the Marines have upped their JLTV purchase by 65 percent, and it’s quite possible US allies might start buying the vehicle to replace their relatively vulnerable Humvees as well. Oshkosh will have plenty of work not only building new vehicles but in maintaining and upgrading a massive fleet, which is where the big money is in the long run.
The Growing JLTV Family
So it does make sense for Oshkosh to keep investing its own money in building new JLTV variants — which basically means sticking different stuff on a flexible truck body, not exactly intensive R&D. Each model is both a potential sales item in its own right and a photogenic advertisement for the vehicle’s versatility.
To date, according to a list Oshkosh provided, the company has shown off, in one venue or another, at least seven configurations featuring (not all at once) two types of 30 mm autocannon, the XM914 and M230LF; assorted machineguns; Javelin anti-tank missiles; Hellfire anti-tank/anti-aircraft missiles; a Trophy Active Protection System to stop other people’s missiles coming at the JLTV; and a laser.
To date, the Army and Marines are only buying four types: three flavors of four-door JLTVs — a general purposeworkhorse, a turreted gun truck, and a TOW anti-tank missile launcher — and a two-door utility variant, basically a militarized pickup truck. But the original concept for the program included additional variants, including an ambulance. So even though the Army isn’t officially asking for it, Oshkosh has grounds to think they might want it.
The JLTV ambulance is a pretty straightforward reconfiguration of the two-door model. It adds what Oshkosh rather grandly calls an “integrated mission module”: basically, a boxy cabin with room for a medic and patients either lying on four stretchers — stacked two on the left, two on the right — or sitting on eight seats. (The version they’ll display at Huntsville only has six seats installed, but you could add two more jumpseats, the company told me).
You can flip the seats up out to slot in the stretchers or remove the stretchers and flip the seats up, or do it differently on either side, say three walking wounded on the right and two more severely injured soldiers in litters on the left. The conversion requires no tools, Oshkosh joint programs manager George Mansfield told me, and is about as simple as folding up or down the backseat in an SUV.
“This [is] the first time we’ve offered — anyone has offered — JLTV-level protection and off-road mobility in an ambulance,” Bryant said proudly. But is that enough to get funding from an Army increasingly focused on AI, robotics, and high-tech firepower? (Source: Defense News Early Bird/Breaking Defense)
27 Mar 19. Qld government backs LAND 400 contract bid. The Queensland government has launched a new campaign to support Rheinmetall’s bid for the LAND 400 Phase 3 project, worth an estimated $15bn. Phase 3 of the LAND 400 project will see the delivery of 400 land support vehicles, (383 infantry fighting vehicles and 17 manoeuvre support vehicles) for the Australian Army.
Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said the state government is “100 per cent behind Rheinmetall’s bid for LAND 400 Phase 3″.
“The Department of Defence has stated they will shortlist in the next six months,” Premier Palaszczuk said.
“Our government’s goal is to make sure Queensland and Rheinmetall is on the shortlist.
“Queensland won the $5.2bn LAND 400 Phase 2 Defence project by securing Rheinmetall.
“Should Rheinmetall’s Lynx be successful in the LAND 400 Phase 3 tender, Rheinmetall will manufacture the vehicles at the Military Vehicle Centre of Excellence (MILVEHCOE) in Ipswich.
“I am calling on all Queenslanders to get behind this bid.”
Minister for State Development, Manufacturing, Infrastructure and Planning Cameron Dick said that more than 450 jobs in Queensland were created following the securing of Phase 2 of the bid.
“The MILVEHCOE’s workforce and the critical mass of expertise will already be in place from Phase 2, so a win in Phase 3 will guarantee a continuation of work into the long-term,” Minister Dick said.
“Rheinmetall expects the MILVEHCOE and its impact across Queensland’s supply chain will contribute more than $1bn to Queensland’s economy.
“Momentum is definitely increasing in Queensland’s defence industries, with more than 6,500 people currently employed and $9.55bn in Australian defence contracts secured in 2017-18, which is more than double the value of contracts awarded in the previous year.” (Source: Defence Connect)
26 Mar 19. German parliament funds Leopard 2 upgrade and PzH 2000 ammunition procurement. On 20 March, the budget committee of the Bundestag, the German parliament, approved EUR25m (USD28m) in funding to upgrade German Leopard 2 main battle tanks (MBTs) and the same amount to procure 155mm ammunition for the Panzerhaubitze (PzH) 2000 self-propelled howitzer (SPH), the Ministry of Defence (MoD) announced on its website. A total of 101 Leopard 2A6MA2 and Leopard 2A6 MBTs will be upgraded to a level “similar” to the Leopard 2A7V by 2026, according to the German MoD. The tanks’ systems will be standardised to make them more effective, increase protection, and allow for the exchange of crews, the ministry said. In addition, various mechanical processes will be automated. The Leopard 2s will receive new fire control and communications systems. (Source: IHS Jane’s)
25 Mar 19. AM General to deliver M1152A1 HMMWVs to US Army National Guard. The US Army has awarded a contract to light tactical vehicles manufacturer AM General to supply new M1152A1 high mobility multipurpose wheeled vehicles (HMMWV). Under the $89m contract, the company will deliver a total of 739 HMMWVs to the US Army National Guard.
The vehicles are being procured as part of the US Army National Guard’s modernisation initiatives. The new order is an addition to the 740 HMMWVs ordered in October 2018. Additionally, the company was awarded a $121m five-year contract to provide systems technical support services for the HMMWVs. Under the contract, the company will provide support for engineering, logistics, and quality assurance projects.
AM General US defence executive vice-president Chris Vanslager said: “AM General is excited to continue the strong partnership with the Army National Guard and supports their efforts to modernise and enhance the readiness of the Humvee fleet.”
The M1152A1 is a single cab, open cargo expanded capacity HMMWV variant that is enhanced with integrated armour protection.
This HMMWV variant can serve as a cargo or troop carrier and is designed for use in all weather conditions. According to the company, the HMMWVs will be made more powerful, rugged and reliable by adding improvements to the powertrain, suspension, cooling and electrical systems. Furthermore, the vehicle can be fitted with two armour kits. The A kit is factory installed and the B kit provides gapless mine and ballistic protection in combination with A kit. Additional armour and fragmentation kits can be installed and removed as needed in the battlefield. The new M1152A1 HMMWVs will be delivered from the third quarter of this year. (Source: army-technology.com)
26 Mar 19. BAE Systems’ New Tech Demonstrator To Showcase Advanced Capabilities For Army’s Future Combat Vehicles. BAE Systems on Tuesday unveiled a new technology demonstrator vehicle built to demonstrate advanced technologies, including 360-degree target recognition sensors and active protection systems, for potential use on the Army’s range of future combat vehicles.
Jim Miller, BAE Systems’ senior director of business development, told Defense Daily the new tech demonstrator is based on the company’s Mobile Protected Firepower offering and is designed to showcase new capabilities on actual vehicle as the Army shifts its focus to platforms that are technology-centric.
“The idea is there’s a lot of technology the Army’s looking at for future combat vehicles, certainly a lot of things we’ve been working on for years. And we’ve got a lot of partners that
do advanced technologies who work on combat vehicles,” Miller said. “We’ll use this asset to integrate those onto a vehicle, get out, test it, get a feel for if it’s going to work, and then be able to integrate into future vehicle programs that the Army’s got coming up.”
The company is showcasing the demonstrator vehicle for the first time here at this week’s
AUSA Global Force Symposium.
“We haven’t come up with a cool name for it yet,” Miller said.
New capabilities integrated on the current display vehicle include BAE Systems’ own RAVEN jammer and new 360-degree Multi-Function Vehicle Protection Sensor, as well as IMI Systems’ Iron First active protection system and a vehicle “suit” designed by Sweden’s Saab to lower a vehicle’s infrared signature.
“When you go after those most advanced technologies that still need developing, they need maturity and testing, this gives you a venue to do that,” Miller said. “Or you can take existing
technologies, like the 360-degree sensor, and you integrate that with some of the new technologies and what you find is you don’t have one plus one equals two, you get one plus one equals three or four or five.”
Army officials have previously said its future combat vehicles approach, including the Optionally Manned Fighting Vehicle and Robotic Combat Vehicle, will focus on procuring a proven vehicle base that is capable of taking on advanced technologies that may still need development.
“It gives us options on every program that’s out there,” Miller said. “We’re trying to get an idea of where we can go, and what we can bring to the Army that says this is better than what you have now, this is going to give you a decided advantage on the battlefield, and do you want
this on your vehicle”
BAE Systems has previously indicated interest in offerings its CV90 vehicle for the Army’s Optionally Manned Fighting Vehicle set to replace its Bradleys, and last December it was awarded a contract along with General Dynamics [GD] to build prototypes for the ultra-light
tank MPF program (Defense Daily, Dec. 2019). Last fall, BAE Systems participated in a soft-kill “rodeo” demonstration where it tested the
RAVEN electronic countermeasure capability on a Bradley fighting vehicle.
The Army announced in January it has selected RAVEN to advance in its soft-kill program over offerings from Northrop Grumman and Lockheed Martin, with plans to demonstrate the system
at a layered active protection system test this summer (Defense Daily, Feb. 15). Ryan Edwards, BAE Systems’ business development manager for soldier & vehicle solutions, told Defense Daily the tech demonstrator is the first vehicle to be integrated with its new 360 MVP sensor after also bringing it to the earlier soft-kill rodeo.
“This camera that gives you a greater field of view for better driving, will also do automatic detection of a threat launch. So it can be part of the cueing system for an active protection system,” Edwards said. “When we can provide 360-degree situational awareness, better potential lethality, when you do some automated target recognition, when you reduce the crew’s cognitive load and cue an active protection system with our countermeasure for less than 300 pounds per vehicle, that raises some eyebrows.” (Source: Defense Daily)
25 Mar 19. First upgraded French VBL due this year. Arquus are due to deliver the first Panhard General Defense upgraded Véhicule Blindé Léger (VBL) scout cars to the French Army in the second half of 2019. Arquus was formed in mid-2018 by ACMAT, Panhard General Defense, and Renault Trucks Defense. The VBL production remains at the Marolles-en-Hurepoix facility where the platform was originally produced. France’s Direction Générale de l’Armament (DGA) awarded Arquus a contract in 2017 following extensive trials with the VBL System Demonstrator and pre-production vehicles called the VBL Ultima, which were carried out over two years. The VBL upgrade includes replacing the original 95 hp diesel engine with a new 130 hp diesel engine as well as adding a new anti-skid braking system and upgraded front and rear suspension systems. (Source: IHS Jane’s)
22 Mar 19. Nigerian Army receives new indigenous MRAP. The Nigerian Army has taken delivery of five improved Proforce Ara mine-resistant ambush-protected (MRAP) vehicles in early March, an industry source told Jane’s. These are now deployed in northeast Nigeria as part of the ongoing counter-insurgency campaign against the militants popularly known as Boko Haram. The new vehicles are a heavily modified derivative of the original Ara, eight of which were delivered to the Nigerian Army in 2018. The same industry source said the new variant features significant enhancements, most notably a fully monocoque hull. The previous Ara used a Tatra 2.30 TRK 4×4 truck chassis. Design work began in January 2018 with feedback from the military on the original Aras being used to refine it further. (Source: IHS Jane’s)
22 Mar 19. The first two Ares vehicles – variants of the Ajax family of armoured vehicles – have been formally delivered to the British Army. The handover, on February 14, came after the successful completion of general acceptance testing at the General Dynamics’ factory in Merthyr Tydfil, Wales. Following the handover, the two vehicles will be based at the Armour Centre in Bovington, Dorset, which is the British Army’s centre of excellence for training in the core skills of armoured warfare. The centre trains soldiers in driving and maintaining armoured fighting vehicles, as well as operating vehicle weapons systems and communications equipment. Huw Cable, Head of the Vehicle Demonstration and Manufacture team at DE&S, said: “I am delighted that we have now handed over the first two Ares to our colleagues in the British Army, who will now put the vehicles through their paces. “This is a significant step forward for the Ajax programme, marking the commitment of all involved in the project and is the first step in providing the armed forces with world-beating multi-role, mounted fighting and reconnaissance capabilities fit for the future.” In all, General Dynamics Land Systems–UK will deliver 589 Ajax vehicles across six different variants – Athena, Ajax, Ares, Apollo, Atlas and Argus – to the British Army. The Ajax fleet provides a step-change in capability used by the British Army and incorporates cutting-edge and proven technology to provide an unparalleled balance of protection, weight and agility. They will be the ‘eyes and ears’ of the British Army on the battlefields of the future. The new vehicle will give the Army enhanced intelligence, surveillance, protection, target acquisition and reconnaissance capabilities for decades to come. Major General Colin McClean, Director Land Equipment, added: “I am hugely proud of everyone who has been part of this journey – not only is this a momentous milestone for the project, it is an exciting time for our soldiers, who will now begin training with this world-class, next generation capability.” The six variants in the Ajax programme are due to come into service in 2020, providing a full suite of medium armoured vehicles and capabilities. (Source: U.K. MoD desider)
22 Mar 19. ARQUUS: a unique know-how to serve the Special Forces. Major partner and supplier for the French Army, with more than 20,000 wheeled vehicles currently in service in the forces, ARQUUS is also a major shareholder of the Special Forces’ mobility. Expert of land tactical mobility, ARQUUS has designed and developed a complete range of vehicles dedicated to the Special Forces, with a special focus on autonomy, robustness, versatility and firepower. Among these vehicles, Panhard’s VPS and ACMAT’s VLRA have pioneer status, granting ARQUUS with historical know-how in the field of special vehicles. At SOFINS, ARQUUS presents three vehicles which perfectly meet the Special Forces’ needs: the Bastion, the Sabre and the Trapper.
Building on the VLRA’s (Véhicule Léger de Reconnaissance et d’Appui, a historical vehicle for the French Special Forces) success and experience, ARQUUS has developed the Bastion, a robust vehicle designed for all-terrain mobility, which is very successful worldwide. The Bastion’s armored hull, specifically designed according to the NATO standards in terms of ballistic, anti-mine and anti-IED protection, offers a large internal volume, which can accommodate large quantities of equipment which guaranteeing the best level of comfort for the operators.
The Sabre benefits from the Sherpa Light’s proven base. It fits the Special Forces’ needs perfectly, in terms of armament, autonomy, payload, communication systems and robustness. Stealthy and extremely mobile, the Sabre is a vehicle of choice for all operations behind the enemy lines.
The Trigger is a light, versatile vehicle, designed for personnel and supply transport. It can be deployed for patrol and fire support missions, thanks to its reinforced rear platform, which grants it the largest loading capability in its class. The Trigger offers important capabilities in terms of autonomy and ruggedness, which makes it ideal for long-range missions with minimal maintenance.
At SOFINS, ARQUUS also presents its Hornet Lite RCWS, equipped with a 7.62mm machine gun, which is part of the Hornet RCWS range. The Hornet will notably equip the Griffon and Jaguar vehicles of the French Army starting in 2019. In December 2015, ARQUUS was awarded a contract by the DGA (French DNA) to supply the Special Forces with 241 VLFS (Special Forces’ Light Vehicle) and 202 PLFS (Special Forces’ Heavy Vehicle), as well as the corresponding support solutions and spare parts and organs.
21 Mar 19. JUST IN: US Army Open to International Competitors for Next-Gen Combat Vehicle. The US Army is willing to consider international companies for its next-generation combat vehicle projects, according to a top service official. The NGCV initiative is the Army’s No. 2 modernization priority, behind only long-range precision fires. The effort encompasses a family of combat vehicles to replace the Bradley infantry fighting vehicle and the Abrams tank. Initial plans include replacing the Bradley with an optionally-manned fighting vehicle.
“We want open and fair competition,” Army Undersecretary Ryan McCarthy told reporters March 21 at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, D.C. “If there are international players that are going to propose, we’ll look at them.”
However, the chosen company would still need to comply with Buy American laws, which mandate that at least 50 percent of a product is made in the United States, McCarthy noted.
“If we choose anybody that is an international manufacturer, they’re going to make it here in the United States,” he said. “We get the work done here and we understand the elements of the supply chain.”
The Army plans to award up to two middle-tier acquisition rapid prototyping contracts to procure 14 pre-production vehicles, according to a March 14 pre-solicitation notice on FedBizOpps. The contracts will include ballistic hulls and turrets and logistics products. They are slated to be awarded in the second quarter of fiscal year 2020.
McCarthy noted the service met with multiple interested companies last summer to discuss objective requirements for the vehicle. Defense News reported that the United States and Germany recently scheduled a demonstration of the Puma infantry fighting vehicle to examine it as a contender for the next-generation combat vehicle effort. The Puma is a 43-ton vehicle used by the German military that is jointly manufactured by Krauss-Maffei Wegmann and Rheinmetall corporations. The demonstration was reportedly canceled due to scheduling conflicts, and it is unclear if there are plans to reschedule the event. (Source: glstrade.com/National Defense)
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Millbrook, based in Bedfordshire, UK, makes a significant contribution to the quality and performance of military vehicles worldwide. Its specialist expertise is focussed in two distinct areas: test programmes to help armed services and their suppliers ensure that their vehicles and systems work as the specification requires; and design and build work to upgrade new or existing vehicles, evaluate vehicle capability and investigate in-service failures. Complementing these is driver and service training and a hospitality business that allows customers to use selected areas of Millbrook’s remarkable facilities for demonstrations and exhibitions.
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