Sponsored by TEK Military Seating Limited
http://www.tekmilitaryseating.co.uk/
————————————————————————-
15 June 22. Horstman and Textron partner on hydraulic device. A new integrated hydraulic device, designed by Horstman and Textron and announced at Eurosatory 2022, can minimise vibrations and noise inside the vehicle and will be able to support future upgrade requirements for a variety of vehicles.
Textron Systems has entered into a teaming agreement with Renk Group company Horstman to create an integrated hydropneumatic spring and damper solution called HydroCore for the global market.
The solution is developed under the Horstman Scalable Mobile architecture for the Textron M5 UGV.
The hybrid-electric M5 RV flat deck design supports a diverse set of payloads for various missions and can carry out near-silent manoeuvres.
Over the next two years, the Horstman Scalable Mobile architecture and HydroCore upgrade kits will be fully field-tested, the partners said during Eurosatory 2022 in Paris.
Talking to Shephard on 14 June during the show, Horstman Group CEO Ian Pain said the product is the culmination of over two years of internal R&D, but lessons and attributes learned from the past 15 years have gone into the solution.
Pain said customers can upgrade the level of performance or functionality of their HydroCore struts at any time during the life of the strut without requiring changes to the base system strut.
Hydrocore can be installed on vehicles of different kinds and sizes, he added.
‘The key emphasis is that rather than building a single product, we have built a scalable mobility architecture that allows us to have a much wider range of different capabilities and sizes from the same base design unit,’ Pain said.
Robert Matthews, VP of business development at Horstman, added that the scalable mobility architecture also allows a cost-effective way for upgrades to be implemented.
Adding an electronic control system such as HydroCore can significantly improve vibration and noise inside a vehicle. This not only helps maintain the effectiveness of the crew during operations but can also help in lengthening the lifespan of equipment built in the vehicle.
Similarly to other exhibitors at Eurosatory, Horstman has observed either an acceleration of certain land vehicle projects or an increase in the size of efforts globally since the Russo-Ukrainian War began in February 2022, company representatives said.
Horstman was contracted last year to deliver its Hydrogas suspension unit for British MBTs and its Hydrostrut suspension units for the German Pumas. (Source: Shephard)
14 June 22. BLR Mk 2 unmanned ground vehicle breaks cover. Israel’s BLR Mk 2 unmanned technology demonstration platform was unveiled at Eurosatory 2022 in Paris.
Images of the previously unidentified vehicle in transport had earlier emerged on social media, prompting speculation on the system’s origin and intended purpose. In a press release on 13 June, the Israeli Ministry of Defense (MoD) confirmed that the system is an unmanned ground vehicle (UGV) produced by Tel Aviv-based BL Advanced Ground Support Systems Ltd.
Speaking to Janes , industry sources confirmed that later iterations of the exhibited system are expected to assume a ground combat and observation role, typically as a front-line platform within a fleet of vehicles. The MoD classifies the vehicle as a Medium Robotic Combat Vehicle (M-RCV). (Source: Janes)
15 June 22. AM General will unveil hybrid Humvee ‘soon,’ targets National Guard. In an interview with Breaking Defense, AM General CEO Jim Cannon said that the company will display the vehicle at an exhibition “soon.”
AM General plans to unveil a hybrid-electric version of its Humvee at an exhibition “soon,” the company’s CEO told Breaking Defense, and believes the capability is ripe for use by the National Guard.
The vehicle, which the company is planning to call Humvee Charge, comes amid increasing interest in the US military about the advantages of hybrid electrified vehicles.
“We’ll have the Humvee Charge in an exhibition soon and [we’re] really working hard to lobby with the Army to figure out where they want to deploy this first,” AM General CEO Jim Cannon told Breaking Defense in an interview at the Eurosatory conference in Paris.
Cannon said the company is “arguing hard” that the National Guard is the right fit for the vehicle, noting the guard’s mission in disaster response would benefit from the Humvee’s ability to export power from its onboard battery. The hybrid Humvee could be used by the guard “to power homes, to power hospitals, or whatever the case may be.” He added that the guard’s fleet of Humvees are aging and “needs to be recapitalized.”
“If any vehicle fleet in the US Army should be electrified in some fashion first, I think it should be the Humvee,” Cannon said. “You know why? It’s a utility vehicle, it’s not a combat vehicle.”
He continued, “if there’s any part of the Humvee fleet that should be first, [it’s] probably the National Guard fleet. The National Guard fleet is well beyond its useful life. It needs to be recapitalized.”
The company has developed the vehicle with its own internal research and development money, Cannon said. The Humvee Charge is separate from work the Army is doing on a hybrid Humvee through its Rapid Capabilities and Critical Technologies Office.
“We think a hybrid electric variant makes most sense for the Army, you know, for very practical reasons,” Cannon said. “I mean, there aren’t always charging stations, you know, where you need them right now on the battlefield.”
The US Army is increasingly interested in hybrid-electric vehicles. The service’s RCCTO has outfitted two Bradley Fighting Vehicles with hybrid-electric drive and plans to test them in the Arizona later this year. The Army’s fiscal 2023 budget request shows that the service plans to decide the future of the hybrid-electric Bradley next year.
Meanwhile, Brig. Gen. Glenn Dean, the program executive officer for Ground Combat Systems, said at Eurosatory on Tuesday that the Optionally Manned Fighting Vehicle, the service’s replacement for the Bradley, will “likely” be the service’s first combat vehicle with hybrid power.
The Army is interested in hybrid-electric combat vehicles because they offer numerous advantages on the battlefield, including silent mobility, low electronic signature, exportable power to charge soldier devices and a reduced logistical footprint. The electrical power on-board could also be used to power directed energy or other air defense platforms onboard.
According to the Army’s climate strategy, the service aims to have a fully-electric non-tactical fleet by 2035, and a fully electric tactical fleet by 2050. Cannon said the Army is interested in the hybrid Humvee.
“The dilemma that the Army has, of course, is what every organization has — that they’re trying to do a lot and they got to manage limited resources to do it,” Cannon said. (Source: Breaking Defense.com)
15 June 22. HENSOLDT and Iveco Defence Vehicles present first operational sensor composite vehicle for civil and military applications. Sensor solutions provider HENSOLDT and Italian vehicle manufacturer Iveco Defence Vehicles (IDV) will present the Military Utility Vehicle (MUV) concept demonstrator at EUROSATORY 2022 in Paris, the result of their cooperation to date. For the first time, the MUV will present a modular sensor fusion platform that can be used in the civilian and military sectors for surveillance and reconnaissance as well as for self-protection and convoy protection.
The basis of the MUV concept demonstrator is an all-terrain 7-ton-chassis from IDV with a maximum payload of 4 tons. A sensor suite from HENSOLDT is installed on it, with the SETAS, MUSS, Radio Direction Finder and S3 MIMO-Radar systems. All systems are connected by the Central Information Processing Unit (CIPU), which forms the backbone of the sensor suite.
The system architecture provides automatic information processing that supports the user in decision-making and ensures operational readiness under all conditions. Through the sensor data network, HENSOLDT creates complete situational awareness with its Sensor Suite. Potential customers can configure their personal suite according to their wishes through the modular structure of the individual systems.
The advantage of the MUV concept demonstrator lies in the combination of the networked HENSOLDT sensor suite with the highly mobile, reliable and versatile vehicular platform from IDV. With the vehicle, there is now for the first time a turnkey solution that combines adaptive detection and classification capability with the features of a vehicle specifically designed for a wide range of tasks.
“The cooperation with IDV in the field of MUV concept demonstrator is directly related to our portfolio expansion. Russia’s war against Ukraine shows how important networked high-performance sensor technology and optical systems are for equipping our armed forces in line with the times,” said Andreas Hülle Head of the Optronics & Landsolutions Division and Managing Director of HENSOLDT Optronics GmbH.
At EUROSATORY 2022, HENSOLDT and IDV will present the joint MUV solution, which offers modularity, precision and speed to ensure the best possible situational awareness.
14 June 22. JLTV has to be UK-built, next step a competition? Following the release of the UK’s Land Strategy, sources close to BATTLESPACE believe that the MoD has laid down the gauntlet to Oshkosh to state that if the company is to be considered for the MRVP(P) requirement for its JLTV vehicle that the vehicle must be built in the UK. Oshkosh has been sounding out various UK partners over the past two years but nothing concrete has emerged as to a UK assembly plant. Another reason for the move could be the pressure from Australia to consider a fleet of Bushmasters and Hawkei vehicle to fulfill offset requirements for the Hunt Class and submarine purchases. The UK MoD is believed to be looking at alternative options one being the purchase of more Jackal 3 vehicles from Supacat building on the extensive fleet of 650 already in service. The new Jackal variant equipped with a cab is being offered in seven variants, weapons platform, gun tractor and mounted artillery as shown on the AM General Stand at Eurosatory, Command and Control, troop carrier and recovery vehicle. Supacat said that they are under contract to build four recovery interim variants while a new recovery variant specification is being worked up. Other vehicles under consideration would be an armoured ‘G’ Wagen from Mercedes, the KMW Dingo, Australian Hawkei and the AM General armoured HMMV variant.
Oshkosh said that similar move had been made in Belgium where they were eventually selected. They said that interest had been expressed by Romania, Albania, North Macedonia with Lithuania looking at more JLTVs.
14 June 22. GDELS motors on with two new vehicles. General Dynamics European Land Systems launched a new light tactical vehicle and an all-electric variant of the DURO at Eurosatory 2022.
General Dynamics European Land Systems (GDELS) unveiled two new vehicles on 13 June during the opening day of the Eurosatory 2022 defence exhibition in Paris: the MERLIN light tactical vehicle (LTV) and the DURO-e 4×4, which is the first all-electric, all-terrain military vehicle developed by the company.
MERLIN was designed with the latest operational requirements of airborne, special forces, and light infantry forces in mind. A GDELS spokesperson explained to Shephard that MERLIN will follow the same basic engineering template as the proven Eagle V 4×4 vehicle, albeit with new technology under the hood.
The MERLIN LTV will feature revamped driveline and suspension technology from GDELS, all powered by a new diesel engine combining fuel efficiency with added torque.
The vehicle can accommodate up to a dozen personnel depending on which type of modular configuration is used. GDELS stated that the MERLIN “can be configured in different variants for personnel transport, ambulance, logistic and combat missions’.
The compact nature of the MERLIN means it can easily be stored away on CH-47 or CH-53 transport helicopters, the company added.
At Eurosatory, GDELS also unveiled a new, Tesla Cybertruck-style version of its DURO 4×4. Christened with the now-indispensable ‘e’ to signify electric, the DURO-e embodies GDELS attempts to retrofit green power to its older platforms.
The DURO-e is essentially an electrified variant of the older GDELS/Mowag DURO, hundreds of which remain in service with the Swiss Army.
The new electric variant features modern hybrid-drive technologies as well as options for manned-unmanned teaming and autonomous operation. Its main features include better onboard power generation; a silent-drive capability and a low-heat signature for stealth; plus a self-sufficient energy supply. (Source: Shephard)
14 June 22. BAE Systems producing AMPV at full-rate production levels, eyes going faster. The once-embattled programs has been building AMPV at full-rate production for the last four months, Bill Sheehy, the company’s AMPV program manager, told Breaking Defense.
BAE Systems’ production line has pumped out Armored Multi-Purpose Vehicles at the level required under full-rate production for the last four months, according to the company’s program manager, with the Army’s formal full-rate production decision still about six months away.
The Armored Multi-Purpose Vehicle, one of the Army’s top 35 modernization priorities, is set to replace the service’s M113armored personnel carriers, which have been used since the 1960s. BAE Systems is currently producing 12 vehicles per month, according to Bill Sheehy, the company’s AMPV program manager.
“The Army has to look and say, ‘Can BAE systems meet the pace that we need to field out units?’ Our ability to hit full rate pace now and sustain it, as we’ve done for the past four months, feeds into that [full-rate production] decision,” Sheedy said in an interview with Breaking Defense at Eurosatory in Paris.
BAE has reached this point in the AMPV after overcoming quality control and COVID-related issues at its York, Penn., plant. More recently, the company fixed issues with the advancing welding machines that required Defense Contract Management Agency inspectors to receive training so they could inspect aluminum welds on the hull.
AMPV has five different variants: an armored ambulance, a mobile surgery design, mobile command post, mortar carrier for close-in fire support and a general purpose troop transport. The vehicle takes five months to build from start to finish.
Last October, the Army and BAE announced that the vehicle started meet its low-rate initial production requirements. Army fiscal 2023 budget books show that the service is currently shooting for a full-rate production decision in the first quarter of FY23, which means the Army would certify that BAE’s vehicle adequately meets the Army’s requirements for manufacturing, performance and sustainment, and that the program can move progress forward to equipping units. Sheehy said that BAE could move faster but would need to make some investment in machinery and assembly line expansion.
The company is in discussions with the Army about ramping up to 16 to 18 vehicles per month and what it would take to meet that number, including training more employees. Sheehy also floated a further 18 to 22 vehicles per month, which would require “significant investment,” he said, including more robotic weld sites.
BAE is contracted to build a brigade set of AMPVs every year. The vehicle is currently taking part in its initial operational test event, which is slated to finish at the end of July, and recently completed a live fire test. Sheehy said he is “very confident” that the company would reach the Army’s first unit equipped deadline scheduled for the second quarter of FY23. (Source: Breaking Defense.com)
15 June 22. Allison Transmission Presents its Electrified Propulsion Solutions at Eurosatory 2022. At Eurosatory, Allison Transmission will present its new electric axles, Allison eGen Power® , as well as its solutions to provide more power and control to the wheels. Paris, June 2022 – Allison Transmission, a leading designer and manufacturer of conventional and electrified vehicle propulsion solutions for tactical wheeled and tracked defense vehicles, and medium- and heavy-duty commercial vehicles will showcase its new electric axles, Allison eGen Power® , for defense and homeland security applications at Eurosatory 2022 (June 13 – 17, Paris Villepinte, Hall C, Stand 588). Allison will also present its new 2000 Series 9-Speed transmission, the 3040 MX fully automatic cross drive and the Next Generation Electrified Transmission (NGET) developed to satisfy future requirements for the heavy Infantry Fighting Vehicle and future Main Battle Tank markets. Allison eGen Power is a series of zero emission electric axles for medium and heavy duty commercial vehicles. The eGen Power 100D features two electric motors, with a combined peak output of 652 kilowatts and steady state of 454 kilowatts. It also incorporates a two-speed gearbox in the central housing, enabling the high torque required to get heavy loads moving, while also offering the benefit of superior efficiency at cruise speed. The eGen Power 100D is capable of supporting up to a 10.4 tonne gross axle weight rating and also includes differential lock functionality. The eGen Power 100S is an extension of the eGen product line designed for medium and tandem[1]axle heavy-duty vehicles in North American markets, and the eGen Power 130D, a variant of the 100D, specifically designed for the European and Asia Pacific markets, where many commercial vehicles require a heavier 13 tonne gross axle weight rating. The eGen Power 130D maintains the same core components, performance, and differentiated value as the eGen Power 100D, including the power ratings previously mentioned for the 100D, but with increased axle weight rating capability. The new 2000 Series 9-speed transmission will be presented at Eurosatory. This transmission features the latest fuel economy software, Allison’s FuelSense® 2.0 with DynActive® Shifting. At the heart of this technology is an algorithm that continually assesses driving conditions – taking into account factors such as vehicle weight, road gradient, the frequency of stop-starts and throttle use – to initiate subtle but significant alterations in gear shift points. FuelSense 2.0 offers the highest benefit for applications with heavy start-stop operation. Allison Transmission continues to push the boundaries of ultimate reliability and enhanced capabilities in our cross drive portfolio in support of vehicle modernization plans for our allies around the globe. As such, the two vehicle manufacturers selected to compete for the U.S. Army’s Mobile Protected Firepower (MPF) contract have selected Allison’s 3040 MX cross-drive transmission for their vehicles. NGET is the newest product in Allison’s extensive armored vehicle portfolio, meeting requirements across a wide spectrum of applications. Key design features include an electric hybrid architecture that will offer the warfighter the benefits of reduced detection by the enemy and increased soldier survivability, exportable power provisions for on- and off-board systems, along with superior performance and proven reliability of an Allison Transmission News Release 2 About Allison Transmission Allison Transmission (NYSE: ALSN) is a leading designer and manufacturer of vehicle propulsion solutions for commercial and defense vehicles, the largest global manufacturer of medium- and heavy-duty fully automatic transmissions that
14 June 22. International Defence and Homeland Security Company MKU Presents Europe with a Fleet Management Solution For Defence and Security Forces. Fleet Control is a multi-bn euro industry in Europe. MKU gears up to pivot it towards the needs of defence and security forces. ‘Autro Platform Intelligence’ will be presented to the world at Eurosatory 2022.
International Defence and Homeland Security Company MKU has stepped into a new vertical with the unveiling of its cutting edge Fleet Control Solution called ‘Autro Platform Intelligence’ at Eurosatory that is to be held at Paris, France, from June 13 to 17, 2022. The smart solution has been developed to securely track, respond to and monitor vehicle-dependent missions with total control, ensuring maximum efficiency. ‘Autro Platform Intelligence’ comprises multiple functionalities that can be configured as per mission requirement via user-friendly dashboard interfaces.
Fleet management has developed into a multi-bn-euro industry in Europe in recent years and is ever growing. Installed Fleet management systems are projected to hit 22.5 m by 2025. Globally, the fleet management industry was valued at $ 19.47 bn in 2020 and is projected to reach $ 53.50 bn by 2030, registering a CAGR of 10.6% from 2021 to 2030. The fleet management software segment is expected to breach the 12% mark in 2023, even as the telematics software segment reaches a high of 11.8%. This growth rate is expected to remain steady until 2030.
More importantly, 42% of users have witnessed fewer safety incidents since using fleet tracking software to monitor driver behaviour. 22.2% of crashes reported were brought down when Artificial Intelligence (capable of detecting roadblocks, heavy traffic, intersections and roundabouts) was implemented on route planning. According to the 2022 Fleet Technology Trends Report, 62% of GPS tracking users have reported a positive ROI. Also, 42% of those currently using a fleet tracking solution consider it extremely beneficial.
Also consider that 32% of existing fleets believe that fuel is their largest expense, making fuel management crucial. 55% of fleets have reported reduced fuel costs after using telematics software. A 30% of savings on fuel cost per year in fleet industries was reported after implementing AI technologies like route optimization.
This is the context into which MKU has brought its Autro Platform Intelligence, signalling terrific growth for the international defence and homeland security company on the one hand, and a refashioning of how we think of defence and security on the other. “MKU’s Autro Platform Intelligence aims to deliver both security and optimisation,” says Karan Gupta, MKU’s Vice President, Strategy and New Business Development, who is leading this initiative. “In developing this solution we have thought not just of the individual lives of soldiers or security personnel, or the lives of the people that they safeguard, but also about how to best benefit defence and security forces on the whole— through the success of their operations as well as the optimisation of their budgets and resources.”
Mr. Gupta, an engineer from Boston, Massachusetts, in the United States, has been instrumental in creating a culture of operational excellence within the company, through an improvement of internal processes and a focus on consumer centricity. With this initiative, he is ready to lead MKU into a new growth trajectory. Like with MKU’s Kavro division, focused on armour, and the Netro division, focused on optronic solutions, the Autro division, driven by Artificial Intelligence systems, opens up a universe of opportunities for the company
To give you a sense of why Autro will be a game-changer for MKU, here is a list of solutions that the company’s Autro Platform Intelligence provides, under four different heads:
SECURITY
* Cloud/private-network hosting
* Preventing unauthorised vehicle usage with Face ID
* Immobilising vehicle in case of misuse
* Locking system digitally in case of misuse
* Liability protection with incidental video recording
* 6 month archive access
TRACKING
* Real-time surveillance on a single interface
* Receiving emergency/breakdown alerts
* Receiving entry/exit, stoppage and route deviation alerts
* Receiving over-speeding and harsh driving alerts
* Running vehicle diagnostics via the dashboard
RESPONSE
* Planning dispatch, ETAs, delays and backup with live tracking
* Transmitting coordinates with an on-board navigation system
* Analysing threats with driver and road facing live-streams
* Transmitting emergency response training to the driver
* Real-time driver coaching with Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS)
MONITORING
* Optimising the route for improved cost-per-mile
* Preventing fuel theft
* Preventing maintenance delays
* Monitoring distracted/drowsy driver behaviour
* Monitoring driving hours and duration
* Maintaining driver scorecards
MKU GmbH, Germany, is committed to defence and security solutions in Europe. They have provided ballistic body armour to the Spanish Army and Estonian police force, ballistic shields to Norwegian and Swedish police forces and ballistic armour plates to the Spain border police.
MKU has armoured helicopters, naval frigates and army containers for the German Army as well. Their armouring solutions for German Army containers in the past have helped the army safeguard themselves from severe firing by terrorists. The company also has a long term cooperation and development agreement with the French major Thales, for the co-development and marketing of optronic devices.
“We believed it only appropriate that MKU’s Autro Platform Intelligence be launched at the Eurosatory,” says Mr. Gupta. “Europe has known the value of efficient fleet management for a while now. And it is our honour to be able to present the same for its security and defence forces.”
14 June 22. Bradley replacement could be the US Army’s first hybrid combat vehicle. The U.S. Army’s replacement of the Bradley infantry fighting vehicle is likely to be the service’s first combat vehicle with hybrid power, Brig. Gen. Glenn Dean, program executive officer for ground combat systems, said at the Eurosatory defense expo in Paris.
The Army’s Optionally Manned Fighting Vehicle competition has already kicked off, with five teams in a preliminary design phase: Point Blank Enterprises, Oshkosh Defense, BAE Systems, General Dynamics Land Systems and American Rheinmetall Vehicles.
All five developed initial designs that are hybrid, Dean said, a capability the Army considers evermore important as it seeks a smaller, tactical logistics footprint.
The service has observed Russia’s missteps during its invasion of Ukraine over the last several months, particularly its 40-mile-long column of armored vehicles, which stalled for several reasons, including logistics failures in which the military was unable to effectively refuel, resupply and maintain the convoy.
Reducing dependency on fuel would be an important element of developing a smaller logistics tail, Dean argued.
The Army has spent the last year working with the five teams to develop designs based on characteristics rather than requirements. The service has no requirements for a hybrid electric capability when it comes to OMFV, but it does have the need for a reduced logistics footprint, and it wants silent watch and silent mobility capabilities to avoid detection on the battlefield, Dean explained.
At Eurosatory this week, Rheinmetall discussed its OMFV offering under development with partners L3Harris Technologies, Textron, Raytheon Technologies and Allison Transmission. The effort includes making a powertrain that supports hybrid fuel technology, according to Matt Warnick, managing director at American Rheinmetall.
“When you look at some of the capabilities that they want to have like silent maneuver and silent watch, the high-power architecture that you have to have for the 50[mm cannon], you have to have the bones in there, so it lends itself to that,” he said of the powertrain.
“I think the batteries have finally caught up to a point right where you can use them in a tactical environment,” Warnick told Defense News. “You can use them safely and comfortably so that technology is all matured. I think that’s the big driving factor. Plus we know the government’s desire, what they want to do, and there’s a tactical advantage to having the ability to have hybrid drive.”
The Army is expected to release two requests for proposals to industry by the end of the month, asking for detailed designs (the third phase of the competition) and prototypes (the fourth phase).
Requirements to be included in the upcoming RFPs are not “final requirements,” Dean said, as much is still open for industry interpretation to allow for greater flexibility and innovation. For general requirements, he added, “at the highest level” the vehicle will be of mediumweight (roughly between 40 and 50 tons) and will be tracked.
The Army expects to equip it with at least a 30mm cannon, but the objective requirement would be a 50mm gun. The service is also consider other weapons systems such as anti-tank guided missiles and machine guns.
The vehicle would accommodate a two-person crew with six dismounted infantry, Dean added, but balanced with a greater application of autonomy on the platform.
The vehicles will be built around a modular, open-systems architecture, which Dean said is a top priority because it allows for rapid upgrades.
The Army plans to award up to three contractor teams through a full and open competition to go into the detailed design phase, which will take place in fiscal 2023 and fiscal 24. Awards for up to three contractors are expected in the second quarter of FY23.
The prototyping phase will begin in FY25, and the Army is expected to select in the fourth quarter of FY27 one company to build low-rate production vehicles. Full-rate production is expected to begin in FY30.
Meanwhile, the Army is expected to make a decision on whether it will consider developing and fielding a hybrid version of the BAE Systems-manufactured Bradley in FY23 following an ongoing assessment of what is possible.
The Bradley vehicle is already pushed to the maximum when it comes to using power to support everything from running the vehicle to controlling its payloads. Going hybrid would provide other benefits as well such as greater survivability by reducing thermal and acoustic signatures, better acceleration, increased lethality, and more onboard power to support the possible incorporation of high-energy lasers, according to budget documents.
The Army’s recently released climate strategy lays out a goal to field fully electric tactical vehicles by 2050, but hybrid ones by 2035.
Going fully electric is a tougher nut to crack.
“It’s about size and weight,” Dean told Defense News a year ago. “If you took the amount of batteries with current technology that you would need to move an Abrams tank purely electrically, it’s bigger than the tank, so we have a packaging and storage problem when it comes to pure electric.” (Source: Defense News)
14 June 22. Arquus and Michelin officially signed a partnership to collaborate on research and development matters of common interest for both companies. European leader of land protected mobility, Arquus is very pleased to officialize this agreement with Michelin, the global leader of tyres. The two companies have already collaborated on an ad hoc basis on mobility solutions, but this signing represents a major step forward for future developments. Among the subjects envisioned, adaptive mobility is a major subject. Michelin has notably developed anti-puncture solutions such as the Tweel© airless tyre and remote inflation systems. Originally designed for construction sites or the agricultural sector, these technologies are extremely relevant in the defense sector. Predictive maintenance is also a subject of interest for both teams of Michelin and Arquus, due to the very long life cycle of military vehicles, up to and above forty years in several cases. This topic has also to be studied from an environmental perspective, to reduce the footprint of each vehicle and each tyre as much as possible. Mobility is at the heart of Arquus’ priorities, whether for troop transport, reconnaissance, or combat. Vehicle adhesion is of utmost importance, especially on demanding slopes or inclined planes where military vehicles are regularly tested, right down to the tyres which play a major role in vehicle mobility. This new partnership between Arquus and Michelin joins Arquus requests of excellence and French expertise. This partnership is also in line with Arquus’ origins, which are partly in the civilian automotive industry. Member of the AB Volvo Group, Arquus already adapts dual components to the demanding needs of the armies.
————————————————————————-
TEK Military Seating Limited
TEK Military Seating Limited is a UK based designer and manufacturer of ProTEK military vehicle seating which offer the highest standards of safety and protection. The ProTEK brand is well respected across the globe for its robust construction, innovative design, built in modularity and cost effectiveness. Our superior products are supported by our experienced team who endeavor to offer unrivalled service to our customers from enquiry, through design and acceptance, to through life support.
From its inception ProTEK seats have been designed around a family of innovative seat frames onto which tested and certified modules can be fitted to create a bespoke solution for the user. These include Blast protection to Stanag 4569 standards, vibration reduction, head and body protection, seat risers and turntables, fore & aft adjustment, and seat back rake along with viable seat dimensions without the need for additional tooling costs.
Contact: David Parkman
————————————————————————-