Ajax discovery: more about the latest family of British combat vehicles. Part of 1
Under the Ajax program, a family of modern combat vehicles is being developed.
Considering that shooting tests with crew participation are scheduled for the beginning of 2017, and the first battalion equipped with Ajax machines should be formed in the middle of 2019, the British army came pretty close to fulfilling the needs, which can be traced from a number of programs dating back to the beginning of the 80s of the last century. Take a closer look at the Ajax family of machines.
Despite its own, to some extent, problematic past, the Ajax family of vehicles currently being implemented is the latest and most advanced addition to the British Army's combat vehicle portfolio, which will form the basis of two new shock army brigades, which were announced in the Survey strategic defense and security 2015.
The Ajax program dates back to the 80s of the last century, when, under a number of programs, including the promising FFLAV (Future Family of Light Armored Vehicles) armored vehicle family, the TRACER tactical combat reconnaissance vehicle (Tactical Reconnaissance Armored Combat Equipment Requirement) and the multipurpose armored MRAV (Multi-Role Armored Vehicle), tried to find a replacement for the family of combat reconnaissance tracked vehicles CVR (T).
Under the program FRES (Future Rapid Effects System - a promising rapid response system), which appeared as a result of this activity, the British army hoped to receive two classes of vehicles: a tracked reconnaissance "special vehicle" FRES SV (Specialist Vehicle) to replace CVR (T); and the wheeled "general purpose vehicle" FRES UV (Utility Vehicle) to replace a number of outdated systems, including the Saxon armored personnel carrier, FV432 and some vehicles of the CVR (T) family. Like its predecessors, FRES was not problem free, and in 2009, the FRES UV requirement was postponed after successfully selecting General Dynamics UK as the first preferred applicant. It was decided that the procured armaments for the operation in Afghanistan, including the Ridgeback and Mastiff platforms, will fill in the missing capabilities of the FRES UV platform. This made it possible to re-launch this program, and later it was announced that FRES SV would be purchased under a single common ground platform (SVR) program.
This version of the FRES SV program was larger than the Ajax family program; it was planned to purchase from 1200 to 1300 machines in 16 versions. But there were noticeable “omissions” in it, including an anti-tank minelayer, an ATGM launcher, a ground observation vehicle (including ground-based radar), a medical center and an ambulance, as well as an artillery unit with an 120-mm smooth-bore gun. Although some of these options are still being acquired through other projects, including a protected ambulance and ABSV (Armored Battlefield Support Vehicles) roadblock, some of the most important platforms, such as self-propelled artillery and mobile ATGM, and were not included in the plans for the replacement of equipment.
Despite all these problems, the fate of the Ajax project could not end so rosy. Along with the FRES, another American program was launched, the United States also sought to find a new combat vehicle, implementing several unsuccessful programs. The FCS (Future Combat System - Fighting Systems of the Future) program, which went from 2003 to 2009, was a bold project to upgrade the entire ground fleet of the US Army, which was to be replaced by several habitable and uninhabited platforms, including an RSV surveillance and reconnaissance vehicle (reconnaissance and surveillance vehicle). Later, FCS was largely structured and, in fact, closed in April 2009. The program component on the habitable ground vehicle was revived in the new guise of GCV (ground combat vehicle - ground combat vehicle) - in the platform, which, as the American army stated then, “will be in demand in the whole spectrum of military operations and incorporates the combat experience of Iraq and Afghanistan ". GCV was also not brought to a successful logical end and, despite the fact that two developers were awarded contracts for technological samples with a total value of over 889,6 million dollars, the program was closed in 2015 year in accordance with the budget request, which identified budget cuts.
However, in addition to financial problems, other equally serious problems arose, by the time the project was canceled, its mass was estimated at 80 tons and in some configurations it was larger in physical dimensions tank M1 Abrams. In addition, a report by the Congressional Budget Office on the GCV program and possible alternatives to this new solution noted that while no alternatives met the unique requirements of the GCV, some platforms, including the German BMP Puma and Israeli Namer, had some strong features that could not be did not contribute to the further advancement of the GCV plans. Although contracts have been issued for the development of the promising FFV (Future Fighting Vehicle), the successor to the GCV platform, no clear time frame for development and production has yet been defined; at best, the first results will appear no earlier than 2035.
After issuing a contract worth 4,3 billion to General Dynamics Land Systems UK (GDLS-UK) in September 2014 on Ajax machines (then SCOUT Specialist Vehicle [SV]) on 589, in six variants, a squall of subcontracts for the accessory companies involved in the project arose. In this regard, it is worth mentioning the contract for 130 of millions of pounds sterling issued to Rheinmetall for the production of TSWM turret bodies (Turret Structure and Weapons Mount); Thales' 125 million pounds for sighting systems and accessories, including the ORION main sight, situational awareness video cameras, gunner-sights and the DNGS-T3 Stabilized Day / Night Gunnery Sight stabilized day / night sight; Meggitt's million pounds 27 for ammunition processing systems and over million pounds 200 on other contracts to allied businesses, including Curtiss-Wright, Esterline, GKN Aerospace, Kent periscopes, Kongsberg, Marshall Aerospace and Defense, Over Oxley Group, Raytheon, Saab, Smiths Detection, ViaSat, Vitavox, Williams Fl and XPI Simulation.
Recently, preliminary tests of the Ajax and Ares variants, including running, floating tests and live firing, have been completed. Preliminary tests of the remaining Ajax variants have begun, followed by extended tests. After the combat shooting in the crew, scheduled for the current year, all Ajax variants must undergo further sea trials in cold weather, power plant tests and evaluation of optical species intelligence systems, information gathering and target designation. Serial production will begin at the General Dynamics European Land Systems Santa Barbara Sistemas plant in Spain, where the first 100 machines will be assembled. The remaining 489 machines will be assembled at the newly opened GDLS-UK assembly plant in the British city of Merthyr Tydfil. This production will work at full capacity in the second half of the 2017 year, and the production of machines will last until the 2024 year.
The Ajax family is based on technologies and systems developed for the ASCOD 2 infantry fighting vehicle (Austrian Spanish Cooperation Development) which itself is based on the previous version of ASCOD, which entered service in 2002 year.
After reaching full alert, the Ajax family will consist of six basic options; some of them are designed to perform several tasks at once, previously assigned to individual versions of the SCOUT SV platform.
The basic and most numerous version of the machine (the total number of machines purchased will be 245 units) is the Ajax combat reconnaissance vehicle, which, for reasons not entirely clear, shares its name with the name of the entire family of vehicles. As a separate option, Ajax (the only option on which Lockheed Martin UK’s new tower will be installed) will perform reconnaissance and percussion tasks of Reconnaissance and Strike (198 machines), Joint Fires Control (23 machines) and ground surveillance Ground Based Surveillance ( 24 machines). The last two options (rather, a sub-variant) will have less ammunition for the cannon, the vacant volume will take replacement equipment and additional personnel to perform specialized tasks.
The next largest variant will be Athena, previously designated Protected Mobility Reconnaissance Support - Command and Control, which will be purchased 124 machines. The Athena armored vehicle, based on the Ares variant, will perform operational control functions for units equipped with Ajax vehicles. The crew of the car will be five people: the commander and driver and three operators, a staff officer and two communications personnel. In addition to a specialized set of operational control, the Watch keeper UAV control system is installed in the machine.
About 93 vehicles will be purchased in the Ares variant (previously Protected Mobility Reconnaissance Support), which will perform traditional reconnaissance tasks of the unit (34 vehicles) and armored personnel carrier (59 vehicles). Ares, in essence, being the basic Ajax variant, performs the tasks of an armored personnel carrier without any significant modifications for additional equipment or weapon systems. The crew of the car is two people plus four paratroopers, it is armed with the same remote-controlled combat module (SDM), like all Ajax platforms.
Three options will provide combat and engineering support, this is the Argus 51 engineering reconnaissance machine, Apollo 50 repair machines and Atlas evacuation vehicles; they were previously known as Protected Mobility Reconnaissance Support - Engineering Reconnaissance; Protected Mobility Reconnaissance Support - Engineering Repair; and Protected Mobility Reconnaissance Support - Engineering Recovery, respectively.
The Argus engineering intelligence platform allows demining units to carry out assessment, labeling and other engineering work, while being protected by armor. Without leaving the car, you can measure the moats of the trench and slope, mark the aisles and destroy explosive objects. The Apollo armored repair vehicle must work in conjunction with the Atlas variant for full repair and recovery operations. It can tow other Ajax series vehicles, as well as a special highly mobile trailer used to transport components for repairing machines in the field. Crane installation can lift the power unit of the Ajax machine, and also has a less common ability to pull its own power unit from the engine compartment. Atlas is, in fact, a basic version of the Ajax family with standard evacuation equipment installed, including two winches and anchor anchor.
On the reconnaissance and shock version of Ajax installed double tower development Lockheed Martin UK. Many suppliers are involved in the manufacture of towers and weapon systems, including CTA International (CTAI), Curtiss-Wright, Esterline, Kongsberg, Meggitt, Moog, Rheinmetall, Thales and Ultra Electronics.
Rheinmetall manufactures Ajax tower enclosures
The German company Rheinmetall is responsible for the production of the basic steel turret hull, gun mount and weapon integration. The design of the turret hull, gun mount and weapon integration. The tower design is based on the Lance Modular Turret System (MTS). The STAI company is responsible for the main armament of the tower - the Case CTAS (Telescoped Armament System) 40-mm telescopic ammunition system, while the ammunition processing system is manufactured by Meggitt Defense Systems. The production of TDSS (Turret Drive Servo System) turret drives, horizontal and vertical guidance is given to Curtiss-Wright. The main cannon is supplemented by a coaxial 7,62-mm Heckler & Koch L94A1 machine gun, four groups of four Thales smoke grenade launchers and a Kongsberg Protector DBM armed with a 7,62-mm FN MAG machine gun.
Aiming and guidance systems include Esterline crew members displays, a driver display and a video processing unit. Thales supplies two sighting systems and a local situational awareness system. Data exchange between the hull and turret systems, as well as the power supply of the turret systems, is carried out through the Moog collector ring.
Among the installed additional devices can be noted the internal and external communication systems; Core Infrastructure Distribution System (CIDS) from Williams F1; equipment for the detection of chemical warfare agents; and weather station.
The reservation system of the tower is classified, although the basic design of the production Rheinmetall is made of box-section steel; on top of it is installed a frontal armor consisting of spaced inclined sheets of armor steel. If necessary, additional composite / ceramic armor can be attached to the surface of these outer sheets with clips, which further increases the level of booking. Between the base and front armor in the left front of the tower placed ammunition supply system. Also between the base and frontal armor, but on the right side, there is a vertical guidance drive, a spring compensator and a sleeve ejection tube. The latter ends with a spring-loaded armored cover, which is located at the top of the launchers and leans back to eject the liner.
The armor protection of the original ASCOD turret corresponded to the 3 level around and the 4 level along the frontal arc 60 °. It is worth noting that the 3 Level corresponds to the protection against 7,62-mm (7,62x51 and 7,62x54R) of armor-piercing bullets with a reinforced core and tungsten carbide core, and the 4 level corresponds to the protection against the BNNXXNNXXNNXXNNXXNNXXXNNXX32 armor-piercing bullet Frontal projection and side reservation levels can be upgraded by adding additional panels to the 14,5 Level (114-mm full-caliber armor-piercing projectile or armor-piercing sub-caliber and / or armor-piercing sub-caliber feathered projectiles). The protection levels of 6, 30 and 3 against fragmentation of 4 / 6-mm projectiles are equivalent to the blasting distances of 152, 155 and 60 meters from the vehicle, respectively. The specific characteristics of the anti-mine defense tower, as well as protection against IEDs (improvised explosive devices) of various types are not reported. Reservation levels of the new tower, although classified, are expected to provide the same levels of protection as ASCOD or even higher in the basic configuration.
It is assumed that instead of or on top of hinged armor, either dynamic protection units (DZ) or elements of the so-called “non-explosive dynamic protection” NERA can be added. Such modules use a combination of substances enclosed between the plates within the booking module. These substances instantly react when exposed to a cumulative jet, forming an instantaneous bulge due to a sharp increase in its own volume. This bulge ejects steel plates in the opposite direction of the cumulative jet, as in the case of the usual elements of the DZ. However, it does not form fragments of the module construction, as it happens with explosive detonation. NERA modules provide protection against cumulative warheads, but they are not effective enough to protect against piercing piercing projectiles.
At the moment, an active protection complex (KAZ) is not installed, although devices similar to blocks of multispectral and radio frequency sensors of the warning system are mounted at each corner of the tower. Currently, installation of the optoelectronic suppression complex, which is part of the MUSS (Multifunctional Self-Protection System) of the company Airbus Defense and Space, is being considered in the tower, but no decision has been made yet. MUSS increases the level of protection by suppressing the infrared missile guidance system, setting up an aerosol curtain and KAZ operation. The ability to install KAZ on Ajax armored vehicles, as part of the MEDUSA technical assessment program, is evaluated by QinetiQ under a contract with the British Laboratory of Defense Science and Technology, which was announced in July 2016.
The main weapon of the new Ajax armored vehicle is the 40-mm cannon with telescopic ammunition developed by STAI
weaponry
The Ajax turret is armed with a CTAS 40-mm automatic cannon with telescopic ammunition developed by CTAI. The system consists of a Cased Telescoped Cannon 40 (40CTC) cannon, an ammunition processing system, a CTAS Controller (CTAS-C) controller, a Gun Control Equipment (GCE) cannon control equipment, a gun mount (cradle and mask) and an 40-mm telescopic family Case Telescoped Ammunition (CTA) ammunition (shot is a cylinder (body) in which a shell is completely enclosed, surrounded by a warhead).
Guns capable of firing telescopic ammunition were developed at the beginning of the 50s, although the current 40-mm CTAS originates from the work begun in France in the middle of the 80s and the beginning of the 90s by the then GIAT Industries (now Nexter Systems). In 1994, GIAT Industries and Royal Ordnance (now BAE Systems) established the CTAI joint venture to develop and promote weapons based on the STA family of ammunition.
The first was developed by the 45 mm caliber weapons system (70x305 mm sleeve) in accordance with the previously concluded Tripartite Agreement (France, Great Britain, USA) on the NATO Standardization STANAG (Standardization Agreement) concerning the STA gun. In the 1997, with the advent of the CT2000 gun, the 45 mm caliber was reduced to the current 40 mm (65xXNNXX mm sleeve), then the complete system was designated the CTWS (Cased Telescoped Weapon System). Later, the name of the system was changed to Cased Telescoped Cannon and Ammunition (CTSA) and, finally, it adopted its current form of CTAS (Case Telescoped Armament System).
The electronically controlled 40STS automatic gun occupies a relatively small volume of a 74 liter, it is distinguished by electromechanical aiming and firing drives (induction firing mechanism), a swiveling (swinging) camera and a direct push-through type charging system.
Dual recoil springs recoil device mounted at an angle on the sides of the barrel length 2,8 meter (70 gauges) in front of the cradle. The springs control the forward and backward movement of the sliding components of the gun (barrel and body) relative to the cradle rotating on the trunnions. The barrel of the current version of the gun is equipped with a heat-insulating jacket.
One or more types of ammunition is placed in the no-gear ammunition processing mechanism, which feeds the shells to the “feed window” located to the right of the gun. If necessary, the type of ammunition changes in less than three seconds.
The electronic controller CTAS-C controls the azimuth and location angles (horizontal and vertical guidance), the operation of the ballistic computer, the sighting system, and can also program certain types of ammunition. Shooting modes include single, burst and automatic fire up to 180 rounds per minute.
40-mm CTAS automatic cannon design
During operation and under the control of CTAS-C, the shells of the selected type are fed from the ammunition processing system into the feed box of the chamber located along the axle axis at an angle 90 ° to the axis of the bore. The chamber turns to 90 ° and is aligned with the feed window and the projectile is sent to the chamber. The chamber turns back to 90 °, and, thus, is locked, aligned with the axis of the barrel, a shot is fired and the cartridge case is ejected. The recoil forces (peak 110 kN) cause the 230 kg recoil units to move backwards to 42 mm, their movement is slowed down and then they return to the position with the dual recoil springs. The chamber then turns back on 90 ° and the new projectile is fed into the chamber, the cartridge case is pushed out of the chamber due to the delivery of a new shot. The process repeats at the rate set by the CTAS-C controller.
The shape of the CTA family shots (40x255 mm) simplifies the supply of ammunition, shortens the time of their supply and loading, and also makes them more convenient for storage compared to the traditional design. Although they are similar in characteristics, maximum diameter and weight with the traditional 40x365R projectile for the 40 / 70 Bofors cannon, but have more than twice the length, approximately 235 mm against the 535 mm Bofors projectile.
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