SAU XM2001 Crusader. Bad past and look to the future
In early October, a regular conference of the United States Army Association (AUSA) was held, during which the military, experts and government officials discussed a number of critical issues. The development of the ground forces in general and ground artillery in particular was discussed along with other topics. In this context, quite harsh statements were made about the United States lagging behind other leading countries of the world. In this regard, it is necessary to urgently take measures and reduce the backlog, after which it should provide benefits.
Reasons for concern
The "Republican Senator Jim Inhof" became a "troublemaker" during the conference. In his speech, he attacked with criticism the administration of the previous President Barack Obama, who sought to reduce military spending and because of this prevented the development of the army. In particular, this led to the fact that in the field of artillery systems, the US Army began to lag behind the Russian and Chinese armed forces.
According to J. Inhof, the American army postponed the maintenance and modernization of artillery systems during the two terms of B. Obama’s reign, while the main foreign competitors were engaged in their improvement. All this led to a natural result. US guns and self-propelled guns are inferior in range and rate of fire to Russian and Chinese. The senator hopes that the army will not have to work with worn-out equipment in the future, since it will be able to get new and improved weapons.
In the context of the development of land artillery, first of all they remembered the self-propelled guns of the Paladin family. All similar machines, which are in service with the US Army, have been repaired and upgraded in the past under new designs. Due to this, all the drill technology belongs to the latest versions of M109A6 and M109A7. At the same time, a part of the available ACS of the A6 version should be upgraded and reach the A7 level. However, the modernization can not continue indefinitely. The latest serial "Paladins" were delivered to the army in 2003, and therefore even the newest equipment of this type will require replacement in the future.
Discussing the question of a cardinal update of self-propelled artillery, the conference participants recalled the project of the XM2001 Crusader combat vehicle. Its development was begun in the mid-nineties and continued until the beginning of the two thousandth. Delivery of the first such machines to the army was planned in 2004, but was canceled due to the closure of the project. Now the military and lawmakers are considering the possibility of returning to the old project in order to create an entirely new ACS to replace the M109.
Promising "Crusader"
The development program for advanced self-propelled artillery AFAS (Advanced Field Artillery System - "Advanced Field Artillery System") was launched in 1994 year. The aim of the work was to create a new combat vehicle with the working title XM2001 Crusader ("Crusader"), in all basic characteristics superior to the existing M109. By the middle of the next decade, XM2001 was supposed to be delivered to the series and begin deliveries to the troops. At the end of the two thousandth, at least most of the artillery units would be able to switch to new equipment and abandon the outdated "Paladins."
New self-propelled gun, according to the original plans, was to be based on original ideas and solutions and have only limited similarities with existing samples. In particular, up to a certain time, the possibility of creating an instrument for ammunition with a liquid propellant charge was considered. This idea was later abandoned, but it was decided to develop other bold proposals. In particular, the ACS Crusader was supposed to carry a highly efficient fire control system that interacts with modern means of communication and control.
Project XM2001 proposed the construction of a self-propelled unit, remotely similar to existing machines. The base for it was the tracked chassis of the AMS family. It was planned to mount the tower with weapons, ammunition and controls. Thanks to this arrangement, the ACS was able to fire in any direction only by turning the tower. An interesting feature of the car was the shape of the tower. This unit was distinguished by a reduced height and greater length, and also lay tightly on the roof of the case. Because of this, in certain positions the tower appeared to be similar to the superstructure and gave the car a specific appearance.
The corps and turret for the “Crusader” was proposed to be assembled from light combined armored panels. The specifics of future work has reduced the protection. The ACS was supposed to withstand only bullets and debris. At the same time, the project envisaged the possibility of installing an active protection complex to deal with more serious threats. Also the safety of the crew was ensured by collective anti-nuclear protection and automatic fire extinguishing system.
In the aft engine compartment of the chassis, it was planned to place a small-sized gas turbine engine LV100-5, which was a joint development of Honeywell International and General Electric. Also considered the possibility of using diesel with similar parameters. The engine was connected to an automatic transmission that worked with the rear drive wheels. A seven-chassis undercarriage with independent torsion suspension was used. Separate coulters for support on the ground when shooting is not provided.
The most important feature of the XM2001 project was the use of an uninhabited fighting compartment. All processes inside the tower and the corresponding part of the hull were carried out using automated devices with remote control. The crew at the same time consisted of three people and was located in the front compartment of the hull, where all the necessary control panels were located. During combat work, the crew should not have left their jobs. Even the loading of ammunition from the transport vehicle was carried out by automation.
The main weapons self-propelled guns was a XM297E2 caliber 155 mm with a barrel length 56 caliber. The barrel of the gun was equipped with a developed muzzle brake and an external casing. An interesting innovation was the liquid cooling system of the barrel, breech and parts of the mast parts, designed to reduce the negative effect of heating on the accuracy of fire. Reliability during prolonged firing was also planned to be provided with a laser ignition system. The gun mount changed the vertical alignment angles from -3 ° to + 75 °.
The project involved the use of a fire control system based on modern digital components, which is linked to advanced navigation, communications and control tools. The ACS should have determined its position from the GPS signals. Reception of target designation was provided with immediate calculation of the guidance data and preparation for firing.
Self-propelled feed. Noticeable dimensions of the tower and visible large exhaust pipe GTE. Photo Snafu-solomon.com
The gun was supposed to use all existing 155 mm caliber shells that met NATO standards. At the same time, it was proposed to use MACS modular charges for their overclocking, the development of which was completed at that time. In the mechanized stacking of the tower was placed 48 shots separate loading. Submission of the projectile and the charge in the barrel was carried out automatically by the crew. Due to this, it was possible to get the rate of fire to 10-12 shots per minute with the restoration of pickup after each shot.
Together with the self-propelled gun was developed transport machine XM2002. Outwardly, it was similar to XM2001, but differed in the composition of equipment. In the internal compartments of the conveyor, 110 shots were placed, as well as the means for transferring them to the combat vehicle. With the help of retractable conveyors, the ACS and the conveyor could carry out the replenishment of ammunition in automatic mode. During the reloading of ammunition, the crews of both vehicles remained in their places. It took 48 minutes to load 12 shots.
Combat and transport vehicles had similar dimensions. Length (without gun) - 7,5 m, width - 3,3 m, height - 3 m. Combat weight XM2001 Crusader was 40 t; XM2002 transporter was easier on 4. The maximum speed of both cars on the highway reached 65-67 km / h. The speed on rough terrain is about 45 km / h. Power reserve - 500 km. Dimensions and weight provided air transportability technology. At the same time during the development of the project similar qualities have been improved. According to the original plans, the Crusader combat mass was 60 tons. In this regard, heavy US transport aircraft could only be transported in one vehicle. Reducing the mass by one and a half times led to positive consequences: military transport aircraft were able to carry two SPGs at the same time.
Self-propelled failures
In the middle of 1999, a prototype of a transport vehicle for a future self-propelled gun was launched for testing. The XM2001 prototype appeared a few months later. For the next two years, the US Army and contracting companies were engaged in testing, fine-tuning and testing new equipment. Over time, it turned out that the Crusader project has obvious advantages, but it is not without its most serious problems. From some points of view, the resulting self-propelled gun was interesting for the army, from others it turned out to be not the most successful.
XM2001 on trial. Photo Military-today.com
Despite the presence of certain problems of various kinds, the XM2001 self-propelled gun and the XM2002 ammunition transporter coped with the tasks. According to the results of refinement, all their main parameters were brought to the calculated level. Technique with a given speed moved along the roads and rough terrain, overcame obstacles, etc. When firing was confirmed the possibility of hitting targets at distances over 40 km. Automatic loader provided high rate of fire.
However, during the testing of the AFAS / XM2001 program, clouds began to thicken. The Pentagon has seen that the technique shows good results, but it requires further refinement. At the same time, the program was too expensive to implement on a planned scale. So, it was originally supposed to purchase self-propelled guns to 800, but further increase in their cost led to a reduction in plans to 480 units, not counting transport vehicles. For their purchase should have allocated 11 billion dollars - about 23 million per car.
The proposal for the allocation of 11 billion for the purchase of new technology appeared in 2002 year. Almost simultaneously, additional 475 million dollars were added to the draft budget for the next year to complete the development of the Crusader. At the same time, the project provided for an increase in spending on other programs, as a result of which the budget could grow by almost 50 billions compared to last year’s.
The military had to literally beat out funding for a number of promising programs, which caused legitimate criticism from Congress. As a result, in the spring of 2002, the leadership of the Pentagon came to the conclusion that it was necessary to revise the plans and reduce the estimated costs. It was proposed to save due to promising projects with an ambiguous future. Analysts had to study a number of current programs from all areas and determine whether they justify the expectations and costs.
An interesting fact is that US Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld harshly criticized the Crusader project and urged him to abandon it. At the same time, some congressmen stood up for the program and tried to defend it, including with the help of “agents of influence” at the Pentagon. However, the "conspiracy" came to light, which was the reason for the next scandal.
By the time of the formation of the defense budget for the next 2003 fiscal year, the fate of the XM2001 project was determined. The proposed self-propelled artillery installation still did not show all the desired characteristics, but at the same time it already spent a lot of money, and further work and mass production required new costs. This situation did not suit the Pentagon and the country's leadership, as a result of which the financing of the Crusader was not envisaged in the new draft military budget. All work was discontinued in 2002 and was not resumed.
The second life of the project?
Currently, the US Army and Defense Industry are implementing a project to modernize the existing ACN M109A6 to “A7”. This allows you to extend the service life of equipment, as well as improve its basic fighting qualities. Nevertheless, we are talking only about the restructuring of existing combat vehicles, who managed to develop a significant part of the resource. Thus, in the medium term, even the “newest” M109A7 will have to be written off and replaced with a certain new sample.
XM2002 Ammunition Transporter. Photo Military-today.com
In the recent past, the Pentagon and the industry have developed a family of promising technology Future Combat Systems and Ground Combat Vehicle. Among other things, these projects included the creation of new self-propelled artillery systems that have advantages over existing Paladin vehicles. Different ideas and solutions were proposed, but most of them never left the drawings. Both programs were closed and could not affect the rearmament of the army. At the same time, developments in FCS and GCV can be used in future projects.
In a recent discussion of American ground artillery, experts recalled the closed project XM2001 Crusader and reviewed its prospects in modern conditions. It is obvious that the Pentagon will not resume a long-closed project and try to bring it in line with expectations. Nevertheless, some solutions of this project can be applied when creating completely new ACS. However, it is not yet completely clear whether these samples will appear at least in the medium term.
As you can see, the United States has certain problems in the field of self-propelled artillery. The available samples are inferior to foreign ones and gradually develop their resource, and there is still no worthy replacement for them. Moreover, this replacement is currently not even foreseen. To replace the "Paladins" at different times offered several samples of promising technology, but none of them went beyond the limits of the landfill. Whether future self-propelled guns can do this, time will tell. But there is still a great risk that subsequent projects will repeat the fate of not the most successful XM2001, FCS or GCV.
On the materials of the sites:
https://globalsecurity.org/
https://fas.org/
https://army-technology.com/
http://military-today.com/
https://militaryfactory.com/
http://dogswar.ru/
https://vpk.name/
https://nytimes.com/
https://btvtinfo.blogspot.com/
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