EFV Combat Forwarding Vehicle - Unborn BTR for US Marine Corps

At the beginning of 1990, the command of the Marine Corps (United States) changed the doctrine of the use of military equipment on the battlefield and the tactics of the use of units. According to the new concept, the landing of subunits from carrier ships on military equipment should occur at a safe distance from the coast, approximately 35-40 kilometers. The military equipment itself should provide a speedy approach to the coast and the landing of the Marines' units, the speed of movement on water is approximately 45-50 km / h. This concept provided a reduction in the loss of military equipment, personnel of the MP and surface ships during combat operations. Earlier, during combat operations, the landing of vehicles and people was carried out at a distance not exceeding 5 kilometers. Military equipment could provide movement to the coast at speeds of no more than 15 km / h.

The project searches for the most appropriate modern combat floating equipment are being started based on the experience and preliminary technical requirements. Some companies engaged in the production of military equipment, have been engaged in the development of such equipment since the mid 1980-s. In the process of development, TTTs are selected for a new floating machine, models of the future machine are built with the help of computers, new technological and hardware solutions are being tested that will be included in the design of the machine, various experiments are being conducted. At the beginning of 1990-s, coordination between competing firms is carried out, the concept of the new BTR under the “AAAV” program and its use in the MP is being worked out, questions of the possibility of joint mass production are being worked out. From the middle of the 1990-ies, testing of TTT is carried out according to the contract, with the construction of prototypes of BTR and KSHM under the program "AAAV (C)". The first tests and elaboration of technical issues of the serial launch are carried out. At the beginning of the 2000-ies begins the construction of a small series of prototypes for the main tests. With 2006-2007, it was planned to mass production of the adopted model.

The start of the development of the EFV is the middle of the 1996 of the year. For the creation of three prototypes, General Dynamics has allocated almost 217 million dollars (in 2001, a new contract was signed to create 9 BF prototype EFV - the contract value is more than 700 million dollars). Following the plans of the military command, the 935 BTR and 78 KSHM were to be mass-produced.

EFV device and construction
Armored personnel carrier is made on a tracked chassis, floating. The body is mainly made of aluminum alloys. Additionally, the detachment of the landing and combat are protected by armor of ceramic-composite materials. It provides protection for the crew and marines against 14.5mm caliber armor-piercing ammunition and shell fragments (up to 155mm). There is the possibility of installing mounted armor. The hull has a rather classical shape, straight sides, developed by NLD. The top of the case is flat, the tower part is shifted slightly forward. The landing hatch is made in the aft part, the hatches of the crew are in the forward part of the hull. To ensure high gliding, the bottom is profiled.

In the nose part is the transmission compartment. Transmission of mechanical type with automatic transmission, torque converters and transfer case, which provides the ability to work tracked and jet propulsion. Next comes the fighting compartment with the driver-mechanic on the left and the marines commander on the right, behind them is the tower part carrying the main armament with the gunner’s and commander’s places. The central part is reserved for the power compartment, with a diesel MTU 883, cooling system, ventilation and transmission units. Engine volume 27 liters, turbocharged. It has two modes of operation: normal for ground movement in 850 hp, and sea for driving on water in 2700 hp. When driving on water, the diesel delivers all the power to the water jets, with mandatory cooling with seawater. Water-jet propulsion units are installed in the rear part of the ship, water enters the propellers from the central part of the hull below. The nozzles of the propulsion units have dampers with which the movement on the water is controlled. The total thrust propulsion is equal to 10 tons. The aft part is occupied by the troop compartment for 16 equipped marines or for 2500 kilograms of cargo. The main entrance / exit to the troop compartment is located in the rear wall as a single oval-shaped hatch, folding down. The hatch in the open state acts as a ramp for unloading naval paratroopers or transported cargo. Fuel tanks are located in the middle upper part of the hull along the sides.

Chassis: seven support and three supporting skating rink, front leading skating rink on each side. Suspension independent hydropneumatic. The track is also made of aluminum alloys, fine-link. It is provided with rubberized hinge and tread. When moving through the water with the help of the suspension, the support rollers are set to the upper extreme position, the tracks are retracted into the allotted niches. This allows you to reduce the resistance when driving on water. To increase the speed characteristics in the marine mode, they lower the shields installed in the fore and aft of the hull. The stern shield in the upper position is on the roof of the hull. Tracked belts are covered with side folding shields to protect them. In the reverse position can serve as additional protection for the machine body.

The main caliber of the BFR EFV is the automatic 30-mm gun "Bushmaster II", installed in the tower part. The gun is a modification of the Bushmaster 25-mm cannon, which is mounted on the Bradley M2. Feed guns tape-type ammunition 600 shots, of which 450 high-explosive shots and 150 shots armor-piercing-snapping. A machine gun of the 7.62 caliber mm M240, ammunition 2400 ammunition is paired with the gun. On the hull and the turret there are 32 grenade launchers with a smoke shot on the sides. The gun is stabilized in both planes. Vertical guidance angles allow the crew to fire at helicopter and UAV air objects.

The main and additional equipment BTR:
- equipment for the detection of laser radiation;
- Day and night sights for all crew members;
- overview infrared FLIR system;
- laser range finder for machine gunner;
- automatic MSA;
- navigation system? combined with GPS;
- communication systems for external / internal communication;
- BIUS, provided with overview and tactical displays;
- automatic fire extinguishing system;
- The system of protection of the crew and the Marines from the OMP, which includes air conditioning and cleaning;
- additional diesel and electric generator.

Differences KSHM from BTR:
- seven equipped workstations in the department of landing;
- additional systems and equipment;
- absence of the main caliber.

Fate EFV
The machine was created with great difficulties, both technical, economic and as a result of a political nature. Initially, the designers could not achieve the requirements for speed characteristics. Later, when the speed characteristics more or less approached the required ones, the problem of operational reliability arose.

The timing of the program was completely disrupted. There is great doubt that the KMP commanders in continuing to develop a floating expeditionary vehicle. In 2009, the Ministry of Defense decided to continue the development of the machine within the framework of the existing program.

In the 2011 year, after analytical calculations, the Ministry of Defense decides to stop the program. The total cost of development and mass production is estimated at 16 billion. At the time of stopping the program, at least 3 billions had already been spent on it. Analysts concluded that the mass production of this BTR could begin no earlier than 2015 with a significant increase in the total cost. Against the background of crisis and austerity, the “long-running” EFV program was doomed to shut down.

The ILC command, in dire need of a floating armored personnel carrier, will issue new TTTs to a combat amphibious vehicle until the end of 2012, which will be less demanding than TTTs on the EFV. Perhaps General Dynamics will present the updated EFV prototype according to the new requirements to the command of the MP corps.

Key Features:
- weight - 34.4 tons;
- Length - 9.2 meters;
- width - 3.6 meters;
- height-3.2 meter;
- ground clearance - 40 centimeters;
- fuel - 1500 liters;
- range - 640 kilometers;
- land / water speed - 72 / 46 km / h.

Information sources:
http://war.mk.ua/showthread.php?t=812
http://www.rusarmy.com/forum/topic5052.html
http://www.army-guide.com/rus/product2709.html
http://www.vestnik-rm.ru/news-4-2151.htm
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=Jv9Eq1vopbc

Comments

[Footmansur86]

I remember the discovery channel program, in which this model of technology was touted and presented as an inevitable future. Well what can I say media technology is the trump card of the United States. Watch all their programs about super-weapons in the prism of this article and everything will become clear.

[BRATISHKA]

look at our programs, like strike force or military affairs) you will be pleasantly surprised how super Jedi spacecraft are made from the technology of the 70s

[Isk1984]

Glory to the Soviet designers who created cars to which, in 2012, amers crawl and crawl ....

[Tirpitz]

What kind of cars are these? give an example.

[Isk1984]

To fulfill the tasks of landing on the coast, we had and have armored personnel carriers and infantry fighting vehicles, I don’t even know you can bring an octopus and a vein out of new ones here, but they aren’t capable of delivering as much as 40 km per hour, but we have them while the United States does not swim yet and does not carry out tasks, its performance characteristics are only on paper and on the channel, the discovery has been completed ....

[77bor1973]

amers have gone far away from us, I mean they work on this longer.

[Tirpitz]

Quote: Isk1984

The USA does not swim yet and does not fulfill tasks

Soviet equipment was created to force the rivers of Europe and maintain a database on the European continent. the United States had other tasks.
answer the question: was there much use in Afghanistan from cardboard but floating armored personnel carriers and infantry fighting vehicles? where did this buoyancy come in handy, maybe in Chechnya?

[Rockets]

Quote: Isk1984

to which in 2012 amer creep and crawl ....

Still, one must be objective. Our cars and amers, these are different cars
We yield capacity, speed. Armor protection They are inferior in weight (2 times heavier), dimensions, weapons.

[Isk1984]

So I’m objective, they don’t have anything yet, but plans, and those samples that flow at the seams in the literal sense, once again I’m convinced that not everyone decides the money, how much the United States spends on creating samples, astronomical amounts, and the result?

[Rockets]

Quote: Isk1984

So I’m objective, they don’t have anything yet, but plans, and those samples that flow at the seams in the literal sense, once again I’m convinced that not everyone decides the money, how much the United States spends on creating samples, astronomical amounts, and the result?

Everything that the army of the Russian Federation has has been invented and made mainly in the USSR No need to bend your fingers. Do not equal budgets. Without investing money in development, you will never get new equipment! How much we invest, so much we have.
That is, almost nothing we have today. And invested today, we will only have tomorrow or the day after tomorrow. And in the development of MODERN WEAPONS, we are decades behind in some areas. Need breakthrough technology! Without investments, they will not be! Where is the money zing?

[Isk1984]

I just cited Soviet developments as an example, where the best result was achieved with investments .... about the current situation, I myself always say that it’s deeply for everyone ... from the government to the domestic VPK

[Tirpitz]

Quote: Isk1984

how much the United States spends on creating samples, astronomical amounts, and the result

The result will be. To date, they have enough amphibious assault carriers and udk to land a huge landing force from non-amphibious infantry fighting vehicles and tanks on landing boats, which are deployed at the UDC, and cover all this with destroyers, submarines and aircraft anywhere in the world.

[Isk1984]

I do not beg for the USA’s achievements in development, but for an example I’ll remember the example of a 5th generation aircraft, as a result, the Americans didn’t get the necessary universal machines for both the Marine Corps and the Navy, which flies in the air force is incredibly expensive and incapable of working in the tropics, for example. but it took a lot of time, it’s only in films that their recent development of transformers drives, and in real life all the work of f16 and 15 is done ... I mean, there are also problems with engineering thought there, I don’t beg the power of the USA, but their budgets and ours to the contractors, we are sorry galactic cruisers built

[mazdie]

Yes, only for such jokes you can grab a lot, but they need it?

[mazdie]

Just in the Solovetsky years, our main resource was not money.

[Blat]

and this is what is so objective?))))))))))))) AAV-7A1 (formerly known as LVT-7)

[kov]

Now they seem to continue to use

[USNik]

This machine is very much needed by the United States, Britain and other "island" expansive powers. But for Europe, the CIS, China, India, such an expensive planing landing barge did not give up.

[Comrade1945]

In my opinion, the comrades Americans trampled on the wrong steppe, as they say

[wolverine7778]

A sort of floating armored house that Jack built)

[Zlyden.Zlo]

I don’t see the point in this car. It seems to be going well on the water but what kind of efficiency is on the shore

[Dikremnij]

I think the task of this machine is to bring the marines to shore, cover with fire until the LAV and other armored vehicles approach, and then they return to the ship for the next batch of landing, I made this conclusion from the estimated number of cars that I wanted to buy for and from the technical characteristics of this machine

[butum]

It doesn’t make sense to get very close to the shore and support the infantry during the landing.
But our equipment cannot do this, it needs to be brought close to the shore and covered very well, and the speed of water is 8 km per hour, and they have an off-shore landing that covers the womb, the idea is very good, but it would be implemented.
And don’t forget that the Benches also float with them, in general, they have enough floating technology like ours,

[Tylerdurden]

ni * a speed for yourself. Impressive.

[Dikremnij]

Yes, the Americans created combat vehicles for the ILC, we for the Airborne Forces, and as a result, neither one nor the other is suitable for real combat operations. As far as I remember from military training, our armored vehicles must overcome water barriers without landing, and the landing force is transported separately on floating transporters. And about the buoyancy of our combat vehicles, I remember how the 2C1 self-propelled gun was prepared to overcome a water barrier: for half a day the calculation sealed all the cracks, and how much mat flew in the air :)
I think that for landing on the coast you need to create a lightly armored high-speed boat with light weapons and a carrying capacity of about 60 tons and so that its dimensions could carry MBT or another self-propelled gun.