Conversations about military vehicles
The need for reliable logistical support (logistics) has always played a key role in the fighting, and today the military are no exception. Armed with the armies of the world there is a huge variety of wheeled vehicles with a variety of capabilities and characteristics, but today, operational flexibility, adaptability and increased security are in special demand.
The definition of "logistics vehicle" includes a large number of platforms that perform a variety of tasks, from transportation tanks before the transportation of troops and cargo. “The requirements for these machines as a separate group have changed in recent years,” said John Bryant, vice president of defense programs at Oshkosh Defense (a major manufacturer of vehicles for various tasks, including rear support vehicles). The experience of the American military and their allies, gained during the intervention in Iraq and Afghanistan, showed that the battlefield (as well as the security situation in general) is changing, and the borders between the front line and the rear are becoming more blurred. “The traditional front lines have disappeared, so our customers face a wide variety of threats throughout the depths of the battlefield, for example, the threat of improvised bombs,” he explained.
Understanding this helped develop the Joint Light Tactical Vehicle, a tactical armored vehicle that Oshkosh makes as a partial replacement for High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle armored vehicles (better known as “Humvees”) of AM General, which is in service with the US Army and Marine Corps. As explained by Bryant, the JLTV armored car was created to perform several tasks and, at the same time, the smaller machine has the same level of protection as the Oshkosh MATV MRAP family of vehicles (with enhanced mine protection and improvised explosive devices).
The ACV-15 armored vehicle is available as an escape vehicle. It is produced by the Turkish company FNSS Savuiuna Sistemleri, a joint venture of BAE Systems and Nurol Holding
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Head of regional sales at Oshkosh Defense, Bill Mooney, added that there is a growing demand for extensible protection from customers from many countries. As an example, he cited the long-term strategy of the armored forces of the American army, which allows you to change the levels of protection depending on the operating conditions in which the machine will work. As Mooney explained, all Oshkosh vehicles are equipped with a compatible cabin. “This makes it easier for the buyer to install the reservation kit and remove it if necessary without the technical support of the manufacturer. It provides the operator with the flexibility that is more suitable for future combat, where the front line is not necessarily visible. ” Muni said that according to his forecasts, customers will increasingly invest in military vehicles that "have the ability to change the level of protection depending on the requirements of the combat mission."
Oshkosh company produces a wide range of tactical wheeled vehicles, many of which perform the tasks of logistics at various levels. Accordingly, they can vary greatly in size, ranging from heavy equipment transporter Heavy Equipment Transporter, designed to transport the main battle tank, eight-wheeled heavy truck Heavy Expanded Military Tactical Truck and ending with various armored vehicles, including MATV and JLTV. Bryant noted that the company's tactical wheeled vehicles are available in a variety of options that can perform a variety of tasks. However, there are a number of similar elements in this entire manufactured line. It is possible that, mainly, the experience of Iraq and Afghanistan was determined by the requirements for increasing the security put forward by customers, for example, the US military. "One of the most pronounced trends that we could not ignore, especially in the last ten years, is that our customers demand that all our tactical machines can perform not only logistical tasks, but also provide protection and security for those inside - he said. “So basically, all of our tactical wheeled vehicles currently come with excellent protection kits that increase survivability and help us survive unpredictable threats today.” This is one of the general trends that have emerged in recent years. ”
Other players in the global vehicle market talk about a similar trend. Renault Trucks Defense, part of the Volvo Group, has been supplying logistic support vehicles to several countries for a long time. The product line also includes Kerax family cars. A representative of the company agreed with the comments of the Oshkosh representative, defining "protection against mines and improvised bombs" as one of the areas that influenced changes in the structure over the past decade. The second clear direction of development regarding transport vehicles is related to the demand for adaptability and operational flexibility, since such machines must be able to perform various tasks. “Likewise, they must be able to work under different conditions,” Bryant added. “Each Oshkosh wheeled vehicle is designed to operate in all operating conditions that define the US Army and Marines and that cover everything from the Arctic to the desert, from extreme cold to extreme heat.”
However, the company can supply, if the customer needs it, kits that enhance the capabilities of the machine, beyond the standard American requirements. “For example, we can supply arctic kits that allow the car to wind up faster and have better performance at low temperatures. If the customer puts forward requirements for protection against overheating, based on the area where he is going to operate the machines, then we can install various cooling systems and thereby optimize the machine for specific conditions. ”
Articulated all-terrain vehicle BvS-10 manufactured by BAE Systems. Testing machines must end in the middle of the 2017 year, and mass production should begin at the end of the same year.
Proven Design
BAE Systems manufactures transport vehicles in several of its divisions and joint ventures. One of them is a joint venture in Turkey, named FNSS Savunma Sistemleri, in which the British company has a stake of 49 percent, and the 51 percent is owned by Nurol Holding. FNSS CEO Neil Kurt pointed out the need to lower prices for customers. “This can be achieved through the development of machines based on a common chassis, which will help reduce the cost of acquisition, training, and logistics,” he said. In the logistics field, FNSS manufactures the ACV-19 infantry combat vehicle version, which is designed to transport ammunition and ordinary cargo in support of motorized infantry and armored regiments. The joint venture manufactures the ACV-15 armored vehicle, which is available in a recovery vehicle, as well as an eight-wheel PARS armored vehicle, which is also available in logistic configurations. Malaysia bought a wide family of these machines (known there as AV-8), including logistic options.
BAE Systems' Swedish division, Hagglunds, is also a developer and supplier of transport vehicles, namely the BvS-10 and BvS-10 Beowulf tracked vehicles. The latter is a new model of the BvS-10 series. “Beowulf was created to meet the challenges of any task or external conditions, which requires a highly mobile floating transport system,” said program manager Tore Axer BvS-10 Beowulf. “This concerns not only military tasks, but also civil and other government tasks, where such machines are required for emergency situations, mining, forestry, field exploration and much more, that is, where unique capabilities are required. articulated rover can provide. " A company spokesman said that BvS-10 Beowulf will complete the tests in the middle of 2017, and that BAE Systems intends to begin mass production at the end of that year. “The volume of output will depend entirely on the interests of the customer and orders.”
Another major European vehicle transport company, the Italian Iveco Defense Vehicles, supplies platforms of various sizes. The company has several military vehicles and trucks in its portfolio, for example the military versions of its Trakker family, the latest model of which with the installed Euro 6 engine was shown at the Eurosatory exhibition in Paris in June of the 2016 year. The company is particularly active in major European markets, markets in France, Germany, Italy and Spain, although it is seeking to strengthen its presence in other markets, especially in South America, as well as increase sales in the Asia-Pacific region. Like the rest of the companies in this sector, Iveco is working to adapt its trucks to new safety requirements, many of which in the past were associated more with front-end machines. For example, the Italian company considers it necessary to install protected cabins with anti-bullet and anti-explosion protection and intends to upgrade the front suspension and control systems of their cars so that they can withstand the weight gain associated with new levels of protection.
The need for military equipment undoubtedly affects the intensity of its operation. According to Bryant, the withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan and Iraq led to a decrease in demand for spare parts, although, in general, it remains stable due to the continuing needs of operators of transport vehicles in many countries. However, he called the project JLTV as an example of the American program, which was not directly related to these wars, unlike the MATV armored vehicle. Thousands of MATV machines were manufactured to meet the needs of the Afghan theater for vehicles with enhanced mine protection. “The JLTV project was developed more deliberately, taking into account the rich experience of the hostilities in Afghanistan and Iraq, and the increase in the production of armored JLTV vehicles is clearly calculated,” he added.
Of course, there are many military conflicts in the world, even though the United States and its allies are largely withdrawn from Iraq and Afghanistan. Muni noted a number of conflicts in the Middle East and North Africa, from Libya to Yemen. “Due to them, other needs arise for our customers, who currently need to respond to these threats, and therefore they need new vehicles with higher performance, and not the machines that are currently in service,” he said.
For Oshkosh, Middle East and North Africa is the second largest regional market after the US. It supplies cars to more than a dozen customers in this region, including the United Arab Emirates, and sees these regions as promising growth markets. “We have a great demand and will realize many of our capabilities, and we will continue to use all the accumulated potential in the coming years ... The military are investing in the whole spectrum of their capabilities to cope with these threats, and they have to do this because a lot of adapting opponents who use asymmetrical threats, such as improvised bombs. "
Modular principle
Currently, much attention is paid to the study of the potential of autonomous technology, which could make transport vehicles much safer to operate. Nowadays, when the front line and the rear line more and more intertwine and overlap, this undoubtedly becomes especially attractive.
The Oshkosh TerraMax modular system can be installed on any military vehicle, which then becomes essentially a non-crew ground vehicle. “Imagine a transport convoy moving along a dirt road,” noted Bryant. - Imagine that the column is the eyes of an enemy seeking to use a bomb. You see fifty cars on the road, but in fact, only one in five cars sits behind the wheel. You can not say, looking at these cars, in which there is a man, and which move without a driver. " The use of such technologies "puts the enemy before an alternative to the dilemma of the use of explosives and, undoubtedly, contributes to an increase in the level of security of its and allied forces." He said that this work seriously interested in the United States, especially in relation to those machines that occupy a dangerous position in the transport convoy. Then he added: "I can say that these cars may not have people on board in the future."
Muni also noted that automation has advantages not only in the context of the protection of its forces, in particular, it can contribute to a significant increase in combat capabilities. “Many Middle Eastern countries do not have enough people for all of their transport vehicles, that is, moving the necessary amount of materials, weapons and personnel throughout the battlefield,” he explained. “Therefore, TerraMax and autonomy generally provide increased combat capabilities when it becomes possible to perform more with less effort.” Agreeing with him, a representative of Renault called "hybrid technology for mobile platforms" a promising direction of development, while a representative of BAE Systems noted mobility and constantly ongoing developments in the field of dual or multipurpose use of transport vehicles.
A representative from Oshkosh sees a number of other areas in which technological progress would be urgently needed, including the need for greater fuel economy and an increased level of modularity and scalability. Bryant noted the growing trend of increasing the level of protection and off-road maneuverability of smaller machines. “Everyone wants ever higher levels of protection and mobility in smaller machines. I see this trend. ” He also noted the increased demand for the integration of greater monitoring and control capabilities into each vehicle, something that the company sought to incorporate into the JLTV project. “The level of capabilities that we currently offer for light tactical machines was previously considered only for specialized operational control machines,” concluded Bryant. “I believe that this trend will continue in the future.”
Iveco Defense Vehicles has military vehicles in its portfolio, for example, the military versions of the Trakker family. A new model from this family was shown at an exhibition in Paris in June 2016.
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