M1126, post-IED

FP factory picks up work; DVH type details & decisions; DOT&E test report. (Jan 17/12)

The 8×8 wheeled Stryker armored vehicle is the backbone of the US Army’s 7 medium armored brigades, with an 8th on the way.

The 5th Stryker Brigade from Fort Lewis, WA was the first Stryker unit sent to Afghanistan, deployed in the summer of 2009 as part of a troop level increase. The brigade was equipped with 350 Stryker vehicles. In the first few months of deployment, they lost 21 soldiers, with 40 more wounded, to IED land mines. The losses prompted the Army to examine modifications to their Stryker vehicles, in order to make them more resistant to land mines. One result is the Stryker hull redesign, creating the v-hulled Stryker DVH…

• Strykers, Struck: The Afghan Experience & Response [updated]
• Contracts & Key Events [updated]
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Cougar 6×6, IEDed
- the crew lived.

167 Buffalo A2s; Q3 finances; General Dynamics buys FP; Final article update. (Nov 7/11)

The Cougar family of medium-sized blast-protected vehicles is produced in both 4-wheel (formerly Cougar H) and 6-wheel (formerly Cougar HE) layouts. Eventually, the wisdom of using survivable vehicles in a theater where land mines were the #1 threat became clearer, and these vehicles have gradually shifted from dedicated engineer and Explosives Ordnance Disposal (EOD) roles to patrol and route-proving/ convoy lead functions as well. Related variants and blast-resistant designs are also produced in response to country-specific requirements (Wolfhound, Mastiff, Ridgeback, ILAV Badger) and other designs cover different operational needs (Buffalo mine-clearance, Cheetah, Ocelot, and JAMMA patrol vehicles). To date, the firm has received orders from Britain, Canada, France, Hungary, Italy, Iraq, and Yemen; and Poland operates some on loan from the USA. Front line testimonials offer evidence of their effectiveness.

Cougar orders predate the USA’s MRAP program to rush mine-resistant vehicles to the front lines; indeed, the performance of Force Protection’s vehicles on the front lines was probably the #1 trigger for the MRAP program’s existence. This FOCUS article describes Force Protection’s vehicles and corporate performance, which became an issue in recent years. It also covers key events and procurements around the world related to Force Protection’s Cougar (MRAP CAT I & II), Buffalo (MRAP CAT III), and related blast-resistant vehicle families.

• The Cougar Vehicles
• Cougar Family: Related Contracts & Events [updated]
• Appendix A: Ramping Up Production
• Appendix B: Additional Readings and Sources
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• US Army acquisition personnel has updated the Joint Assault Bridge (JAB) website several times in recent days to help contractors position themselves for the forthcoming Engineering & Manufacturing Development (EMD) phase of the project. JAB has an undisclosed amount of funding for FY12 and FY13. The current (very early) schedule looks at starting production at a low rate in FY15 and finishing deliveries in FY22, for a potential of 168 JABs for the Army and 29 for the USMC. Lots of Ts to cross and Is to dot until then. Because JAB will use the Abrams M1A1 hull, bidding involves ITAR exports control and a lot of the relevant material is posted as controlled unclassified information (CUI).

• In light of recent events in North Africa and the Middle East, the UK’s Foreign Secretary William Hague intends to introduce a “mechanism to allow immediate [defense/security export] licensing suspension to countries experiencing a sharp deterioration in security or stability.”

• Work got started on Anson, the 5th of a planned 7 British Royal Navy Astute class submarines.

• Curious minds want to know why USCGC Stratton, the 3rd of 8 planned cutters, looked like she was listing starboard on her way off Huntington Ingalls Industries’ docks.

• The Thales/Safran asset swap deal which has been in the works for months is not quite ready yet: Reuters, L’Usine Nouvelle [in French].

• In the U.S. Naval War College’s /luce.nt/ Fall 2011 edition: Perceptions about the Indian Ocean [PDF] by Captain Sameer Saxen of the Indian Navy.

• Both US House Armed Services Committee (HASC) Chairman Buck McKeon (R-CA) and Ranking Member Adam Smith (D-WA) sent letters to the debt super committee to urge it to stick to the smallest possible defense cuts. Predictably, they don’t agree on whether to increase federal revenue through higher taxes. Meanwhile Mike Turner (R-OH), Chairman of the HASC Strategic Forces Subcommittee, criticized Ed Markey (D-MA) for his support of lowering nuclear weapons spending. The window of opportunity given to congressional committees to send recommendations to the super committee is closing today.

• Yesterday’s HASC hearing with Secretary of Defense Panetta and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Dempsey waded repeatedly on the rather unlikely, and in any case hypothetical, sequestration that would occur if the super committee failed to reach an agreement. On the other hand few new details emerged on where to apply the cuts that will happen no matter what. Dempsey sounded lukewarm in answer to Congressman Jeff Miller (R-FL)’s warm support for F-35B STOVL capabilities.

• Panetta insisted on starting from threats to define strategy then take budget decisions. On that scale, South Korea seemed a higher priority for him than Europe when it comes to keeping troops stationed abroad. Panetta also announced he wanted to make the DoD budget ready for audit by FY14 rather than FY17 (this wouldn’t mean full audits quite yet). Transcript; 1st video below.

• The UK House of Lords EU Subcommittee on Foreign Affairs, Defence and Development Policy heard National Security Adviser Peter Ricketts on whether the European Union should have a defense role, an idea that Defence Ministrer Liam Fox recently brushed aside as redundant with NATO. (Fox currently faces more pressing issues.) Understated but cutting British humor was at play – mixed with diplomatic reassurances – when Ricketts went out of his way to highlight Belgium and Denmark’s military contributions. Ricketts says the EU has expertise and funding in the area between policing and military advising and peacekeeping. 2nd video below:
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ILAV w. MCATS

Additional Iraqi order; Iraqi Army taking over more route clearance; Delivery total to date. (Aug 2/11)

The global trend toward mine-resistant vehicles has become unmistakable, and Iraq was the catalyst and proving ground. RG-31s of the US 101st Airborne and Australian Bushmasters were the first examples in Iraq, followed by the M1117 ASVs for American military police, and Cougar and Buffalo vehicles among US Marines et. al. Britain quickly adopted the ‘Mastiff’ Cougar variant for use in Iraq, and in 2007 the US military’s “MRAP” program began surging over 15,000 vehicles of various types into theater. And the Iraqis? Up-armored Hummers were a big upgrade over the Ford commercial pickups some units were using, but by 2006 they knew that they, too, needed a mine-resistant vehicle that could serve as as EOD (Explosive Ordnance Disposal) vehicle, perform patrols in urban areas, and keep their country’s roads clear.

Iraq’s choice featured a familiar vehicle base, but an unfamiliar partnership. Why would BAE Systems bid a Cougar variant, instead of existing BAE products? How has the design evolved since 2006? And what’s the status of production orders and orders so far to Iraq, Yemen, and beyond? Previous discussions, and a new order, shine light on those questions, as Iraq moves toward full responsibility for its territory…

• BAE’s Decision
• Contracts and Key Events [updated]
• Appendix A: DID Analysis/ Op-Ed, 2006
• Appendix B: Additional Readings
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FRES-U finalists:
There can be… none?

Despite SDSR survival, budgets may stop 2 FRES variants. (Jan 17/11)

Many of Britain’s army vehicles are old and worn, and the necessities of hard service on the battlefield are only accelerating that wear. The multi-billion pound “Future Rapid Effects System” (FRES) aims to recapitalize the core of Britain’s armored vehicle fleet over the next decade or more, filling many of the same medium armor roles as the Stryker Family of armored wheeled vehicles and/or the Future Combat Systems’ Manned Ground Vehicle family. Current estimates indicate a potential requirement for over 3,700 FRES vehicles, including utility and reconnaissance variants. Even so, one should be cautioned that actual numbers bought usually fall short of intended figures for early-stage defense programs.

The FRES program was spawned by the UK’s withdrawal from the German-Dutch-UK Boxer MRAV modular wheeled APC program, in order to develop a more deployable vehicle that fit Britain’s exact requirements. Those initial requirements were challenging, however, and experience in Iraq and Afghanistan led to decisions that changed a number of requirements. In the end, GD MOWAG’s Piranha V won the utility vehicle competition. FRES-U is not the end of the competition, however, or the contracts. In fact, FRES-U had the winning bidder’s preferred status revoked; that entire phase will now take a back seat to the FRS-SV scout version…

• FRES: The Program
• FRES: Contracts & Key Events [updated]
• Additional Readings
• Appendix 1 – The British Army’s Armored Vehicle Fleet, late 2006
• Appendix 2 – A New Procurement Approach: System House Challenges
• Appendix 3 – FRES: Key Challenges for the Contractors
• Appendix 4 – FRES Experiments: Electronic Architecture Contracts
• Appendix 5 – FRES Experiments: Vehicle-Related Contracts
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Swiss Pz 87

Switzerland became a Leopard 2 tank customer under Armament Program 84, with 380 Leopard 2A4 variants delivered as “Pz 87s” from 1987-1993. The Swiss military has been drawing down sharply over the last decade and a half, with many tanks mothballed into storage. With plans for a smaller defense force firmly set, some of those tanks are being converted or sold.

The Swiss recently converted 12 of their tanks to AEV-3 Kodiak/Geniepanzer Armored Engineering Vehicles, as a partnership between Rheinmetall and the Swiss firm RUAG. The type has received export orders, but Leopard 2 tanks aren’t being manufactured any more. Some countries can use stocks of existing Leopard 2 tanks for conversion, but that won’t be true for every customer. Fortunately for the partnership, in November 2010, aramsuisse announced the sale of another 42 tanks to Rheinmetall, for conversion to “protected special vehicles.” The tanks they’re receiving are being delivered without weapons or communications system, which wouldn’t be useful to Rheinmetall anyway. That equipment will be kept by the Swiss armed forces, as spares. Tank deliveries will begin before the end of 2010, per undisclosed sale terms. Swiss government.

• Chinese People’s Liberation Army Senior Colonel, Liu Mingfu’s new book, “The China Dream”, reportedly argues that China must become the world’s top military power.

• Canada commits CDN $170 million over next 10 years to upgrade Defence Research and Development Canada’s (DRDC) Valcartier facility.

• US Navy’s unfunded priorities list: maintenance, parts.

• US Army makes moves to speed technology transfer to the front lines. Latest gadget: video game to teach cultural sensitivity.

• US Army is done evaluating new “Blue Force Tracker” software (FCBCB2 Joint Capabilities Release), will make a fielding decision in late summer 2010.

• US Sen. Sessions [R-AL] questions criteria for Littoral Combat Ship RFP: AL.com | YouTube video.

• BAE Systems kicks off production of UK Terrier Armored Engineering Vehicles.

• Pentagon lifts ban on accessing social networking sites for unclassified networks.

• Boeing gets A$44 million contract to increase support for Australian Army rotary wing training.

M1130 Stryker MC

General Dynamics Land Systems in Sterling Heights, MI received $246 million in contracts to support Stryker vehicles deployed in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The 8×8 wheeled Stryker armored vehicle is the backbone of the US Army’s 7 medium armored brigades, with an 8th on the way.

Of the Army’s 7 medium armored Stryker brigades, 3 are deployed in combat zones: 2 in Iraq and 1 in Afghanistan.

The 1st Stryker brigade in Afghanistan was deployed in June 2009. Since then, the 5th Stryker Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division, has been patrolling the Kandahar and Zabul provinces.

In the difficult terrain of Afghanistan and Iraq, Stryker vehicles require maintenance, repairs, and upgrades to keep them functioning effectively…

Much better on pavement

One complaint heard about the 8×8 wheeled Stryker armored vehicles in Afghanistan was that they had difficulties with the rough, mountainous off-road terrain. The Canadian forces in particular found that their Strykers’ mobility limitations created unacceptable difficulties.

Another complaint about Stryker vehicles is that upgrades designed to address combat needs have been done in a piecemeal fashion. This has resulted in significant inefficiencies, including having to turn off some systems to operate others.

To address Stryker vehicle limitations and overcome the piecemeal approach to vehicle improvements, the US Army TACOM Lifecycle Management Command has undertaken a Stryker modernization program…

Buffalo, arrivé

The French DGA procurement agency recently announced [in French] that its 2009 urgences operations (UO, formerly “crash programs”) budget doubled from EUR 131 million in 2008 to EUR 260 million in 2009. This change is in line with a broader international trend, as front-line operations in Afghanistan and beyond reveal limitations in existing equipment, as well as new equipment needs. One change from 2008 was an increased emphasis on naval systems, as 4 of 36 UO programs focused on counter-piracy efforts.

Key 2009 programs included 32 armoring kits for France’s Puma and Cougar medium helicopters, 200 vehicle up-armoring kits, 150 IED jammers, 5 Buffalo mine-clearing vehicles, 60 RWS remote-control turrets for vehicles, The Venus project for on-the-move communication with the Syracuse satellite system, 10 SATCOM on-the-move stations, integration of America’s Remote Operational Video Enhanced Receiver (ROVER) ground-to-air communications into 25 Mirage 2000 fighters, and retrofitted IRST optical systems for existing French frigates that allow long-range passive scans, and identification of even small naval targets like pirate vessels.