FRES-U finalists:
There can be… none?
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FRES-SV weapon agreement; Shake, rattle & roll testing; BAE shifts course in bid to win FRES-SV contract. (March 12/10)

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 [updated]
• 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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Cougar 6×6, IEDed
- the crew lived.
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FY 2009 financials, new COO, new vehicle, 23 Mastiffs for UK, more TAK-4 suspension work. (March 8/10)

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, Ridgback, 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 the firm’s related blast-resistant vehicle families.

• The Cougar Vehicles [updated]
• Cougar Family: Related Contracts & Events [updated]
• Appendix A: Ramping Up Production
• Appendix B: Additional Readings and Sources
  
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• 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
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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…

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Much better on pavement
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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…

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ILAV w. MCATS
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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 in 2011…

• BAE’s Decision [updated]
• Contracts and Key Events [updated]
• Appendix A: DID Analysis/ Op-Ed, 2006
• Appendix B: Additional Readings [updated]
  
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Buffalo, arrivé
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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.

M1130 Stryker MC
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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 base vehicle is also known as the LAV-III (Canada) and Piranha-III (GD MOWAG Switzerland), but American Stryker family APCs are outfitted with a set of communications and electronics equipment that makes them a unique variant. Stryker program’s production contracts began in 2000; to date, General Dynamics Land Systems in Canada and the USA have delivered 2,988 vehicles to the US military. Now, a $647 million order will add another 352 Strykers to the Army.

Consultation with General Dynamics Land systems has yielded the full breakdown of this Stryker order among all variants…

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PC Mechanical in Santa Maria, CA won a $26.2 million firm-fixed price, indefinite-delivery/ indefinite-quantity contract for repair, overhaul, and preventative maintenance services for civil engineering support equipment at the Naval Facilities Expeditionary Logistics Center located at Naval Base Ventura County in Port Hueneme, CA (60%) and at the Naval Construction Battalion Center Gulfport located in Gulfport, MS (40%). This contract contains options, which if exercised, will bring its cumulative value to $139.5 million.

DID has more on the types of vehicles that PC Mechanical will repair…

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Terrier AVRE
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Combat engineering is emerging as an under-appreciated but critical component of counter-insurgency work, with applications that range from restricting the battlefield to building cooperation with civilian populations. Britain is improving its own capabilities, and has just ordered 60 Terrier Armored Engineering Vehicles for the Royal Engineers, under a GBP 300 million ($430 million equivalent) contract with BAE Systems. The vehicles was designed in Leicester and will be assembled in Newcastle, with over 90% of its manufacture supported by companies from across the UK. Terrier will replace the existing Combat Engineer Tractor (CET) beginning in 2011, and will work alongside the Royal Engineers’ heavier Challenger 2 derived TROJAN AEV/AVREs.

The Terrier’s tracked chassis provides both true all-terrain mobility, and the traction required for heavy engineering jobs. A quick-hitch mechanism means that its bucket can be rapidly dropped and replaced with other front-mounted equipment, such as mine-clearing devices. Similarly, the side excavator arm can take a variety of attachments to dig, lift, drill, or hammer. All of this equipment is controlled from the 2-person, climate-controlled crew compartment that lets the Royal Engineers operate the vehicle in any climate. Changes have also been made to the original Terrier design in light of operational experience in Iraq and Afghanistan, adding more protection against mines, and making it easier to add extra armor. For mine-related work, the Terrier can even be operated remotely from over 1,000 meters away, using onboard camera systems for an up-close view.

As heavy engineering vehicles, Terrier can tow an 18-tonne engineer trailer and deploy fascines (pipe bundles for filling ditches) and trackway (rolled metallic sheets to create temporary road surfaces). While the Ministry of Defence describes them as “air portable,” the 30 tonne/ 33-ton Terriers cannot be carried on its C-130 tactical airlifters. Portability will be limited to the future A400M if Britain accepts delivery, or to options like the RAF’s C-17s and NATO’s chartered AN-124s that can carry any vehicle, including 70-ton Challenger 2 tanks. UK MoD | British Army.