Light Enough to Get There. Heavy Enough to Win

of internal helicopter transport. Field experience teaches that conventional tracked vehicle designs that have length-to-width ratios greater than 2.0 are unwieldy, primarily when turning. If the width of a combat vehicle were limited to 80 inches, the length should normally not exceed 160 inches, about 13 feet. A conventional tracked vehicle this short would have trouble keeping up with larger tracked vehicles in rapid cross-country movements, such as the flanking movement of the VII and XVIIIth Corps around the Iraqi army in Operation DESERT

STORM.

The Future Scout Vehicle will be employed with the much larger MI tanks and the new Armored Gun System (AGS) in heavy and light armored cavalry regiments and in division cavalry squadrons. A 13-foot-long FSV will have a tough time keeping up with a 26-foot-long M1 tank because the shorter vehicle tends to pitch up and down more violently over rough terrain and has less ditch-bridging capability. The ideal scout vehicle would fit into present and future air transport cargo bays, possess high performance and advanced mobility to run stealthily with heavy armor in high speed maneuvers over any terrain, and possess the sensors, facilities, and weapons to perform the mission. Articulation The connection of two vehicles with a power controlled, pitch and yaw and free roll universal joint results in an articulated vehicle. Alternatively, locking or stiffening the pitch control joint provides real mobility advantages over vehicles of much shorter length with a singular rigid structure. Fortunately, there are proven articulated vehicles which substantially reduce the violent pitching characteristic of short, lightweight vehicles. The Army owns two vehicle systems which could be adapted for advanced technology demonstrations in the AVT-TLD. A Fielded Articulated System In 1983, the Army initiated procurement of over 1,000 M-973 small unit support vehicles from Hagglunds, a Swedish manufacturer. Most of these M-973s are in service with the 6th Infantry Division in Alaska. Operating in grueling conditions, they are very

Figure 2. Articulated 6-ton German Wiesels, although a more cramped altemative to the Hagglunds carriers, would have another advantage: since both units are motorized, they could be separated during certain scout assignments, doubling the number of vehicles available. In contrast, the BV-206S rear unit is not separately powered. Articulated vehicles have a much greater obstacle clearance capability, as seen in illustration above. Figure 3. Both the Wiesel and the Hagglunds carrier can be carried intemally in CH- 470 and CH-53E cargo helicopters. The Hagglunds is a tight fit in the CH-47E. reliable and have earned a respectable reputation for extraordinary crosscountry speed and mobility. Hagglunds has designed and built a similar weight (7.7-too) light armored version, designated the BV-206S, with a 230-hp Cummins diesel engine. The BV-206S is a worthy candidate test bed platform for the Future Scout Vehicle mobility data base. The length of this articulated vehicle is 22 feet, comparable to that of the M 1 tanks and AGS with which it will operate. The BV-206S, with a horsepower-toweight ratio of 30, coupled with less than half the ground pressure of the MIAl, should be able to keep up with the M I (23 hp/ton) and AGS (28 hp/ton). The width of the BV-206S is 78.7 inches and the height to the top of the armored hull is 72 inches. The BV-206S has been carried operationally inside both the CH-47D and CH- 53E helicopters. The articulation advantage is evident when ramp loading. The first vehicle rolls smoothly on the interior ramp as the trailing vehicle moves up the inclined ramp. Very Low Profile Candidate There are other articulated vehicle candidates which could be carried in the CH-47D and CH-53E helicopters that are lighter, narrower, and have a lower profIle. It is possible to articulate two small armored reconnaissance vehicles, such as the German Wiesel (See Figures 2 and 3.) The width is 72 inches and the height, to the top of the armored hull, is 56 inches. The articulated length of two Wiesels is 22.7 feet and the combat weight is slightly more than six tons. With the length about the same as the BV-206S and the horsepower-to-weight ratio of 29 hp/ton, it should have sufficient power and agility to keep up with MIAI tanks and the AGS. The principal difference between the BV-206S and Wiesel articulated vehi- 11 cles is that the two Wiesel ticulated Wiesels shown vehicles each have an engine, while the BV-206S has an engine in the lead vehicle with a propellor shaft driving the trailing vehicle through a connecting joint. A quick-disconnecting joint has been designed for the Wie-Figure 4. Articulation facilitates entering and leaving waterways. in Figure 2 could also accommodate four men (with the maximum of three men in either the front or rear vehicle), along with a scout sensor suite and tactical radios; however, men and sels so that they can be easily separated, allowing the number of scout vehicles to be doubled for employment in missions like screening, where wider front coverage is needed. The Wiesel's two-engine advantage also permits equipping and operating the front vehicle as an unmanned robot (teleoperated from the rear vehicle) in very dangerous situations. Robotization may well be a political necessity in such dangerous situations, according to Alvin and Heidi Toffler in their recent book, War and AntiWar. They see a major change in the public's attitude toward "acceptable" casualty levels. According to MG Jerry Harrison, former chief of tbe Army's Research and Development Labs, the extremely low Allied losses in the Gulf War "set standards that surprised many people. To replicate that in future wars translates into robotics." Articulated Test Vehicle Results The Army and Marine Corps have conducted tests with articulated, tracked M1l3 APCs and M1l6 and M973 utility vehicles and recorded some rather amazing results: Mobility performance tests conducted by U. S. Army Waterways Experiment Station have concluded that powered pitch control doubles an articulated vehicle's ability to negotiate rigid vertical obstacles and cross gap-type obstacles. Stevens Institute concluded that the coupled vehicles, with pitch articulation locked, could be driven 50 percent faster than the single vehicles and 200 percent faster in a limited pitch freedom mode, using the pitch cylinder as a damper. This conclusion was based on the assumption that an average absorbed power level of six watts in the vertical direction at tbe driver's seat was acceptable. 12 Summary of the Advantages of Articulation eCan be driven faster cross-country than a single unit. e Articulated steering eliminates the disadvantages associated with skid steering. e Freedom in roll allows wheel loads to stay close to normal. eFreedom in pitch permits the vehicle to conform to terrain profiles. e Pitch articulation greatly improves vertical obstacle crossing ability. eLocking the pitch cylinder increases the gap crossing ability.

eAbility to pitch up front vehicle facilitates entering and exiting the water. eArticulated steering makes amphibious vehicles more maneuverable in the water. e Increased waterline length reduces drag. SOFf TERRAIN OPERATION: e Lower ground pressure enables traversing snow, bogs, and soft soil. eAbility to "duck walk" provides a means to free a nearly immobilized vehicle (especially useful in deep mud). Future Scout Vehicle Concept Demonstration Candidates A scout vehicle such as the Hagglunds BV-206S armored vehicle can easily carry the required crew of three, plus provide space for an additional man, such as a mortar forward observer, and still have space for a motorcycle or sensors, such as remote sentry and surveillance radar, which is organic to an Army division's military intelligence baualion. This vehicle can also mount the scout sensor suite and the required tactical radios. The ar-equipment will be somewhat more cramped, compared to the BV-206S. The FSV is intended to be employed in both heavy and light armored cavalry regiments at corps level and in division cavalry squadrons. Cavalry scout platoons in maneuver battalions and brigades will also be equipped with FSV. Consequently, there will be significant numbers of FSVs on the battlefield. If the FSV has sufficient room to function as a battle command vehicle, it is less likely that the enemy could distinguish the command vehicle from the scout vehicle. Armored command and control vehicles and the unarmored standard integrated command post system (SICPS), which is mounted on a High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle (HMMWV) for light forces, are obvious "signature" vehicles and thus draw enemy fire when exposed. Battle Command Vehicle Concept Demonstrator Candidates Adapting some revolutionary developments in advanced avionics (smaller physical size, greater reliability, less power consumption) could convert an articulated scout vehicle into a Battle Command Vehicle (BCV). Such candidate technologies are those being developed by the Advanced Research Projects Agency (SPEAKEASY), the USAF (Integrated Communications, Navigation, Identification Architecture, or ICNIA) and the Naval Research Laboratory (Enhanced Com; munications Interface Terminal ECIT). The heart of the Army airborne command and control system and the future Comanche helicopter will be the ECIT, a single unit that incorporates GPS receivers and six identical radios (each one capable of sending and receiving HF, VHF, UHF, and L-band). ECIT will maximize information throughput and antijam capability by dynamically varying forward error correction and system bandwidth.

ECIT's packetized bus provides interface to processor modules. ECIT will meet evolving mission needs and fault recognition. The system is being developed by the Naval Research Laboratory for the Army Program Executive Officer - Aviation. An ECIT prototype was evaluated in a UH-60 helicopter and in an HMMWV at Fort Irwin during March-April 1994. If the program proceeds as scheduled, ECIT should be turned over to industry to begin production in 1996-1997. SPEAKEASY, ICNIA and ECIT, are very versatile items of electronic equipment that may enable operation of a battle command vehicle with fewer men. In fact, the ultimate objective for ECIT development is to provide the necessary information and connectivity to permit the commander to operate in a Comanche helicopter without his usual command group. Therefore, it seems likely that an ECIT-equipped articulated vehicle could be a highly effective battle command vehicle with the commander, and only two staff officers, and a driver. The ECIT could also provide scouts with the capability to monitor remote sensors and receive and transmit near-real-time imagery from forward scout aircraft and unmanned aerial vehicles. NRL is also working toward the 100 Ion range objective that LTG Paul Funk, CG III Corps, believes is an essential capability in the Future Scout Vehicle.,,

Armored Personnel Carrier Carrier, CP Carrier, 107-mm Mortar Cavalry Flghllng Vehicle 7 8 6 40 Helicopter: AH-1S (TOW) Helicopter: OH-58A Helicopter: UH-1H Recovery Vehicle, Mas 8 12 4 The abundant capability of the airborne command and control system could be duplicated in the Future Scout Figure 5. Division Cavalry Squadron L-Series TO&E. Vehicle. An articulated FSV the size of the BV-206S, outfitted with ECIT as a battle command variant, could carry the commander, intelligence and operations officers, a fire support coordinator, an air liaison officer and a driver, operating five work stations while on the move without an identifiable change in silhouette. Equipping the Cavalry Some thoughts on future cavalry organizations are worth pondering in this discussion of scout and command vehicles. Squadrons in armored cavalry regiments now consist of three cavalry troops (each with two tank platoons and two scout platoons), a tank company, and a howitzer battery. In division cavalry squadrons (L-series TO&E), there are two ground cavalry troops and two air reconnaissance troops (see Figure 5). The air reconnaissance troop's OH-58C and AH-IS helicopters will ultimately be replaced with 12 Comanche helicopters. Each ground cavalry troop's three platoons consist of six M3A2 scout vehicles. The U. S. division cavalry squadrons in Europe have been reorganized, reducing the number of M3A2 scout vehicles to five per platoon and adding three MIAI tanks. U. S. Army Forces Command and U. S. Forces Korea are also adopting these changes in their division cavalry squadrons. When future scout vehicles are fielded, it may be logical to replace the five M3A2s with five articulated vehicles such as the BV-206S. However, if FSV is a detachable articulated vehicle such as the articulated concept shown in Figure 2, it may be possible to reduce the scout element to four vehicles because up to eight separate vehicles could be employed when required. Amphibious Employment Figure 6. Proposed Advanced Concept Technology Demonstration scout platoon (reinforced). The evolving USMClNavy strategic concept of Operational Maneuver From The Sea (OMFTS) in the twenty-first century requires ever greater standoff from littoral areas in order to increase battles pace. provide the fleet self-defense in depth, and increase sea room. The concept also calls for increased sea basing of air power, logistics, and surface fire support in order to remain elusive, difficult targets to find, fix and hit. However, in order to project naval pOwer onto the littoral land mass, light, highly mobile forces with superior situational awareness and access to on-call fires will have to be placed ashore from greater distances at sea. The light armored articulated vehicle, with its helicopter transportability and superior maneuverability is a strong candidate for the Marine Corps company to battalion strength tearns of the future. The Marine Corps has been using its Light Armored Vehicle (LAV) battalions in the role of cavalry. The cavalry mission could be enhanced using small articulated vehicles as scouts, along with infantry and mortars in LAVs. Some may argue that tracked vehicles may be difficult to maintain. Ten years' experience with the Anny M973 articulated tracked vehicles indicates that ttie unit maintenance burden is a about the same as that of a 21/z-ton truck, and significantly less than an M I tank or amphibious tracked vehicle such as the AAV7Al. Proposed Scout Platoon Articulation technology is available to meet the transportability and mobility requirements of the FSV and the BCV variant with an indistinguishable, low profile vehicle. The revolution taking place in command, control, communications, computers, and intelligence systems will make it possible for the FSV to far exceed the capability of current scout vehicles. Compact and rugged electronics components will also enable an 8-ton vehicle to competitively perfonn with the 28-ton command and control vehicle now under development for heavy forces. Such a small, low-profile, articulated battle command vehicle will be able to get to places the 28-ton command and control vehicle may not, such as a wooded mountain top in Bosnia. DOD, the Army, and the Marines must act now, and in concert, to demonstrate articulated vehicle concept performance in scout platoons through a joint Advanced Concept Technology Demonstration (ACTD). The ACID should also include an Enhanced Communications Interface Terminal to detennine whether the FSV could also be used as a- battle command vehicle for both light and heavy forces. 14 A reinforced scout platoon level ACID) should be added to the Advanced Vehicle Technologies top level demonstration plan, with tests beginning in FY 96. The test platoon should consist of two scout squads, one with the BV-206S and one with articulated Wiesel vehicles, and a section of three armored gun systems. The test platoon should be reinforced with a mortar squad and a flight of two scout helicopters. The platoon leader will operate from a command and control variant of the BV-206S, which will be equipped with ECIT (see Figure 6). The BV-206S variant should also be evaluated as a C2 vehicle at troop, squadron, and regimental levels. Summary The advantages of articulated vehicles in terrain maneuver, reliability, and transportability are substantial. It is prudent and cost effective to take advantage of proven articulation and avionics technologies in hand today to provide a critical advantage in capability to tomorrow's joint forces on the move in the next Littoral conflict. Bibliography Wagner, MG Robert E., "Division Cavalry: The Broken Sabre," ARMOR Magazine, Sep-Oct 1989, pp. 35-41. Salerno, CPT George, "Repairing the Broken Sabre: An Overview of L-Series Divisional Cavalry," ARMOR Magazine, Jan-Feb 1994, pp. 29-34. Reimer, GEN Dennis 1., "FORSCOM Aviation: A Part of Our Total Anny Readiness," Anny Aviation Magazine, Oct 31, 1993, pp. 6-24. Funk, LTG Paul E., "Future Thrusts," ARMOR Magazine, Jan-Feb 1994, pp. 47-50. Department of the Anny TOE Handbook 17385L-CTH, July 15. 1990. Foss, Christopher F., Jane 's Annor and Artillery 1992-93. pp. 216, 440. Strategic Plan for DOD S&T Thrust 5, dated July 1993. Technical Repo GL-85-7, U. S. Anny Corps of Engineers Waterways Experiment Station, Vicksburg, MS (In collaboration with Stevens Institute) "Mobility Performance Report of the BV206, MI16AAI, M116WES, MII3SIT, and Standard M 113," Charles E. Green and George L. Mason, Jr., dated June 1985. Toffler, Alvin and Heidi, War and Anti· War, Survival at the Dawn of the 21st Century, (Authors of Future Shock and Third Wave), p. 109. Stevens Institute of Technology (Davidson Lab) Report # SIT-DL-79-9-2082, an evaluation of the coupled L VT concept by Irmin O. Kamm et al. dated November 1979. AAI Report #R-32018-0002, concept design study of a tracked articulated vehicle (contracted by Naval Surface Warfare Center - Carderock Div.) by William Criswell et al. dated May 199 1. Colonel Charles Lehner (USA, Ret.) commanded various tank and armored cavalry units in Germany and Korea and served as the operations officer of the 2d Armored DiVision Aviation Battalion. He also served as a senior executive at

ARPA.

Collaborating with

Lehner on this article were: General Glenn Otis (USA, Ret.), who served in numerous Armor aSSignments including CG, 1 st Armored Division, and CINC, Central Army Group in NATO. He recently chaired the "Graybeards" Advisory Committee for ARPA's Battle Command Initiative and the Army Science Board's C31 Committee. Major General Ray Franklin (USMC, Ret.) has commanded a Marine helicopter battalion and a group. He organized and commanded the Marine Corps Research, Development, and Acquisition Command. Since retiring, he has served on numerous advisory committees for organizations such as ARPA and the Center for Naval Analysis. Mr. Gerald Lane is the U. S. Army Tank Automotive Command's Research Development and Engineering Center (TARDEC) program manager for the advanced vehicle technology top level demonstrations. During his 18 years at TARDEC, he worked on the Armored Combat Vehicle Technology and Robotics Program.