Combat vehicle designs seek increased utility in multiple roles

By Grace Jean

CombatVehicle PARIS — Combat vehicles are being developed to keep pace with soldiers’ evolving battlefield roles.

Those vehicles increasingly are wheeled, armored and modular, and are incorporating designs that cater to the requirements of ground troops. Many of them will provide soldiers with energy sources, information and weapons they will need to fight, while giving them added protection.

The prevalence of such vehicles at one of the largest ground warfare expositions reveals a trend in how armies are choosing to insert their troops into hot spots. Light armored vehicles have become the preferred mode of infantry transport into battlefields that increasingly encompass urban landscapes and a wider range of operations.

The Boxer, an eight-wheeled, 25-ton armored vehicle developed by the Munich-based consortium ARTEC, resembles the U.S. Army’s Stryker combat vehicle with one major exception: Its interchangeable mission module design allows any Boxer platform to switch functions, from armored personnel carrier to command post to ambulance to cargo carrier.

“The great advantage here is the possibility to change the mission module to get the vehicle in a new role in a short amount of time. You can go into a military operation with one module, and if your mission changes, then you change the mission modules, and you can support humanitarian operations and so forth. So it’s very, very flexible,” says Lt. Col. Jochen Rheinhardt, procurement officer for the German army.

Inside the Boxer personnel carrier on display here during the Eurosatory exhibition, Rheinhardt points out how the vehicle, which can accommodate 10 soldiers, has been designed with the German future warrior, the Infanterist der Zukunft, in mind.

Instead of the two long benches found inside the Stryker infantry carrier variant, individual molded ergonomic seats, padded with cushions, line the sides of the Boxer personnel carrier. Each seat can accommodate a fully equipped soldier, or he can choose to stow his gear in a compartment found behind his backrest. There are adjustable headrests and armrests that allow each soldier to tailor his seating arrangement. For additional safety, seat belts — with built in airbags — strap the warriors into their seats. When deployed, the airbags will stabilize the head, especially when soldiers are wearing helmets, says Rheinhardt.

In the armrests, there is a weapon holder and a single outlet where the infantryman can plug his future soldier ensemble kit into the vehicle to charge up electronic gear, update data systems, acquire a global positioning system signal and communicate with his crew.

The vehicle has a customizable interior storage system so that all essential equipment is stowed within reach of the crew. Weapons, rucksacks, food, water and other gear can be stashed beneath the seats or behind netting in built-in shelves along the sides of the vehicle.

“All the crew needs to do their job is inside and under protection, and always available for the crew,” says Rheinhardt.

The vehicle can travel up to 103 kilometers an hour with a range of more than 1,000 kilometers on one tank of gas. It protects occupants from mines, direct fire from heavy machine guns, medium caliber automatic cannons, handheld anti-tank weapons and artillery fragments. It is hardened to survive a medium distance tactical nuclear explosion.

The ceiling of the vehicle is contoured so that it has no sharp edges or protruding cables or equipment that could injure a human in the event of an accident or impact. Its interior has cooling and heating systems to cater to soldiers’ creature comforts.

Cameras are mounted on the rear of the vehicle so that the ramp can be dropped in safety. Additional cameras can be installed, says Rheinhardt. Flat-screen monitors near the commander’s seat and in the rear of the cabin give soldiers the visual information they need to stay cognizant about a mission.

The Boxer has been procured by the German and Dutch armies and is scheduled to go into production next year. It will enter service in early 2009.

“I think we have here a very good vehicle for our light infantry with great potential in a lot of directions for the future. I think for Germany, it’s a big step to have this vehicle in service,” says Rheinhardt.

For the French army, Giat Industries and Renault Trucks Defense have produced a similar armored all-terrain fighting vehicle called VBCI — Vehicule Blindé de Combat d’Infanterie.

Designed around the infantry squad, the 8-wheeled vehicle comes in two versions, the VCI infantry combat vehicle and the VPC command post vehicle. The infantry carrier fits a crew of nine. Other models are equipped with anti-tank missiles and mortars.

A contract has been awarded for 700 vehicles, including 550 infantry fighting vehicles. The VBCI will enter service in the French army in 2008.

Modularity also can be found in several new tactical and light vehicles.

Making its debut, Panhard’s AVXL, an angular four-wheeled protected tactical vehicle, allows troops to rearrange its interior quickly to better suit missions that range from combat and patrol to humanitarian assistance, says Gilles Servanin of the French company’s commercial directorate.

“It’s a modular, multipurpose vehicle. It has good mine protection and can withstand 200 kilos of TNT,” says Servanin. The modular seating arrangement allows the vehicle to fit up to eight people, including two crewmembers, he adds.

Humvee-like in appearance, the AVXL runs on diesel, as well as jet fuel, which is required by the French military. It is a derivative of Panhard’s AVL, a jeep-like vehicle that has been selected by the French army as its future liaison and protected security tactical vehicle. During a demonstration, the AVL zips around and over obstacles and climbs hills and navigates ditches with ease. The French army has ordered 933 units and production will commence at the end of the year, says Servanin.

The importance of having tactical vehicles with spacious cabins that can accommodate different missions and withstand high temperatures is paramount in places like Iraq, says Sgt. Adriano Fino, who serves in the Italian army’s general cavalry regiment.

Iveco Defense Vehicles, based in Bolzano, Italy, has produced a light tactical vehicle designed to undertake multiple operations while offering enhanced crew protection and stealth. The Light Multirole Vehicle, or LMV, is a 7-ton, four-wheeled vehicle that runs on diesel and JP-8 jet fuel. It seats up to five people and the layout of the seats can change, says Claudio Vitalini, company representative.

“The Humvee is good, but there’s room for other vehicles like this one,” he says.

Depending on how dangerous a mission is, a crew can increase or decrease the vehicle’s level of protection by swapping out ballistic panels in a matter of hours, says Vitalini. Coatings and structural materials on the vehicle’s exterior reduce thermal, acoustic, visual and radar signatures, providing further protection.

Vitalini says the vehicle’s worth will be proven quickly.

“We are confident of this because the main product has been tested by the U.K. army in all conditions, from the desert to the wet environment,” he says.

The vehicle is in full production with 2,000 units sold. The Italian army has purchased half of those, and the others have been procured by other nations, including the United Kingdom and Belgium.

The LMV is designed for infantry units, but Vitalini says the company plans to make a special operations version.

Email your comments to GJean@ndia.org