thedrifter
01-29-06, 11:46 AM
‘Blast bucket’ looked at by Marines
MCB Quantico
Story by Cpl. Jonathan Agg
MARINE CORPS BASE QUANTICO, Va. (Jan. 26, 2006) -- The Marine Corps Warfighting Laboratory hosted an Office of Naval Research presentation of the Ultra Armored Patrol “Concept” Vehicle to senior Army acquisition officials Jan. 18.
Lt. Gen. Joseph L. Yakovac Jr., military deputy to the assistant secretary of the Army for acquisition, logistics and technology, and his deputy, Maj. Gen. Jeffrey A. Sorenson, attended the hour-long briefing, as did program officers from MCWL and Marine Corps Combat Development Command. A viewing of the vehicle, which features innovative systems and components which potentially could enhance survivability and performance, followed the presentation.
The Ultra is a diesel-propelled, four-passenger vehicle capable of reaching 60 mph. The Ultra’s “blast bucket” cabin is built on a Ford F-350 chassis and, when armored, may be able to protect up to four passengers who are arranged in an outward, 360-degree facing orientation. But this has not been tested. Jeffrey Bradel, ONR’s manager of Marine Corps maneuver science and technology, led the Jan. 18 presentation and said hollow tubes in the blast bucket’s frame could theoretically channel the blast from an improvised explosive device to minimize damage to the Ultra and injury to its occupants.
The Office of Naval Research used expertise from academia, industry and government, including the principal design, which was developed by the Georgia Institute of Technology.
Despite Ultra’s promising design, ONR representatives close to the project are cautious about touting the vehicle as the next humvee.
“A lot of the guys on the project are sensitive about throwing around the phrase, ‘humvee replacement,’” said Colin Babb, science writer and editor of OrigiNatoR, ONR’s internal newsletter. “The bottom line about Ultra is the vehicle is more about testing the central part, the armored blast bucket. That’s the novel part. Someone could turn that into a vehicle if they wanted to, but really the central idea is testing a combination of components, which is true of most of ONR’s prototypes. They’re about testing the technology and showing it off, not necessarily about building preproduction vehicles, whether they’re ships or land vehicles as in this case.”
Yakovac said the Ultra’s radical design could influence the next generation of the Humvee or its eventual replacement.
“It’s a concept vehicle, and from it we will get a lot of good ideas for the Army and Marines, as we go about this in a joint manner to best meet the challenges of the future, not only with capability, but the balance of capability with cost,” Yakovac said. “Neither service can afford to do it alone anymore. You’re talking a quantum leap in costs, in development, production and ownership. Unfortunately, that’s what drives all this. It’s about how much money modern capability costs. Unless we leverage that together, we won’t be able to afford the future.”
http://www.usmc.mil/marinelink/image1.nsf/Lookup/2006127135014/$file/ULTRA_0010LOW_REZ.jpg
The Ultra Armored Patrol Concept Vehicle sits on display in front of the Marine Corps Warfighting Laboratory following an Office of Naval Research presentation to senior Army acquisition officials Jan. 18. Photo by: Cpl. J. Agg
Ellie
MCB Quantico
Story by Cpl. Jonathan Agg
MARINE CORPS BASE QUANTICO, Va. (Jan. 26, 2006) -- The Marine Corps Warfighting Laboratory hosted an Office of Naval Research presentation of the Ultra Armored Patrol “Concept” Vehicle to senior Army acquisition officials Jan. 18.
Lt. Gen. Joseph L. Yakovac Jr., military deputy to the assistant secretary of the Army for acquisition, logistics and technology, and his deputy, Maj. Gen. Jeffrey A. Sorenson, attended the hour-long briefing, as did program officers from MCWL and Marine Corps Combat Development Command. A viewing of the vehicle, which features innovative systems and components which potentially could enhance survivability and performance, followed the presentation.
The Ultra is a diesel-propelled, four-passenger vehicle capable of reaching 60 mph. The Ultra’s “blast bucket” cabin is built on a Ford F-350 chassis and, when armored, may be able to protect up to four passengers who are arranged in an outward, 360-degree facing orientation. But this has not been tested. Jeffrey Bradel, ONR’s manager of Marine Corps maneuver science and technology, led the Jan. 18 presentation and said hollow tubes in the blast bucket’s frame could theoretically channel the blast from an improvised explosive device to minimize damage to the Ultra and injury to its occupants.
The Office of Naval Research used expertise from academia, industry and government, including the principal design, which was developed by the Georgia Institute of Technology.
Despite Ultra’s promising design, ONR representatives close to the project are cautious about touting the vehicle as the next humvee.
“A lot of the guys on the project are sensitive about throwing around the phrase, ‘humvee replacement,’” said Colin Babb, science writer and editor of OrigiNatoR, ONR’s internal newsletter. “The bottom line about Ultra is the vehicle is more about testing the central part, the armored blast bucket. That’s the novel part. Someone could turn that into a vehicle if they wanted to, but really the central idea is testing a combination of components, which is true of most of ONR’s prototypes. They’re about testing the technology and showing it off, not necessarily about building preproduction vehicles, whether they’re ships or land vehicles as in this case.”
Yakovac said the Ultra’s radical design could influence the next generation of the Humvee or its eventual replacement.
“It’s a concept vehicle, and from it we will get a lot of good ideas for the Army and Marines, as we go about this in a joint manner to best meet the challenges of the future, not only with capability, but the balance of capability with cost,” Yakovac said. “Neither service can afford to do it alone anymore. You’re talking a quantum leap in costs, in development, production and ownership. Unfortunately, that’s what drives all this. It’s about how much money modern capability costs. Unless we leverage that together, we won’t be able to afford the future.”
http://www.usmc.mil/marinelink/image1.nsf/Lookup/2006127135014/$file/ULTRA_0010LOW_REZ.jpg
The Ultra Armored Patrol Concept Vehicle sits on display in front of the Marine Corps Warfighting Laboratory following an Office of Naval Research presentation to senior Army acquisition officials Jan. 18. Photo by: Cpl. J. Agg
Ellie