thedrifter
07-02-07, 07:17 AM
Beefing up the Humvee’s replacement
JLTV now required to haul more, diagnose mechanical problems
By Kris Osborn - kosborn@militarytimes.com
Posted : July 09, 2007
Army programmers have changed the requirements for the next-generation Humvee, the Joint Light Tactical Vehicle, now asking it to haul a heavier payload, drive with two flat tires and carry embedded diagnostics and an electrical generator.
The upgraded requirements span survivability, communications, deployability and more, according to the Life Cycle Management Command of the Army’s Tank-automotive and Armaments Command. Life Cycle Management Command is the lead on the joint-service effort to buy as many as 160,000 vehicles to replace the Humvee.
The Army’s request for proposals is slated to be released in coming weeks, Army officials said.
At least five JLTV variants are planned: the Combat Tactical Vehicle, the Utility Vehicle, the Command and Control On-the-Move Vehicle, the Long Range Surveillance Vehicle and the heavier, 23,000-pound Ground Maneuver Vehicle. The payload requirements have gone up for most of the Army variants, including the utility vehicle, up 200 pounds to 5,500; the command vehicle, up 880 pounds to 5,100; and ground maneuver vehicle, up 400 pounds to 6,700.
Some of the Marine versions are not required to carry so much; the desired payload for the Marine combat vehicle is 4,326 pounds; the command variant’s payload is 4,000 pounds.
Other new requirements include:
• Make 30 kilowatts of electricity. “The JLTV shall be capable of generating sustained power (independent of hotel loads and exportable power) with the engine running and idle and while the vehicle is moving,” the command’s Web site says.
• Tow a trailer with ammunition and supplies. “Each JLTV shall be provided with a companion trailer that carries the same payload as its prime mover over the same speeds and mission profile. All reliability characteristics of the prime mover shall apply to the trailer,” the Web site says.
• Carry more ammo: Two cans of M16; one can of M203; six cans of Mk19; M2, M60/M240-6; and four cans of M249 ammo.
These last two are also part of the effort to increase fuel efficiency to 90 ton-miles per gallon at maximum gross vehicle weight.
The new requirements also emphasize survivability. They call for jam-resistant doors so soldiers and Marines can escape after their vehicles take damage; for an automatic fire-extinguishing system; and for extra spall liner to “minimize secondary perforation effects within the vehicle.” Spall consists of the fragments and pieces that result from hostile fire.
Another new requirement is that the JLTV will come with the A-kit armor and an option to add a B-kit that includes a gunner’s protective shield. Both kits are options on today’s Humvees.
The A-kit consists of extra armor plates bolted on the sides of the vehicle, and the B-kit is a heavier version designed to thwart stronger threats. The JLTV also must be able to run on two flat tires and keep going after a small-arms attack.
“The JLTV [Family of Vehicles] shall be capable of traveling one terrain feature after a single small caliber arm sized perforation in the fuel tank, engine oil reservoir, or cooling system which causes a fluid leak,” the Web site said.
All variants must use common parts, trailers and communications gear, and must be threaded with diagnostic devices that help find and fix problems.
The vehicle’s embedded diagnostic/health monitoring system will display failures and alert the operator and maintainer so they can repair electronically monitored faults.
Electronic monitoring will cover fuel, air intake, engine, cooling, transmission, energy storage, power generation, vehicle speed and other systems, the Web site said.
As for deployability, the JLTV requirements have previously specified that the vehicle be able to ride aboard a C-130, C-17 and C-5, or be carried by a CH-53, CH-47 or MH-47 helicopter.
The new requirements also say the JLTV must be able to perform a low-velocity airdrop out of a C-130, C-17 or C-5 aircraft.
Ellie
JLTV now required to haul more, diagnose mechanical problems
By Kris Osborn - kosborn@militarytimes.com
Posted : July 09, 2007
Army programmers have changed the requirements for the next-generation Humvee, the Joint Light Tactical Vehicle, now asking it to haul a heavier payload, drive with two flat tires and carry embedded diagnostics and an electrical generator.
The upgraded requirements span survivability, communications, deployability and more, according to the Life Cycle Management Command of the Army’s Tank-automotive and Armaments Command. Life Cycle Management Command is the lead on the joint-service effort to buy as many as 160,000 vehicles to replace the Humvee.
The Army’s request for proposals is slated to be released in coming weeks, Army officials said.
At least five JLTV variants are planned: the Combat Tactical Vehicle, the Utility Vehicle, the Command and Control On-the-Move Vehicle, the Long Range Surveillance Vehicle and the heavier, 23,000-pound Ground Maneuver Vehicle. The payload requirements have gone up for most of the Army variants, including the utility vehicle, up 200 pounds to 5,500; the command vehicle, up 880 pounds to 5,100; and ground maneuver vehicle, up 400 pounds to 6,700.
Some of the Marine versions are not required to carry so much; the desired payload for the Marine combat vehicle is 4,326 pounds; the command variant’s payload is 4,000 pounds.
Other new requirements include:
• Make 30 kilowatts of electricity. “The JLTV shall be capable of generating sustained power (independent of hotel loads and exportable power) with the engine running and idle and while the vehicle is moving,” the command’s Web site says.
• Tow a trailer with ammunition and supplies. “Each JLTV shall be provided with a companion trailer that carries the same payload as its prime mover over the same speeds and mission profile. All reliability characteristics of the prime mover shall apply to the trailer,” the Web site says.
• Carry more ammo: Two cans of M16; one can of M203; six cans of Mk19; M2, M60/M240-6; and four cans of M249 ammo.
These last two are also part of the effort to increase fuel efficiency to 90 ton-miles per gallon at maximum gross vehicle weight.
The new requirements also emphasize survivability. They call for jam-resistant doors so soldiers and Marines can escape after their vehicles take damage; for an automatic fire-extinguishing system; and for extra spall liner to “minimize secondary perforation effects within the vehicle.” Spall consists of the fragments and pieces that result from hostile fire.
Another new requirement is that the JLTV will come with the A-kit armor and an option to add a B-kit that includes a gunner’s protective shield. Both kits are options on today’s Humvees.
The A-kit consists of extra armor plates bolted on the sides of the vehicle, and the B-kit is a heavier version designed to thwart stronger threats. The JLTV also must be able to run on two flat tires and keep going after a small-arms attack.
“The JLTV [Family of Vehicles] shall be capable of traveling one terrain feature after a single small caliber arm sized perforation in the fuel tank, engine oil reservoir, or cooling system which causes a fluid leak,” the Web site said.
All variants must use common parts, trailers and communications gear, and must be threaded with diagnostic devices that help find and fix problems.
The vehicle’s embedded diagnostic/health monitoring system will display failures and alert the operator and maintainer so they can repair electronically monitored faults.
Electronic monitoring will cover fuel, air intake, engine, cooling, transmission, energy storage, power generation, vehicle speed and other systems, the Web site said.
As for deployability, the JLTV requirements have previously specified that the vehicle be able to ride aboard a C-130, C-17 and C-5, or be carried by a CH-53, CH-47 or MH-47 helicopter.
The new requirements also say the JLTV must be able to perform a low-velocity airdrop out of a C-130, C-17 or C-5 aircraft.
Ellie