Future Rapid Effect System

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The Future Rapid Effect System ( FRES ) aims to develop a modular vehicle platform for the British Army that will replace the CVR (T) family in the long term. Originally the range was divided into the FRES UV (utility vehicle) and the FRES SV (specialist vehicle) chain variant; both were designed to be air-transportable in the C-130 . Due to the experiences in Iraq and Afghanistan, however, this approach was judged to have insufficient survivability, so that the aim is now to air transportability in the A400M and the C-17 . The wheel variant fell victim to budget cuts.

history

The CVR (T) family

The FV107 Scimitar should be replaced by the TRACER, currently the FRES Scout is intended as the successor.

At the beginning of the 1960s it was foreseeable that Great Britain could not afford large garrisons in its overseas territories . In response to this, a new strategy was decided: The core of the concept was that airmobile troops should be flown from European bases into the war and crisis areas. To support the troops, a combat vehicle was to be developed that was to be used for fire support and anti-tank defense, and which Alvis Saladin had to replace. The vehicle was to be equipped with a 76 or 105 mm cannon, with the anti-tank version using the Swingfire missile system. To reduce the weight, the armor was made of aluminum, which also provided better weight-related protection from artillery fragments than steel armor. To be air transportable, the vehicle had to be flatter than 2500mm and narrower than 2100mm. Since a ground pressure of 5 psi (0.34 bar) was to be achieved at the same time , the chains had to be 450mm wide. Now only a width of 600 millimeters remained for the engine, so a Jaguar petrol engine had to be installed. In 1967 Alvis was commissioned to build 30 prototypes. The first was completed on January 23, 1969, on time and on budget, and tested in Norway, Australia, Canada and Abu Dhabi. In January 1972, the first Combat Vehicle Reconnaissance (Tracked) in the Scorpion version were finally delivered to the British Army . Further variants based on the chassis followed. All have names that begin with "S" and weigh about 8 tons: Scorpion (76 mm fire support), Striker (tank destroyer), Spartan (transport tank), Samaritan (medical tank), Sultan (command tank), Samson (recovery tank) and Scimitar (reconnaissance and escort tanks with RARDEN ). The Stormer Flarak and mine-laying tanks are based on a modified chassis.

During the Falklands War , the vehicles also performed well on swampy ground due to their low ground pressure. After the Argentines relocated their 20 Amtracs to the mainland immediately after the invasion, the 12 AML-90s were the only Argentine tanks on the island. When landing in San Carlos Bay, Scimitar tanks secured the bridgehead and fired their anti-aircraft machine guns at low-level planes belonging to the Argentine Air Force. On the following advance to the east, the Scorpion tanks support their own troops with 76 mm squeeze head grenades, and a tactic called "zapping". (Suspected) Argentine positions were shot at with on-board machine guns. As soon as the Argentines returned fire, giving away their position, they were attacked by the main weapons of the Scorpion and Scimitar tanks. During the advance, a scimitar hit a mine, but as an external load of a Chinook it could be flown to the nearest repair point and repaired. The only tank fights occurred in the Battle of Wireless Ridge, when the Argentines encountered Scorpion and Scimitar tanks with the AML-90, but there was no shooting down.

TRACER

Watchkeeper can be equipped with optical, infrared and radar sensors

On July 7, 1998, a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) was signed between the United States and Great Britain to develop a joint reconnaissance vehicle. The vehicle was referred to as the Future Scout and Cavalry System (FSCS) in the USA and the Tactical Reconnaissance Armored Combat Equipment Requirement (TRACER) in the British. The vehicle was to combine the tasks of a reconnaissance tank with those of an advanced observer and be equipped with a number of new technologies, for example:

  • Electric drive as a serial hybrid with lithium-ion accumulator with the possibility of driving 6-10 km purely electrically, with a total range of 650 km on the road.
  • Electric motors with a total of 500 kW and a vehicle weight of 19 t, which led to a power-to-weight ratio of 26 kW / t (35 PS / t).
  • Rubber tracks instead of steel for a top speed of 90 km / h and acceleration from 0 to 50 km / h in 9 seconds.
  • The use of micro air vehicles with limited range (10 kilometers or less) and endurance (around 15 minutes) to be able to take a look “into the next valley” before a robot or the FSCS / TRACER drives into it.
  • Unmanned turret for the 40 mm Cased Telescoped Weapon System , which fires air-igniting grenades or sub-caliber ammunition.
  • Use of lightweight technology: For example, QinetiQ made the vehicle hull from glass fiber reinforced plastic for the Advanced Composites Armored Vehicle Platform (ACAVP) technology demonstrator .
  • The use of laser, radar and missile alarms, as well as the initiation of defensive measures to avoid hits ( softkill system )
  • Automatic target search and recognition to improve the crew's situational awareness. The system consisted of an infrared sensor, a millimeter wave radar with moving target indication , an optical camera and a multi-purpose laser, which was to be used for distance measurement, target illumination and scanning. The data should then be evaluated by a computer system to discover targets.
  • The Multifunction Staring Sensor Suite (MFS3) should combine infrared cameras, microphones and multi-purpose lasers for target identification, air surveillance and as a firefinder. The microphones should enable the discovery and identification of targets, and the location of mortars and snipers.
  • The accommodation of the three crew members in the tub, where they can control the tank on workstation systems using corner mirrors as well as external cameras and flat screens, or any other information can be displayed on the screens.
  • The use of a sensor mast that can be extended to a height of five meters.

Great Britain planned to supplement an airborne reconnaissance component, which was later developed and put into service as a watchkeeper . In January 1999 the development contract was awarded to two industrial consortia, namely SIKA International (British Aerospace, Lockheed Martin, Vickers Defense and General Dynamics) and LANCER (Marconi, Alvis, United Defense and Raytheon). After both prototypes had already been completed and tested, it was decided in 2001 to discontinue the FSCS / TRACER program. The technologies should be incorporated into the successor systems Future Combat Systems (FCS) and Future Rapid Effect System (FRES), which were planned as vehicle families. The FSCS / TRACER program actually expired and was discontinued in July 2002 after the final assessment phase.

Development of vehicles

Hägglunds SEP as a tracked vehicle
The ASCOD serves as the starting point for the FRES development

With both the Manned Ground Vehicles (MGV) and the Future Rapid Effect System (FRES), all vehicles in the family should be able to be transported to the scene with a C-130, which required a vehicle weight of around 20 tons without additional armor and very compact dimensions . The platforms should be protected through increased situational awareness and distance-active protective measures. Because of this, Great Britain also dropped out of the GTK Boxer program. The vehicles of the Future Rapid Effect System were primarily intended to replace the outdated CVR (T) family. The original plans included two platforms: an 8 × 8 wheel variant FRES UV and the chain variant FRES SV. In response to the requirements, BAE Systems developed the Splitterskyddad Enhets platform , which should cover both the 8 × 8 wheel variant FRES UV and the chain variant.

Based on the experiences in Iraq and Afghanistan, a 20-30 ton vehicle was given insufficient survivability, so that air cargo transportability in the C-130 was dropped. The innovative operating concept and the electric drive also fell victim to this. In June 2007, three vehicles were finally examined, which should go into service in a modified form as FRES UV:

On May 8, 2008, the Piranha V was finally declared the winner. However, no contract was signed: The program was restructured, another Strategic Defense Review and finally the bike variant fell victim to budget cuts. As a result, efforts were directed to the chain variant FRES SV. In July 2009, two platforms were examined on the basis of which the FRES SV was to be implemented:

  • The Combat Vehicle 90 family was advertised by BAE Systems, with one less castor per side and a shorter tub.
  • With ASCOD 2, General Dynamics offered a heavier variant of the Austrian-Spanish joint development.

On March 22, 2010 General Dynamics UK was commissioned to build the FRES SV. The contract for the development and construction of seven prototypes - three scouts, a repair tank, a recovery tank, a personnel carrier and a common base platform (CBP) for road tests - was signed on July 1, 2010. The first tests are to begin in 2013. Since the ASCOD 2 uses a new tub, General Dynamics tested the mine protection back in February 2010. In June 2011 the turret prototype of the FRES Scout, which was manufactured by Rheinmetall in Gersthofen , was placed on an ASCOD 1 hull made of Simmering and firing tests were carried out with the 40 mm CTA cannon. The program was five months ahead of schedule at this point. On June 11, 2012, the first bathtub was finally completed and presented to the public in Vienna . The vehicle, which is known as the Mobile Test Rig (MTR), is supposed to test the reliability of the components. The other six vehicles are to follow in the near future and will also be used for environmental tests.

Common Base Platform

The Common Base Platform (CBP) is the tub of the FRES and is the same for all vehicle variants. The tub meets the requirements of the British Army with regard to ballistic protection and mine safety, which, according to General Dynamics, should be at the level of the Mastiff (about 8 kg TNT under the tub). The vehicle has seven rollers on each side and uses a conventional torsion bar suspension with hydraulic dampers and end stops. As track the DST to the 1028 Warrior / Marder , or 464 of the DLT IFV Puma be used. Both are developed by Diehl and are manufactured under license by Cook Defense Systems in Great Britain. The steering gearbox HSWL 256B with electrohydraulic adaptive control from Renk is installed transversely in front of the driver and is also taken over by the Puma armored personnel carrier. The 8-cylinder MTU diesel engine 8V-199 has an output of 600 kW (816 hp) and gives the vehicle sufficient mobility by British standards. The engine is to the right of the driver, the steering gearbox is installed across in front of him. The Vetronic should consist of a bus system with plug-and-play properties , which corresponds to the Vetronics Infrastructure for Video Over Ethernet (VIVOE) standard of the British armed forces. INTEGRITY RTOS from Green Hills Software was selected as the operating system for all four mission-critical computers, which will run on multi-core processors of the Intel Core i5 and Core i7 types . The architecture supports all critical subsystems such as driver controls, defense and navigation systems, friend-foe recognition and displays. The weight limit of the CBP is 42 tons.

Versions

Scout

The Scout version is designed according to the ideas of the TRACER program and is intended to combine the tasks of a reconnaissance tank with those of an advanced observer. The vehicle is to be equipped with the TRACER's 40 mm CTA cannon , which is installed in a modified Rheinmetall Lance turret. This is manned and has a turntable diameter of 1.7 m. Lockheed Martin UK will integrate the tower systems. The vision systems for the commander and the shooter are supplied by Thales. The commander's vision system is based on the Thales Orion, covers 360 ° and has a built-in thermal imaging device in the megapixel range. The Wide Area Search And Detect (WASAD) capability is designed to automatically detect and track targets based on their heat radiation, and warn the crew. The vision system also contains 2 HDTV color cameras for large-scale surveillance or precise identification. The vision system can also be upgraded with a laser target illuminator to direct laser-guided ammunition into targets. The shooter's vision system should consist of a color camera and an optical channel. Both fully stabilized systems make the Scout Hunter / Killer capable. According to General Dynamics, the vehicle should also be able to locate targets acoustically. The data is transmitted over an Ethernet with 20 Gb / s. Data (pictures, films) can be stored in mass storage devices with a capacity of 6 terabytes. The information can also be sent to other units on the battlefield in real time. The Scout is equipped with an auxiliary power unit to increase stamina in the position. The target weight is 34 tons.

Protected Mobility

Armored personnel carrier for the infantry, similar to the Namer . Should be equipped with a remote controlled weapon station and transport 8 soldiers in the rear. Is intended as a replacement for the FV103 Spartan.

Repair / recovery

Intended as a recovery vehicle to replace the FV106 Samson. The exact equipment is not yet known.

Web links

Commons : Future Rapid Effect System  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. a b Foss & Sarson, p. 5
  2. ^ Foss & Sarson, p. 8th
  3. ^ Foss & Sarson, p. 9
  4. March 22nd 2010 - General Dynamics UK team awarded contract to deliver Specialist Vehicle for British Army ( Memento of the original from March 25, 2010 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.  @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.generaldynamics.uk.com
  5. a b DSEi 2011: GD UK unveils first Scout SV ( memento of the original from July 23, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.  @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.shephardmedia.com
  6. MoD News Article: MOD signs contract for new armored vehicle
  7. ^ Army Guide - GD UK Successfully Tests ASCOD SV Armor System
  8. General Dynamics UK - UK Scout SV turret undergoes live firing tests five months ahead of schedule ( Memento of the original from December 28, 2011 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.  @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.generaldynamics.uk.com
  9. GDLS: June 11th 2012 - Mobile Test Rig for Specialist Vehicle program rolls out for start of testing ( Memento of the original from July 27, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.  @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.generaldynamics.uk.com
  10. General Dynamics UK Selects Green Hills Software for British Army's Specialist Vehicle Program
  11. ^ Army Guide - General Dynamics UK cements Lockheed Martin UK's position in Scout team
  12. Army Guide - LANCE
  13. DSEi 2011: Thales shows optronics products
  14. Thales - Thales selected for Scout SV sights  ( page no longer available , search in web archivesInfo: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.@1@ 2Template: Dead Link / www.thalesgroup.com  
  15. General Dynamics - Scout SV - Tonnes of capability ( Memento of the original from September 7, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.  @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.generaldynamics.uk.com