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	Director, Operational Test & Evaluation
FY97 Annual Report

ADVANCED AMPHIBIOUS ASSAULT VEHICLE (AAAV)

	USMC ACAT ID Program 1013 systems Total program cost (TY$) $7,501M Average unit cost (TY$) $6.63M Full-rate production 2QFY06 Prime Contractor General Dynamics Amphibious Systems Woodbridge, VA

SYSTEM DESCRIPTION & CONTRIBUTION TO JOINT VISION 2010

The AAAV is a high water-speed amphibious armored personnel carrier to replace the current family of Marine Corps assault amphibians, the AAV7A1 series. An operationally configured AAAV will weigh about 37 tons, be able to carry 17 combat-equipped Marines and a crew of 3 over 3 ft. high waves at 25 kts., and travel over land at 45 mph. Armed with a medium-caliber machine gun and a cannon of 25-35 mm, the AAAV will use GPS, a forward-looking infrared radar, and a night vision system for navigation, targeting, and intelligence gathering.

The AAAV force will provide a tactical assault and sustainment capability for Marines of the Marine Air-Ground Task Force (MAGTF). From amphibious ships standing well offshore-even over the horizon-from the objective, the AAAV will rapidly transport the landing force over the beachhead to an objective ashore, using maneuver and speed, plus on-board firepower to achieve superiority over enemy forces. Once ashore, the AAAV will serve as an infantry fighting vehicle, providing transportation, protection, direct fire support and command, control and communications (C3I) for the Marines.

The AAAV must operate in all climates, over all terrain, and in all weather and lighting conditions. At sea, it must achieve a water speed of 20 knots in 3-ft significant wave height and cross a surf zone characterized by up to 8-ft plunging surf. The 20-knot water speed is significantly greater than the 7-knot speed provided by the current AAV7A1 amphibious tractor. This will allow the surface component of the landing force to be launched from over-the-horizon (approximately 25 nautical miles (nm)) rather than the 1-2 nm in current practice. The higher water speed reduces the at-sea assault transit time to less than 1 hour, which is predicted to be the maximum human endurance. Increasing the distance from the amphibious task force (ATF) to the shore is expected to give the ATF a better opportunity to use active and passive defensive systems against air and surface fired weapons and reduce ATF exposure to sea mines. The increased standoff is also expected to help the landing force gain tactical surprise.

High water speed requires minimal hydrodynamic drag; to accomplish this, the AAAV will retract its tracks and suspension system and deploy cover plates on its underside to present a smooth surface. Thus, while in the water and traveling at high speed, the AAAV will be a planing hull craft. When the AAAV approaches to 10 to 12 ft of water depth at the shore, it will reduce speed to come off plane, retract the cover plates, lower the suspension and tracks, and travel the remaining distance to the shore at a speed of approximately 8 to 10 knots.

Once ashore, the Marine Corps will use the AAAV(P) as a tracked infantry fighting vehicle to accomplish dominant maneuver and precision engagement; as such, the 17 infantrymen carried inside will typically dismount to fight. The crew will use the AAAV(P)'s primary and secondary weapon (predicted to be a 25-35mm cannon and 7.62mm coaxial mounted machine-gun, respectively, with fully stabilized turret and forward looking infrared optics) to support the infantry and armor combat elements.

The AAAV's land mobility characteristics must be comparable to the Marine Corps' M1A1 Abrams main battle tank. This requires a top speed of approximately 45 miles per hour, the capability to traverse the same terrain at the same speed as the tank during cross-country operations, and the capability to cross the same obstacles and terrain features (for example, trenches, hills, walls, and soft soils) as the tank.

The AAAV will provide the principal means of water mobility, land mobility, and direct fire support to Marine Corps infantry units to accomplish dominant maneuver and precision engagement. In the future, the Marine Corps intends to use Landing Craft Air Cushion (LCAC) and AAAVs to land the surface-landed component of the landing force and the V-22 OSPREY and CH-53E rotorcraft to land the air-landed component.

Using technology demonstration hardware, the contractor is conducting proof-of-concept testing at several locations. An 80% scale hydrodynamic test rig is being used to characterize water-borne and transition mode power requirements, maneuverability, stability, and structural loading. A waterjet test rig mounted on an AAAV-size boat is exploring thrust and power design issues and alternatives. A 25% scale radio-controlled waterjet-powered craft is being used to evaluate design stability and control issues in calm and rough water. A weapon station prototype is being used to test the weapon sighting, stabilization, and fire control design concept.

No operational testing was conducted during FY97. In accordance with the last TEMP approval, a TEMP update is occurring using the IPT process.

The AAAV OT&E program is involving operational testers early in conceptual design with considerable success. In two pre-milestone I EOAs, MCOTEA made good suggestions in such areas as human factors, interoperability, maintainability and C3I of the program and potential designs extremely early in the program. Three more EOAs are planned before entry into engineering and manufacturing development, using fairly realistic concept demonstration vehicles. In addition, as the virtual design evolves at the contractor's facility, Marines from the Fleet Marine Forces are being brought in by the PM to participate in man-in-the-loop simulations. These "User Juries" are having considerable impact on the concept demonstrator design.

The AAAV program is relatively long; as a result, many opportunities exist for a variety of innovative OT&E activities. The program plans to make good use of them.

In an intense environment of acquisition reform, a program with very limited financial resources can effectively use early OT&E involvement to improve the design of the product, to the ultimate benefit of the operational user.