General Dynamics / USMC AAAV MTU Engine Successfully Completes 1,000 Hour Durability Test
STERLING HEIGHTS, Mich. -- The DaimlerChrysler MTU Engine to be used in the General Dynamics-built Advanced Amphibious Assault Vehicle (AAAV) for the USMC has successfully completed a 1,000 hour test in Friedrichshafen, Germany.
The seven-month test was performed by MTU personnel in Germany with periodic audits by Marine Corps and General Dynamics Amphibious Systems representatives.
"The AAAV MTU engine proved its durability and maintained specification performance for output power, and fuel and oil consumption," said John W. Wosina, General Dynamics Land Systems vice president of Amphibious Systems. "The successful completion of the engine durability test validates the maturity of the design. No other ground combat vehicle has been subjected to a test of this magnitude. Successful development of such a high power/high efficiency engine was considered to be one of the highest technical and cost risks at the onset of the AAAV program. The completion of this 1,000-hour test takes that risk off the table. Our final design efforts will now focus on reducing the engine life cycle cost."
The MTU engine is a 12-cylinder diesel with a total displacement of 27 litres. The engine incorporates a state-of-the-art high pressure, common rail fuel injection system and sequential turbocharging. The engine is capable of producing 635 kW in land mode and 2,016 kW in sea mode.
The AAAV is a self-deploying high water speed, fully tracked, nuclear, biological and chemical protected armored amphibious personnel carrier. A variant will function as a tactical command post.
The AAAV will provide immediate, high-speed maneuver of Marine infantry as they emerge from attack positions aboard ships located beyond the visual horizon to attack and seize inland objectives. The AAAV will skim the ocean surface at speeds up to 25 knots, then transition to land mode for ground travel at 45 mph--all while defending its embarked troops and those nearby.
Amphibious Systems is a unit of General Dynamics Land Systems, a wholly owned subsidiary of General Dynamics (NYSE: GD). General Dynamics, headquartered in Falls Church, Virginia, employs approximately 43,000 people worldwide and has annualized sales of approximately $10 billion.
The company has leading market positions in business aviation, information systems, shipbuilding and marine systems, and land and amphibious combat systems.
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Any "forward-looking statements" contained in this press release are made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995.
General Dynamics Corporation (ticker: GD, exchange: NYSE)
News Release - Tuesday, June 27, 2000
Press Contact: (703) 876-3190
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