Solider Survivability Highlighted at 24th Army Science Conference

By Ashley John
U.S. Army Tank-Automotive Research, Development and Engineering Center

WARREN, MICH. -- The U.S. Army Tank-Automotive Research, Development and Engineering Center, the nation's laboratory for advanced military technology, demonstrated various state-of-the-art technologies at the 24th Army Science Conference held in Orlando, Fla.

TARDEC, headquartered at the Detroit Arsenal in Warren, Mich., spearheads vehicle technology support to Soldiers and Operations Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom.

In August 2003, enemy tactics in Iraq changed. The enemy began using more improvised explosive devices (IEDs) to injure and kill coalition troops. Responding to an operational need statement from Central Command, TARDEC and the Army Research Laboratory developed the HMMWV Armor Survivability Kit.

Highlighted at Army Science Conference, the ASK HMMWV is able to protect drivers and passengers of from small arms or explosive device fragments. The ASK is composed of add-on armor doors, rocker panels, back plate, ballistic windshield and door glass, and an add-on air conditioning unit. TARDEC developed, tested and fielded the ballistic glass window, which can be opened and used as a firing port, giving Soldiers increased protection and firing capabilities. To date, more than 9,400 kits have been fielded in Iraq and Afghanistan. These kits have proven to be enormously successful in saving lives and limiting injury to Soldiers and the program was recently awarded the 2004 Research and Development Laboratory Collaborative Team of the Year.

1st Sgt. Michael D. Brown of the First Calvary Division has been stationed in Iraq since March 2004. In August, Brown's HMMWV was outfitted with an ASK. During a mission about a month later, Brown's convoy was ambushed. After Brown's HMMWV took multiple hits, he stated the ASK saved his life. "The protection of the armored doors and the ballistic glass windows that all worked so hard to design, develop, and install is a great achievement that speaks volumes to the industry and the hard work you do contributing to our ongoing fight against terrorism."

To help defeat rocket-propelled-grenade threats, TARDEC survivability engineers have paired the ASK with TARDEC's Full Spectrum Active Protection Close in Layered Shield (FCLAS) Science and Technology Objective (STO)-- a developmental short range active protection system applicable to ground and tactical combat vehicles.

This near-term technology seeks to provide essential timing, tracking, accuracy, miss distance, and defeat capabilities, while enclosing technologies into a smoke tube launcher ultimately increasing combat effectiveness and enhanced crew protection.

A fully functional FCLAS system will consist of three components: the countermunition, launcher, and system controller. The countermunition searches for, tracks and intercepts incoming threats. The launcher is a flexible design and has the ability to be adapted to meet the needs of each platform that utilizes FCLAS. The system controller maintains central control over the FCLAS launchers and countemunitions. FCLAS can be easily integrated onto any vehicle platform-coupled with armor it will provide robust protection against the RPG.

Showcasing a rapid prototype response to PM-Stryker and PM-BCOTM, TARDEC also displayed the Stryker Battle Command on the move (BCOTM) vehicle. This pre-production prototype provides an upgraded Soldier friendly mobile command post that exemplifies that latest radios, computers and networking components.

Soldiers and Army leadership were extremely impressed to see that TARDEC took comfort into consideration while designing the interior layout of the Stryker. For ease of egress, the center isle was left as wide as possible, and was flanked by four comfortably padded, commercial-of-the-shelf (COTS) bucket seats that are arranged in a 2x2 configuration. The COTS seats are mounted on stainless steal wire shocks and are upholstered with fireproof cloth allowing for maximum safety and comfort.

Additionally, the shock mounts provide relief from rough terrain and also provide the Soldier with improved protection if the vehicle is hit by a mine or an IED. Currently, PM-Stryker is evaluating TARDEC's Stryker BCOTM design for future production and for Air Force Forward Air Controller vehicle options.

TARDEC also demonstrated the Omni-Directional Inspection System (ODIS) robot, which is keeping Soldiers deployed in Iraq and Afghanistan out of harms way. ODIS is a remote-controllable (tele-operated) robotic vehicle inspection system. ODIS provides Soldiers with a clear view of the underside of a vehicle, but more importantly, OIDS provides standoff inspection capability.

Currently, ODIS is making its rounds in the United States and abroad. In mid-August, an ODIS was loaned to the Capitol Police Bomb Squad Hazardous Materials Unit in Washington, D.C. to perform reconnaissance on vehicles and other suspicious devices. Concurrently, ODIS is being operated by the Center of International Trade in Long Beach, Calif., where approximately 30 percent of all U.S. imports travel through. A series of evaluations are planned with port authorities, the Marine Corps and the U.S. Army Stryker Brigades currently deployed to see how ODIS will improve security at military and commercial marine cargo facilities.

Another innovative robotic solution to keep Soldiers safe is providing explosive ordnance disposal units with the ability to mount and use a Percussion Actuated Non-electric (PAN) disrupter from a TALON robot-giving a standoff capability during IED diffusion. A result of a TARDEC SBIR agreement with Foster Miller, more than 20 PAN mounting brackets have been shipped to Iraq and are being distributed to Army and Marine Corps EOD units as they bring their robots in for maintenance. TARDEC, through in-country liaison officers, is monitoring the distribution and gathering user feedback for future program development.

While providing timely and state-of-the-art survivability programs, TARDEC continuous to focus its technological initiatives on the current and unit of action vehicle development.

RDECOM Magazine, January 2005