March 5, 2024 | International, C4ISR
Elbit Systems subsidiary to supply shot-spotting sensors in Africa
A combination of electro-optical and acoustic sensors helps pinpoint the origin of weapons fire and explosions as far as 6 miles away.
January 30, 2019 | International, Naval, Land
The Marine Corps wants three types of amphib vehicles ― including one with a 30mm cannon
By: Todd South
The Marine Corps is looking to plus up the firepower aboard its new amphibious combat vehicle with a 30mm cannon.
Officials with Marine Corps Systems Command posted a request for information on the government website FedBizOpps on Monday. The ACV will replace the aging assault amphibious vehicle, which entered service in the early 1970s.
The Marines want three variants of the ACV ― a command and control configuration, a recovery and maintenance setup and ACVs with 30mm medium-caliber cannons.
The older AAV had space for a 40mm grenade launcher, but in direct vehicle-on-vehicle fighting the 30mm cannon offers fast, high-volume direct fire.
BAE Systems was selected in 2018 to produce the ACV, which is expected to reach initial operational capability by fiscal year 2020. The company has built amphib vehicles for the military since 1941.
The ACV is a chief “connector” from ship to shore for Marine amphibious operations. it will include mine resistant ambush protected-level armor, and able to “negotiate two-foot significant wave height and four-foot plunging surf,” according to Program Executive Office-Land Systems.
The 30mm-cannon arming follows suit with making existing and future ground combat vehicles more lethal. The Army began upgunning its Stryker vehicles with a 30mm cannon, replacing its twin .50-caliber machine guns.
In 2018, the Army also put in place the common remotely operated weapon station for the Javelin missile on the Stryker, keeping soldiers inside the vehicle when firing the missile.
Those upgrades began first in Germany as a counter to increased capabilities in the Russian ground formations.
The Marines have also started upgrading their light armored vehicle, also a decades-old platform, to include a better powerpack, drive train and digitized instrument panels.
Late last year the Corps was still only looking at two ACV variants, according to official postings: the turreted assault vehicle and the command and control version.
At the annual Modern Day Marine Military Expo at Quantico, Virginia, John Swift, program director for BAE's amphibious vehicles, told Marine Corps Times that they expect to have 30 vehicles built by the end of summer 2019 to go through testing and modifications as the Corps decides the composition of the ACV fleet. Those will be basic testing platforms.
This most recent posting gives some indications of what the Corps needs.
Most recently the Corps was asking for 704 ACVs when full production begins in 2022. Those are expected to be done within six years.
And a previously ongoing contract with another company to perform survivability upgrades on an estimated 392 AAVs was cancelled last year in a move of funding from that program to more rapid modernization priorities.
The legacy AAV is a tracked vehicle, while its replacement will be an eight-wheel vehicle.
On the same subject
-
-
January 28, 2021 | International, Land
Kenya orders 118 armored vehicles from Turkey
By: Burak Ege Bekdil ANKARA, Turkey — Kenya's military has ordered 118 four-wheel drive personnel carriers from Turkish armored vehicles manufacturer Katmerciler. Kenya Defence Forces spokesperson Col. Zipporah Kioko told local press that the Ministry of Defence is finalizing the deal for the mine-resistant, ambush-protected Hizir vehicles through Turkey's Export Credit Agency. “The Hizirs will provide the Kenyan troops protective mobility wherever they are deployed,” a Katmerciler official said. Kenya's military will primarily deploy the Hizir vehicles for counterterror operations against the al-Shabab militant group. The company official declined to comment on how soon the contract would be finalized, but a Turkish procurement source said the deal should be inked in a matter of weeks, if not days. The procurement source put the price of the contract at “nearly €60 million” (U.S. $73 million). Last month, Turkey and Tunisia signed a $150 million deal for the sale of scores of Turkish-made defense equipment, including BMC's Kirpi MRAP vehicles and Nurol's Ejder Yalcin four-wheel drive armored combat vehicles. “The deal augments the penetration into the African market of Turkish armored vehicles,” the Turkish procurement official said. Sources said Katmerciler defeated South African and North American rivals for the Kenyan contract. The Katmerciler official said the Hizir has a proven track record in Syria, where Turkish forces operate and face similar threats as Kenyan troops face along the border with Somalia. Tested in the Netherlands and certified by NATO, the Hizir can be used in various configurations, such as combat; command and control; chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear defense; weapon carrier; ambulance; border security; and reconnaissance. The vehicle is fitted with Turkish company Aselsan's Stabilized Advanced Remote Weapon Platform, which can be installed on tactical vehicles, fixed surveillance posts, towers and critical infrastructure. Depending on the operational requirements, remote weapon platform can be equipped with a 12.7mm machine gun, a 40mm automatic grenade launcher or a 7.62mm machine gun. The turret has advanced capabilities and options such as a fire-on-the-move capability, day and night imaging, automatic target tracking, laser range finder for accurate ballistics, last-round warning, and manual backup. The vehicle, which can carry up to nine personnel, is also equipped with a smoke grenade launcher on the top of the vehicle. It is designed on a V-hull monocoque chassis to increase vehicle and crew survivability by deflecting an upward directed blast — such as from a landmine or improvised explosive device — away from the vehicle. https://www.defensenews.com/land/2021/01/27/kenya-orders-118-armored-vehicles-from-turkey
-
February 4, 2024 | International, Land
Lockheed Martin chosen to lead OSA study for NATO NGRC - Skies Mag
While the RCAF is closely monitoring U.S. Army programs, it has observer status to the European effort to develop a next generation tactical helicopter.