ABERDEEN PROVING GROUND, Md. (Aug. 4, 2014) -- Leading experts in
military combat-vehicle research, engineering and design gathered July
29-31 to discuss a single goal: reducing the weight of the Army's tanks
and infantry fighting vehicles by 40 percent in the coming decades.
Representatives from the U.S. Army Research, Development and Engineering
Command as well as the Training and Doctrine Command kicked off the
Combat Vehicle Lightweight Science and Technology Campaign Workshop,
with presentations to about 75 attendees from across the federal
government, academia and industry.
Col. Chris Cross, director of the Science and Technology Division at the
Army Capabilities Integration Center, explained why it is imperative
for researchers to lighten combat vehicles.
"The problem is the ability to deploy rapidly to turn the tide, to
transition very quickly into offensive operations in a very austere
environment. The world is complicated and getting more complicated every
day," Cross said. "In order to be more relevant to the nation, we have
to be more rapidly deployable.
"As events unfold, they are unfolding more quickly than in the past. If
we don't have the ability as an Army to get there rapidly, with a
significant-enough force to turn the tide of events, we may get there
too late."
RDECOM leaders stressed that achieving the Army's aggressive goals in
weight reduction will require non-traditional approaches and new ideas
from throughout the science and technology community.
Dr. Patrick Baker, director of the Army Research Laboratory's Weapons
and Materials Research Directorate, said that a holistic approach will
be necessary. Researchers must work on materials science, mechanisms,
modeling and simulation, and manufacturing technology in parallel.
"How can materials foster a significantly lighter class of combat
platforms? We're going to have to do something different to get the
advances that we need to make this happen," Baker said. "We won't do
this alone. We're going to have to engage and participate with the
outside community."
Most previous efforts to lighten Army vehicles have focused on
overcoming weaknesses in existing materials, but researchers are now
developing revolutionary laboratory materials with potentially
extraordinary properties, Baker said.
As new materials come to fruition, the scientists and engineers must
also incorporate manufacturing science to enable tailored properties.
The Army has fielded stronger helmets and demonstrated lighter body
armor by leveraging advanced manufacturing technology with laboratory
research, Baker said.
"It's not about fixing the materials of today. It's about what materials
we will need tomorrow," Baker said. "We're putting out materials now in
the lab scale that have unparalleled strength. We're looking at
manufacturing processes and material science. How do we process these
materials to be used?
"We need to learn forward. I believe we have a cornerstone program at RDECOM."
Combat-vehicle weights have increased during the past 13 years of war in
Iraq and Afghanistan because of new and increasing threats, said Dr.
Jennifer Hitchcock, executive director for research and technology
integration at the Army Tank Automotive Research, Development and
Engineering Center.
Hitchcock discussed TARDEC's current weight-reduction efforts, including
research in modular protection, lighter conventional components,
adaptive protection, under armor volume and unmanned systems. Achieving
the desired weight savings will require a strategy to integrate advanced
materials into vehicle design, she said.
"We're looking at technologies, materials, and the design and
integration of components into a vehicle," Hitchcock said. "For weight
savings, what percentage can we get from specific material applications?
Beyond those weights, what do we need to invest in terms of materials,
processes and manufacturing to get that material applied onto a system?"
Cross stressed that although developing significantly lighter weight
ground vehicles is challenging, he believes it is possible. Science and
technology leaders must make decisions so the right investments can be
made now to enable future capabilities, he said.
"What does the Army, in terms of the science and technology community,
need to do that others won't? Building lightweight strong armors is a
core competency that the Army must lead the world in," Cross said.
"That's what we owe the nation. We need to know what that plan is so the
senior leaders of the Army can make the decisions and investments
today. What is the path forward? How are we going to attack this
problem? I know we can solve this problem.
"We owe it to our Soldiers. I don't want my son commanding an inadequate
force when we put him in the fight in 15 or 20 years. We take it
personally when preparing the Army for the future. That means investing
now in the capabilities we need so that in 2040, Soldiers have the
agility, the capability and the assets they need to be successful when
the nation calls."
By Dan Lafontaine, RDECOM Public Affairs
http://www.army.mil/article/131126/Researchers_focus_on_reducing_weight_of_Army_combat_vehicles/
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