News

2021-02-07

U.S. Army’s NGCV Programme on Track

Combat vehicle modernisation is a top and critical priority for many countries.

The United States is no exception. Refusing to be deterred by the apparent failure of two major efforts to modernise into a lighter, more agile and more capable ground combat force, the U.S. Army began the current upgradation effort in 2017.

In both the cases, it was reported that missteps led to significant problems with the development and acquisition efforts and their eventual cancellations.

The stated goal of the U.S. Army’s Next-Generation Combat Vehicle (NGCV) programme is to procure a variety of armoured vehicles to add new capabilities to Army units and replace existing platforms that are nearing the end of their service life.

Most of the current U.S. Army ground combat vehicles were actually developed in the 1980s or even earlier. Efforts to replace some of these systems failed even after spending around US$23 billion.

The four efforts within the NGCV portfolio prioritise rapid development, while using different acquisition approaches and contracting strategies. Some efforts use the new middle-tier acquisition method, which enables rapid development by exempting programmes from many existing DOD acquisition processes and policies.

Similarly, the efforts also use contracting strategies that include both traditional contract types as well as more flexible means to enable rapid development of technology and designs.

The primary classes of ground combat vehicle in the U.S Army’s present fleet, some of which have been in service for decades, include the

• M113 armoured personnel carrier,

• Bradley M2 infantry fighting vehicle, and

• Abrams M1 main battle tank.

Over the years, the Army has upgraded these vehicles with better technologies, including new communications systems, heavier armour, and more powerful engines.

While it is true that the original systems were designed with a margin for additional space, weight, and power to accommodate improved versions, the accumulation of the upgrades has consumed much of this margin.

The fleet of ground combat vehicles, therefore, faces increasing constraints on its ability to modernise, owing to lack of available vehicle space, weight and power.

It is in response to such restricted ability to upgrade the vehicles in the ground combat fleet that the U.S. Army has begun to take steps to develop the NGCV portfolio to replace and extend this fleet. The vehicles currently in the portfolio include the

• Armoured Multi-Purpose Vehicle (AMPV), replacement for the M113;

• Mobile Protected Firepower (MPF), a light tank to support infantry;

• Optionally Manned Fighting Vehicle (OMFV), replacement for Bradley with additional capabilities; and

• Robotic Combat Vehicle (RCV), a new capability to supplement existing vehicles.

In the fall of 2017, the Army identified near-term priorities and realigned over US$1 billion in science and technology funding for long-term modernisation to support efforts with a 5-year budget of approximately US$7.5 billion. The deadline of the projects is expected to be 2035.

GenNext AMPV

The Armoured Multi-Purpose Vehicle (AMPV) is a family of next generation, highly survivable vehicles essential to the future of the U.S. Army. The AMPV programme follows the major capability acquisition approach.

In January 2019, the programme reported that it exercised a Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) based, fixed-price incentive option for initial production. The Army initiated AMPV prior to the creation of the middle-tier acquisition pathway. Nonetheless, the Army prioritised rapid development on AMPV by constraining development to 5 years, in line with leading practices.

The AMPV is the U.S. Army’s programme to replace the Vietnam War-era and legacy M113 Family of Vehicles. The programme is essential to the future of the Armoured Brigade Combat Team (ABCT) and will fulfill the Army’s strategy of protection, mobility, reliability and interoperability. Subsequently, the AMPV will be integrated with the ABCT and is required to operate alongside the M1 Abrams tank and the M2 Bradley.

As the Army has identified the AMPV as its top priority for the safety and survivability of soldiers, it meets tough protection requirements. The AMPV leverages aspects of the Bradley Infantry Fighting Vehicle and M109A7 self-propelled howitzer, furthering commonality in the ABCT fleet.

The U.S. Army and BAE Systems are in low-rate production of the five AMPV variants. The variants include a general purpose vehicle for troop transport, along with mission command, mortar carrier, medical evacuation and medical treatment versions. AMPV is a low-risk and cost-effective solution that swiftly delivers continued combat overmatch capability.

The initial options exercised for production included roughly 300 vehicles at a cost of over US$800 million. AMPV is scheduled to enter full-rate production in March 2022.

Mobile Protected Firepower

The Mobile Protected Firepower (MPF) programme uses the middle-tier rapid prototyping pathway. The programme originally planned to follow the major capability acquisition pathway but, in September 2018, shifted to a middle-tier acquisition pathway to enable rapid prototyping and prioritise getting to production and timely delivery of capability to the field.

To begin system development under the middle-tier rapid prototyping pathway, in December 2018, MPF awarded two FAR-based, firm-fixed-price development contracts, each valued at over US$300 million, with fixed-price incentive options for low-rate initial production.

The contractors BAE Systems and General Dynamics Land Systems (GDLS) have a 5-year time frame for rapid prototyping.

BAE Systems’ solution combines new technology with capability to provide the Infantry Brigade Combat Team (IBCT) with a highly agile, armour-protected platform that delivers overwhelming firepower for use across the spectrum of terrains and operations. Under the contract, one of two awarded ahead of the Government’s down-select to a final contractor, BAE Systems will produce 12 prototype vehicles during the EMD phase.

The BAE Systems MPF is the result of over 30 years of research and development for an optimised, rapidly deployable, light combat vehicle designed precisely to support light infantry.

The vehicle leverages investments the Army made in the M8 Armoured Gun System, including proven technologies like the M35 105mm cannon, and an auto-loading ammunition system that allows the gun to fire at a rate of 12 rounds per minute.

The roll-out powerpack design allows easy access to the engine and transmission without heavy equipment. It integrates scalable armour and innovative survivability subsystems to protect the vehicle and crew from threats on the future battlefield. The vehicle employs situational awareness systems contributing to the highest levels of survivability and crew protection. The design of the General Dynamics MPF light tank is conventional with the driver and engine at the front, and the turret at the rear of the hull.

The turret architecture is based on the M1 Abrams tank using the M1A2 Sep V3 fire control system and CITV (Commander’s Independent Thermal Viewer) armed with one 105 mm cannon. A 12.7mm heavy machine gun is mounted on the commander hatch.

The turret has a crew of three comprising commander, gunner and loader. Interestingly, the U.S Army, like the German army (Bundeswehr), prefers a 4-man crew based on an operational observation: there are numerous tasks that require four people, like maintenance and guard duties.

The General Dynamics MPF tank is motorised with a Diesel engine. The turbine solution used on the Abrams MBT hasn’t been retained.

The Army plans to transition MPF to the major capability acquisition pathway in June 2022 for initial production.

OMFV Programme

The Optionally Manned Fighting Vehicle (OMFV) programme had planned to use the middle-tier rapid prototyping pathway and award two FAR-based, firm-fixed-price development contracts for the rapid prototyping effort in March 2020, but the solicitation has been halted.

In September 2018, the programme initiated system development to prioritise timely delivery of capability to the field. Under this approach, a March 2019 request for proposals included flexibility in requirements to achieve the programme’s goals within the 5-year middle-tier acquisition time frame.

In January 2020, the Army cancelled the request for proposals. As per the Army’s press release announcing the cancellation, “a combination of requirements and schedule overwhelmed industry’s ability to respond within the Army’s timeline.”

Programme officials stated that they cancelled the solicitation because proposing vendors faced difficulty meeting the aggressive OMFV schedule, and the programme office and requirements developers may have misjudged the contractors’ ability to integrate the desired technology within 5 years. The Army subsequently conducted additional market research to develop an updated plan.

On April 9, 2020, the Army provided new OMFV programme guidance to industry featuring a five-phased approach to acquisition as well as a pledge to “reduce foreign barriers to competition,” and “identify a pathway to integrate relevant but immature technologies” into the programme. The Army requested US$327.732 million in Research, Development, Test, and Evaluation (RDT&E) funding for the OMFV programme in its FY2021 budget request.

The Army’s plan is to choose five vendors for the original equipment manufacturer position, while selecting five separate contractors interested in developing subcomponents. Three of the five vendors would move on to produce a “Detailed Digital Design” similar to a Critical Design Review (CDR).

Two vendors will then be funded to build physical prototypes. After that, the Army will choose a single prime contractor and move the “characteristics” into a requirements document. The Army would, at that point, decide whether to move the programme from a Middle-Tier Acquisition Authority to a Federal Acquisition Regulation-based contract and solidify a timeline.

Brig. Gen. Ross Coffman, director of the Next Generation Combat Vehicles Cross-Functional Team stated: “We want the best in the hands of our Soldiers, because when our nation calls, our women and men will stand ready. As long as we give them the right orders, the right mission and the right equipment, they will, as always, be successful.”

According to him, up to five contracts will be awarded in June as part of that effort, followed by a second competitive RFP for a detailed design about a year and a half later.

The request is slated to ask for concept designs of the OMFV that will transform the way infantry Soldiers and manoeuvre formations fight on a battlefield.

The Army plans to field the OMFV to both active and National Guard armoured brigade combat teams starting in fiscal year 2028.

Lt. Gen. James Pasquarette, the Army’s G-8, indicated during a presentation in May that about US$4.6 billion has been invested in the programme from fiscal 2020-2026.

Survivability will be the primary characteristic of the OMFV, so it can fight through an enemy security zone while protecting the infantry Soldiers inside.

Other characteristics include mobility, growth, lethality, weight, logistics, transportability, manning and training. Granularity will be added to some of those characteristics in the request, according to Coffman.

While pushing through a security zone, the OMFV may face tanks, helicopters, artillery and other fighting vehicles. “It needs to be able to defeat those capabilities or else we can’t get through the security zone,” he said.

The general added the solution does not have to be a single platform. It could be a battalion-level formation of vehicles with a variety of weapon systems. If up against a near-peer adversary, Coffman said he expects the OMFV will have to fight off more advanced threats on the battlefield.

To do that, it may require a larger magazine depth, the speed to engage faster, and a gunner’s control unit that can handle multiple targets at the same time, he said.

Any platform that the Army decides to develop will need to be one step ahead of the enemy.

“We cannot modernise to parity,” he pointed out. “We must modernise for overmatch and that’s got to be our focus. Anything less is unacceptable.”

The OMFV, which will replace the Bradley Fighting Vehicle, is set to be fielded in both active and National Guard armoured brigade combat teams from 2028.

Robotic Combat Vehicle Effort

The Robotic Combat Vehicle (RCV) effort, according to Army officials, is employing other transaction agreements to conduct experiments to determine the availability and maturity of technologies and the validity of operating concepts.

The outcome of these experiments will be used to determine whether an acquisition programme is feasible, with plans for three vehicle variants—light, medium, and a heavy variant.

As RCV is not yet a programme of record, no acquisition approach has been selected. According to technology development officials, the Army is conducting RCV technology demonstration activities under two consortium-based other transaction agreements, awarded in August 2018 and February 2019 and worth roughly US$1 million, rather than a FAR-based contracting strategy because of the flexibility it offers.

Technology demonstrations help because rather than waiting until they initiate a formal programme of record, army officials can gain knowledge about the feasibility of RCV and “fail fast” or succeed and proceed into a formal acquisition programme with more mature concepts.

As per Army officials, in March 2020, the Army competitively awarded two contractors additional consortium-based other transaction agreements.

QinetiQ North America received an award to build four RCV-light prototypes and Textron received contract to build four RCV-medium prototypes. Army officials stated that clauses within these other transaction agreements preclude them from proceeding directly into production without further competition.

The Army accepted delivery of its first Robotic Combat Vehicle-Light (RCV-L) from QinetiQ Inc. and Pratt Miller Defense in early November, the first of the four systems the service plans on testing in the coming months.

The QinetiQ- Pratt Miller RCV-L is a purpose-built hybrid-electric unmanned ground combat vehicle (UGCV) integrating technology from both organisations. Based on Pratt Miller’s Expeditionary Autonomous Modular Vehicle (EMAV) platform, the RCV-L is, essentially, a robotic weapons turret on treads.

Textron Systems, a business of Textron Inc., its Howe & Howe subsidiary and FLIR Systems, Inc. debuted the Ripsaw M5 during the 2019 AUSA Annual Meeting. As the Team Ripsaw offering for the U.S. Army’s programme, Ripsaw M5 delivers aggressive mobility and modularity for multiple missions. This combination, along with teammates having decades of robotics and unmanned systems experience, results in a low-risk, ready-now solution.

Team Ripsaw has designed the M5 for high speed and greater mobility in the most rugged terrains and weather. This fifth-generation robotic combat vehicle platform combines scalable armour, suspension and drive options to meet mission demands. The team has invested in key technologies to demonstrate that the Ripsaw M5 is mission ready to provide the U.S. Army confident execution with uncompromising technology, including situational awareness systems, remote weapons stations and terrain engagement systems.

Networking Capabilities

The Army approach to rapid prototyping under the middle-tier acquisition approach relies on technologies that have not been demonstrated in an operational environment, to meet requirements due to the aggressive schedules for these programmes.

The Army evaluated the maturity of technologies included in proposed designs for MPF through an independent technology readiness assessment by the Office of the Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Army for Research and Technology. This assessment found that the proposed designs for MPF included technologies that were demonstrated in a relevant environment.

In its report to Congress on middle-tier acquisition programmes, the Office of the Under Secretary for Defence for Acquisition and Sustainment indicated that the least mature technology for OMFV had only been demonstrated at the component level in a laboratory environment. Such a level of maturity would need significant additional development before it could be incorporated into a weapon system.

Networking is an important capability for the Next Generation Combat Vehicles portfolio not only for secure communications and sharing of information, but also control of autonomous or semi-autonomous vehicles that may eventually be incorporated into operational ground forces.

Past modernisation efforts failed, in part, due to challenges maturing networking capabilities. Networked communication is key to connecting the vehicles, and collecting and processing sensor data.

Leading practices for knowledge-based acquisitions state that each of the critical technologies should be demonstrated in an operational or realistic environment—not merely in a relevant environment—prior to their incorporation into a system design so to ensure that they work perfectly as intended for the end-user.

Demonstrating that each technology operates as intended in an operational environment demonstrates their individual technological maturity and cuts risks associated with integrating them into weapons systems.

Reference Text/Photo:www.textronsystems.com,www.army.mil,www.qinetiq.com,www.gdls.com,www.baesystems.com