United States Military Vehicle General: Guns, G*vins, and Gas Turbines

[Ramlaen]

Bigger pic of the StrykerQB.

 

[Renegade334]

So now we know where the AbramsX' missing PASEO went. Crafty...

And it's even painted like a quarterback's helmet...if they're tapping into sports fandom, what's next, a Shaquille O'Neal Heavy Assault Version?

[StarshipDirect]

RCV-H Mock-up 

 

[Clan_Ghost_Bear]

One more, from the Michigan Army ROTC Facebook page. Looks suspiciously like hatches on the hull front.

[BaronTibere]

I believe there is a manned module attached to the front in the second image, that is not on the vehicle in the initial head-on shot.

[Ramlaen]

Seems more like a concept for a modular tank than an unmanned vehicle.

[Ramlaen]

 

Sure looks like it's based on a Bradley.

[Ramlaen]

 

[Renegade334]

2 hours ago, Ramlaen said:

Seems more like a concept for a modular tank than an unmanned vehicle.

This is what Nicholas "The Chieftain" Moran said about it on tanknet:

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OK, I saw that one over a year ago when I was at Warren to film the M10. At the time, it was still a 'don't talk about it' design, I guess that's no longer the case. Thing's made of fiberglass. It is literally a conceptual model.

Note the hatches in the bottom photo. It is an unmanned-turret concept, similar to TTB or Armata. There's no reason it can't become an 'optionally manned' vehicle in the future, but note how in the Ronkainen twitter photo the 'front part' between the tracks and forward of the turret is missing. Looks like they just pulled that part of the module away. Not sure why they did that, they may as well add armor or whatever. Otherwise those front side plates holding the wheels together are going to have to be very thick.

 

One possibility is that that fiberglass portion of the hull was pulled out to make a separate exhibit showing the interior of the (optionally manned) crew capsule.

Not too fond of a Thunderbird 2-like, swappable fuselage/hull module concept, though. It's a promissory note for structural headaches.

 

 

[Renegade334]

So, the StrykerX was overhauled enough that it should be considered a separate type that warrants a new name. Fair enough. Name's a tad cheesy, though (why not StrykerX+ or StrykerX2?).

I wonder if we'll get to see a Dragoon variant of it -- I suppose it depends on whether it drums up enough interest after AUSA. It would, however, make for a rather tall/bulky vehicle.

[Clan_Ghost_Bear]

@Ramlaen

Looks like the Moog SHORAD package on the AMPV.

[Ramlaen]

1 hour ago, Clan_Ghost_Bear said:

@Ramlaen

Looks like the Moog SHORAD package on the AMPV.

 

This is a good platform for it.

[Ramlaen]

https://www.rheinmetall.com/en/media/news-watch/news/2023/10/2023-10-06-ausa-2023

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Rheinmetall’s world class, combat proven L52 155mm Cannon Armament integrated on the M109 Self-Propelled Howitzer System is the optimal solution for the Army’s requirement to upgrade the M109 fleet. The exceptional L52 armament currently in service in Ukraine and with eight global allied users delivers a significant increase in range, precision and lethality. Rheinmetall will further display its operationally proven suite of propellants and munitions on site at AUSA this year. These products and capabilities are closely aligned with the Army’s Long-Range Precision Fires modernization priorities. The Rheinmetall-BAE team will perform a series of live fire demonstrations of the upgraded M109-52 in 2023 and 2024. Rheinmetall will feature the systems solutions for platform, cannon, projectile and propellant technology across the artillery “eco-system” on its booth. A full-sized M109-52 prototype system will be featured on the BAE Systems booth (#925) for attendees to view throughout the show.

Technically belongs in the artillery thread but its easier to keep AUSA posts grouped.

 

 

[Ramlaen]

https://boeing.mediaroom.com/news-releases-statements?item=131337#assets_all

 

 

[Renegade334]

 

[Ramlaen]

 

[Renegade334]

[Ramlaen]

 

[Renegade334]

22 minutes ago, Ramlaen said:

 

 

At least, it looks cleaner than the Bradley-based M-SHORAD aberration from 2017:

 

 

A lot of robotics this year:

 

 

[Renegade334]

Still waiting for a peek at that M10-derived MWRV that's supposedly at Booth 6027, possibly in the form of a small model/mockup...

 

 

 

For the Army’s homecoming, GDLS comes out of the huddle with the StrykerQB

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AUSA 2023 — Contending with a much more lethal defensive line than any NFL team, General Dynamics Land Systems’ new tech demonstrator seeks to turn an eight-wheeled Stryker armored fighting vehicle into the quarterback star of land combat with robots as its teammates.

“The United States Army has got a lot of soldiers that love American football and so we said, ‘What’s in a name?’ A quarterback of the battlefield is what we’re trying to portray or visualize,” Scott Taylor, the company’s director of US business development, told Breaking Defense in an Oct. 2 interview. 

GDLS plans to display several vehicles on the Association of the United States Army conference floor this year, including its new manned StrykerQB that the company says is designed to show service leaders the “art of the possible” when it comes to using existing platforms for manned-unmanned teaming, or human-machine integration.

But instead of having one manned vehicle either leading the way or operating just a couple ground or aerial robots, the StrykerQB is configured to hold six soldiers — two operating the vehicle, one as the mission commander and three operating multiple robots at a “hub” in the back of the vehicle. So far, the company has used that tech demonstrator to control two unmanned ground vehicles and three unmanned aerial systems.

“The Army has been doing a lot of work in past years using legacy vehicles, and is trying to jam in the back of these vehicles … [with] a capability to control robots and so far, it’s been sort of on a one-to-one [or] one-vehicle-to-two robots,” he added. “We believe with investment in our next-gen electronic architecture, as well as the substantially improved power and space capabilities of the StrykerQB, that we can create multi-robotic control.”

Although GSLS showed off a similar looking Stryker X at last year’s show, they are billing the QB as a maturation of sorts over this earlier tech demonstrator, with “substantially improved” electronic architecture, artificial intelligence and a Safran sight.

“It can see great distances as well as substantially improved display screens and controllers that allow you to control more than just one robot at a time,” Taylor said. 

Although the Common Remotely Operated Weapon Station-Javelin and troop seats in the back of the vehicle have been removed, the StrykerQB remains a hybrid-electric vehicle and includes a modular open system architecture for any active protection system the Army wants integrated. 

Funded via an internal investment, Taylor said the company isn’t eyeing one specific Army requirement right now, but the team is hoping for it to be involved in upcoming service experiments in the 2024 and 2025 timeframe focused on human-machine integration.

“We do not have specific events in mind at this time, but as we continue to mature the technology of the StrykerQB and pair it with our [Tracked Robot 10-ton] TRX and [Small Multipurpose Equipment Transport] S-MET, we hope to learn more,” Taylor said.

“They’re learning how to do this human-machine integration, we think we can learn together and provide a very compelling capability,” he added. 

In the meantime, the service is continuing on its quest to prepare for the future battlefield with Army Futures Command head Gen. James Rainey eyeing ways to better integrate humans and machines. 

Some work, to date, has been with larger trucks including through the Expedient Leader Follower (ExLF) operational test demonstration that is now winding down. However, the Army is exploring other pathways forward in that arena including through a Ground Expeditionary Autonomy Retrofit Systems, or GEARS, run through the Defense Innovation Unit.

 

[Ramlaen]

 

[Ramlaen]

 

[2805662]

5 hours ago, Ramlaen said:

 

You’ve posted my tweets 

 

Big day, will get more tomorrow. 

[Ramlaen]

https://www.defensenews.com/industry/2023/10/09/oshkosh-starting-unmanned-rogue-fires-production-line-with-40m-deal/

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The U.S. Marine Corps awarded Oshkosh Defense $39.6 million to begin production of its ROGUE Fires unmanned missile launcher, following the delivery of six prototypes earlier this year.

The Sept. 27 award for the Remotely Operated Ground Unit for Expeditionary Fires system would allow Oshkosh to begin low-rate initial production of this unmanned ground vehicle that’s based on the design of the Joint Light Tactical Vehicle.

The award does not have a number of vehicles associated with it, but Oshkosh program manager Chuck Bunton told Defense News at the Association of the U.S. Army’s annual conference that the contract would allow the business to establish low-rate initial production alongside the existing JLTV assembly line.

 

[Renegade334]