Bell and Boeing are working on a new quad tilt-rotor design for the planned Joint Heavy Lift (JHL) transport aircraft. The design utilizes the ’tilt-rotor’ concept already proven on the CV-22 Osprey, The new aircraft will be capable of operating anywhere in the battlefield, lifting 25-32 ton cargo, representing a Stryker armored infantry carrier, an FCS ground maneuver vehicle or a Marine Corps Light Armored Vehicle (LAV). The aircraft will be able to operate straight from a ship’s deck or forward staging area, cruising at a speed of 275+ knots over 2100 nm unrefuelled, with 19 tons of cargo. Its operating ceiling will be around 25,000 ft, above most air defense and MANPAD threats (an artist concept is shown below).
Another team pursuing JHL is led by Lockheed Martin [NYSE: LMT] which announced teaming with Karem Aircraft Incorporated. The new design will utilize Karem Aircraft’s Optimum Speed Tilt-Rotor (OSTR). This concept is considered one of the three approaches selected by the Department of Defense (DoD)’s Joint Heavy Lift program office to receive a Concept Design and Analysis extension contract. Lockheed Martin’s effort will be led by Lockheed Martin Aeronautics’ Advanced Development Programs organization (The Skunk Works). An artist concept of this design is shown at the top of this page.
The third technology considered by the Army for JHL, is the X2 coaxial rotor system developed by Sikorsky Aircraft. An X2 powered aircraft will be capable of hovering, takeoff and land vertically, maneuver at low speeds, and transition seamlessly from hover to forward flight like a helicopter. In a high-speed configuration, one or more ‘pusher props’ is included in an integrated auxiliary propulsion system to enable high speed with no need to physically reconfigure the aircraft in flight. (A model of the High Speed Lifter is seen in the photo below)
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ranging systems, addressing the needs for compact, high performance vision at the tactical level. The E3010M DI2 is a self contained sensor module specifically designed for integration into imaging systems such as head or helmet mounted displays, rifle sights and small EO/IR surveillance systems. The sensor incorporates a compact, integrated element ensemble, including an SXGA (1280×1024 pixel) electron-bombarded CMOS sensor, high voltage power supply, low voltage power supply, FLASH memory (which also contains image correction parameters). The sensor operates in the 500-900 nm band (GEN II GaAs photocathode) and has a dynamic range supporting ‘twilight to starlight’ conditions. It can also work in daylight condition while the high voltage is switched off, operating in the Near IR (NIR) band.
Medium Range EO Infrared sensor System (MREO) for FCS Vehicles
Taser introduced the Shockwave – a command-activated area denial system. The baseline Shockwave unit is a command activated, 6-shot device that covers a 20-degree arc with 25ft XP TASER electronic control device (ECD) cartridges. When activated, Shockwave units saturate the defended area with the Taser devices which incapacitate personnel with reversible, non-lethal effects of the Taser Neuro Muscular Incapacitation (NMI). When deployed in a stacked configuration, each activation of the fire control button commands the array to sequentially fire rows of TASER cartridges via a smart addressing system . As a protective measure when waves of target sets are encountered, additional 5-second exposures are administered to already expended rows with each firing. Shockwave deployment keeps previously targeted personnel down and incapacitated while subsequent target sets are engaged – a truly scalable defense in depth capability. Multiple Shockwave units can be stacked or ‘daisy-chained ‘ to form longer or wider barriers, or allow for more than one salvo to be fired, as required by the mission. Taser Internaional is planning to release the Shockwave for pilot evaluations in the summer of 2008.
Among the lethal types of ammunition GD-OTS developed for the 40mm weapon family is the M1001 High Velocity Canister Cartridge (HVCC). This grenade is loaded with 113 flechettes darts (2″ long), which are dispersed after the cartridge is fired, producing a close pattern densely covering an area 100 x133 cm, at a distance of 50 meters, or about 5×5 meter at a distance of 100 meters. The HVCC is designed for use with the MK19 Grenade Machine Gun. It is highly effective even against protected personnel (such as soldiers wearing body armor), the M1001 can be fired from stand-off range or from close range.
Another missile looming on the horizon is the Joint Air-to-Ground Missile (JAGM), building on key technologies developed for the Joint Common Missile (JCM) program cancelled by the U.S. Army few years ago. JAGM will have a range exceeding 20 km, more than doubling the current Hellfire range. This missile will carry an integral internet protocol (IP) based data radio, providing access to ‘targeting during fly’, from multiple sources. The missile will utilize a the tri- mode seeker, matured with the JCM program. This seeker will provide precision targeting capability with fire-and-forget technology against moving or stationary targets in smoke, dust or poor weather. Its warhead will be designed as a common, multi-purpose warhead, effective against a wide target set including armored threats, maneuvering boats, bunkers and other targets including use in urban warfare scenarios.
Another ‘Hellfire extender’ is the P44/P42 offered by Lockheed Martin. This missile was developed internally funded by its own resources. This missile will enable ground forces to extend the effect currently generated by the Hellfire II missile over a range of more than 70 km. These missile can be deployed and fire from an MLRS or HIMARS rocket carrier. With P44/42, an MLRS unit will be able to score a direct hit at a moving target traveling at a distance of 40 km within 2.9 minutes.
On-The-Move Satcom Terminals
To place the situation in geo-demographic perspective: about 30 million Kurds live in the mountainous regions of Iran, Iraq, Syria and Turkey, making them the Middle East’s largest ethnic group without a state. Of these, some 15 million Kurds living in southeastern Turkey have warned that a prolonged Turkish incursion into Iraq would exacerbate tensions with the Ankara government.
While the manned combat vehicle of the FCS family of weapons has yet to debut publicly, substantial progress has been made already, with FCS family of vehicles with the first platform – then 
Unsolicited development by BAE Systems (RG33) and Oshkosh (HEMTT PLSR) were addressing the urgent need for heavy recovery vehicles in Iraq and Afghanistan, in support of heavy armored vehicles which are operating intensively and subjected to frequent attacks. Current recovery assets are sometime helpless when called to recover a disabled forty-ton MRAP, leaving the job for the M-88 Hercules, originally designed to support the heavy armor. Hercules has provided unmatched capabilities during Operation Iraqi Freedom. To date 210 Hercules vehicles have been fielded against a total U.S. Army requirement of 595 vehicles. A total of 68 have been fielded to the U.S. Marine Corps, which has decided on the single M88A2 configuration.The new heavy recovery vehicle is based on the RG-33 MRAP platform, equipped with a crane, winch and lifting bars. The hydraulic, telescopic crane can lift up to 40 ton, the towing drum is capable of horizontally towing the same weight while the telescopic lifting arms are capable of lifting up to 25 tons. This arm is designed for insertion under a disabled vehicle, lifting it by supporting the front or rear axle. A full coverage of MRAP and other heavy armored vehicles is available in our recent title “
Another recovery vehicle unveiled here was the maintenance and recovery vehicle (MRV) version of the Stryker, fitted with a winch, pulling more than 40,000 lbf, crane capable of lifting 16.5 tons and an hydraulically operated earth anchor made of ballistic steel, which also adds to frontal protection. The vehicle is designed to support Stryker combat brigade teams, performing recovery operations, lifting, and Stryker vehicle fleet support wherever the brigade deploy.
One of the most visible changes was the high priority that all defense integrators and vehicle manufacturers are placing on the Joint Light Tactical Vehicle program – a ‘winner takes all’ multi-billion dollar opportunity to be grabbed by a single team in the next decade. While the final decision on the winner design and team is expected only by 2013, industry teams are already in battling to win the technology demonstration and system development phases. (
While JLTV is making progress, the military continues to spend huge amounts on the procurement of MRAP, despite their limitations (regarding tactical maneuverability and strategic mobility). Another issue realized with current MRAP deployments was the gap in the ability to recovery disabled MRAPs in theater. While the Army has yet to publish a specific requirement for heavy recovery assets to be able to support these beasts, both Oshkosh and BAE Systems are preparing to submit their offers for such vehicles, two of which were on display at AUSA Winter. (
Much progress is being made with the Army’s Future Combat Systems; Two of the four unmanned systems included in the FCS family of systems are being released as part of ‘Spiral 1’, to support the current force. More systems, including the ground unattended sensors will follow soon and the Non Line of Sight – Cannon (NLOS-C) – the first of eight manned vehicle platforms will roll out of BAE production line this year. (link to FCS family of vehicles article) Progress was made with the lightweight 120 gun associated with another vehicle, as well as with the mortar system, missile etc. At the network level, AUSA Winter provided the opportunity to demonstrate the operability of the Joint Tactical Radio System (JTRS) Network Centric waveform, a critical element in the formation of the overarching future FCS network and the Army’s future Warfighter Information Network – Tactical (WIN-T) networking infrastructure. One of the most critical elements of this network will be Satcom on the Move, an area which attracted much interest from visitors and exhibitors alike. (
Some of the weapons displayed at AUSA Winter highlighted the continued trend toward measured effects enabling precision attack at extended range. New weapons such as the P44/42 and DAGR, both developed by Lockheed Martin are examples of the two extremes – carrying the effect currently provided by the Hellfire missile to much longer range (P-44/42) or to shorter range, and controlled collateral damage, by the new DGAR guided rocket. New warheads are also offered for the modern missiles, optimizing the weapon to achieve the desired effects against a wide range of threats. New sensors capable of better identifying targets from longer ranges and in difficult conditions, are supporting the weapons providing real-time forensic support needed for rapid targeting and engagement through an ever short sensor-to-shooter process. (
Israel behind the assassination, Mughniyah had enough enemies in his own camp to wish him “join his forefathers!” For some of the second level leadership, Mughniyah was growing too strong even to challenge Hassan Nasrallah’s sofar unique prestige, which waned somewhat after the Tehran Ayahtollah’s blamed him for destroying their forward base last Summer, in his reckless abduction. (A recent photo of Mughniyah, released by Hezbollah after his death is shown on the left.)
Other companies engaged with the CRAM challenge is Raytheon, offering the Land-based Phalanx Weapon Systems (LPWS) called Centurion. This rapid firing guided gatling gun represent a revolutionary approach to point defense, as they are designed to intercept rockets, artillery and mortar rounds in the air before impact, thereby reducing or eliminating any damage they might cause. The system comprises the sensors, fire control and weapon in a single integrated unit, providing situational awareness, precision fires, real-time targeting and kill assessment. In Novebmer 2007 Raytheon was contracted by the Pentagon to build 12 Centurion units to protect coalition operating bases in Iraq. In this role, the LPWS is integrated with counter-battery radar systems such as TPQ-36/37 which will be augmented in the future multi-mission radar known as EPQ-36. Raytheon is also proposing an enhancement to the system, utilizing parallel solid-state high power laser as an effector, replacing the gun.
