46681530-armada-international-compendium-mobility-вЂ“-air-sea-land-5-2010[1]

byCompendium

Mobility – Air, Sea, Land

New deal, new needs

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1armada Compendium Mobility 2010

Recent military operations have highlighted the usefulness of air logistics inmoving personnel and materiel quickly and safely to remote areas in scenarioscharacterised by rough terrain and hazardous roads.

Roy Braybrook, inputs from Eric H. Biass

O ne lesson from current conflictshas been that strategic air sup-plies remain undesirably depend-

ent on overflight rights and refuellingfacilities. Increased unrefuelled rangethus remains a long-term objective.

Another lesson is that the airlift oflarge, heavy loads is possible only withfixed-wing aircraft that require long run-ways with strong paved surfaces. Existingsystems can thus deliver such loads to fewdestinations in undeveloped countries.

The principal (technically-fillable) gapin the spectrum relates to the ability totake medium-weight ground combatvehicles into small, badly-surfaced land-ing areas, close to their point of use.

Oversized and OverweightRecent ground operations have requiredthe use of Mrap (mine-resistant, ambush-protected) vehicles. They have alsonecessitated the fitment of external grills(bar/cage/slat armour) to vehiclesexposed to hostile fire, in order to prema-turely detonate incoming shaped-chargewarheads. Combat vehicles have thusgrown heavier, while expanding in heightand width, increasing demands on trans-port aircraft cabin dimensions.

Mrap vehicles can weigh over 20tonnes. Recent US Army planning for its

ill-fated Future Combat Systems includ-ed vehicles that grew to over 27 tonnes.This would have limited their carriage tostrategic transports that are incapable ofusing small, badly surfaced airstrips.

That programme was cancelled in 2009,and replaced by the BCT (Brigade CombatTeam). However, it will take years to estab-lish the size and weight of the BCT-GCVs(Ground Combat Vehicles), which are tobe compatible with the Boeing C-17, butnot the smaller Lockheed Martin C-130.Prototype GCVs will appear only in 2015,leading to initial deliveries in 2017.

JHLThe US Army feels that the ability to moveGCVs quickly from land or sea bases intothe battle area would give it a game-chang-ing advantage over any opponent.

The technological solution is seen asan advanced rotary-wing aircraft, theJHL (Joint Heavy Lift) project. This isreportedly to have a maximum payloadof 27 tonnes, a radius of 465 km, a cruisespeed of 555 km/h, a ceiling of 14,000 ft,an external lift capability and provisionfor in-flight refuelling.

Support for the army’s JHL has comefrom the US Navy and Marine Corps,who believe that a vtol transport wouldvalidate their own breakthrough sea bas-ing concept for future sea-to-land opera-tions. The army is partnered in JHL withthe US Special Operations Command,Darpa and Nasa.

On the other hand, aircraft required tocarry loads of around 27 tonnes (threetimes the payload of a Bell Boeing MV-22B) may well not be compatible with thedecks of the ships from which landingswould be carried out.

There appears to be scepticism in theAmerican defence industry as to whetherJHL will ever be funded. One concern isthat (even if four-engined) it wouldrequire development of a new power-plant, far more powerful than any exist-ing American turboshaft.

In the early 1970s there were severalhelicopter projects aimed at rivalling the56-tonne Mil Mi-26. However, in 1975Congress ruled that the 33.3-tonne Siko-rsky CH-53E was adequate.

Interest in super-large helicopters thenlapsed until the turn of the century. In 2005the US Army awarded five JHL conceptdesign and analysis (CDA) contracts, therequirement being to transport a 20-tonnebaseline (and later a 26-tonne objective)FCS vehicle over a 460 km radius from ver-

The A400MGrizzly, herecaught by

Armada’s cam-era at Farnbor-ough 2010, is asignificantanswer to the factthat new meansare absolutelyrequired to meetnew threats to world peace. Makingnew with old is not an answer.

On the Cover

Transforming AerialTransporters

2 armada Compendium Mobility 2010

tical take-off. With short take-off theradius was to increase to 925 km.

These studies led to the US Army’s pre-ferred JHL solution being some form ofHigh Efficiency Tilt Rotor, which appearedvery similar to the Karem Aerospace Opti-mum Speed Tilt Rotor (OSTR), exploitingin forward flight the slowed-rotor technol-ogy of the Boeing A160 drone. In 2008Lockheed Martin teamed with Karem tofurther develop the OSTR concept under atwo-year CDA extension contract from theUS Army’s Aviation Applied TechnologyDirectorate.

Similar JHL-CDA extension contractswere reportedly awarded to Bell Boeingfor the Quad Tilt Rotor project, and toSikorsky for the coaxial-rotor X2 HSL(High Speed Lifter). Nasa awarded Siko-rsky a study contract for the Variable-Diameter Tilt Rotor (VDTR) concept.However, the US Army has yet to securefunding for a JHL technology demon-strator.

Boeing press briefings still includeillustrations of alternative concepts, suchas the Darpa/Boeing Disc Rotor, the BellBoeing Fastr (Folding Advanced StoppedTilt Rotor) and the Piasecki X-49AVTDP (Vectored-Thrust Ducted-Pro-peller) Speedhawk. It may also be notedthat the recently launched Darpa MissionAdaptive Rotor research programme isaimed at developing rotors with variablespeed and geometry to produce majorimprovements in payload and range anddecrease noise and vibration. It thusappears that a wide range of concepts arestill in the running for JHL.

JFTLAlthough the US Army is independentlylaying the technological foundations forthe JHL, this represents only that service’s

candidate for the US Air Force-led JointFuture Theater Lift (JFTL) programme,which was launched in January 2008.

The latter’s own contribution is theformer Advanced Joint Air Combat Sys-tem (Ajacs) based on a ’super-stol‘ ratherthan vtol approach. Although Air Forceofficials have stressed that all options(including tilt rotors) are open, it seemslikely that the Ajacs would employ someform of powered lift, as investigated in

although it plans to develop the ability touse short, soft and rough airstrips.

Boeing, Lockheed Martin andNorthrop Grumman have all worked onAjacs/JFTL studies, laying the foundationsfor a production aircraft that can carry 30tonnes for 2800 km at over Mach 0.8, andusing runways of less than 600 metres.Industry has evidently concluded that theoptimum approach is a flying wing designwith upper surface blowing.

It appears that Boeing was selected in2008 to perform further wind tunnel test-ing under an Air Force Research Labora-tory Speed Agile contract. LockheedMartin was contracted to developimproved structures with the AdvancedComposite Cargo Aircraft, a Dornier 328with rear fuselage and tail redesigned inthe latest materials.

The multi-service JFTL programmeenvisages a payload of 25 to 32.66 tonnes,a radius of 925 km and a landing distanceof less than 1500 feet. The initial capabil-ities document was approved in October2009, and the project is now in the con-cept refinement phase.

Closely resemblingits CH-53Eprogenitor, theSikorsky CH-53Kshown in this artist’simpression will beeven morecapable. Sevendevelopment CH-53Ks and 200production aircraftare planned.(Sikorsky)

Shown at Berlin’s ILA 2010, this German Army Sikorsky CH-53GS is one of 20equipped with T64-GE-100 engines and upgraded communications, defensiveweapons and missile countermeasures. (Messe Berlin)

the late 1970s under the Advanced Medi-um Stol Transport programme. This test-ed the Boeing YC-14 and McDonnellDouglas YC-15, which respectively usedupper surface blowing and externallyblown flaps.

The Air Force approach to the JFTL isto develop a super-stol, fixed-wing,stealthy Mach 0.8 replacement for the C-130H, primarily to perform tacticaltransport missions at increased cruisespeeds and using smaller airfields. Inaddition, it would carry army vehiclesinto and around the battle area. Inessence, the air force prioritises speedand range over airfield performance,

An analysis of alternatives is due to becompleted by mid-2011, allowing a choiceto be made between the US Army vtoland the Air Force super-stol concepts.First flight of a prototype is planned for2018, leading to initial operational capa-bility around 2024. The production of 50to 150 aircraft is envisaged.

Current HelicoptersThe heaviest rotary-wing aircraft cur-rently flying is the Rostvertol-built 56-tonne Mil Mi-26, which has a maximumpayload of 20 tonnes. Although it firstflew in 1977, the Mi-26 remains in low-rate production. Two were built by Ros-tvertol in 2009.

The Russian armed forces and para-military services operate around 60 Mi-26s. Russia’s Ministry of Defence hasdecided to launch a life-extension andmodernisation programme in 2015 to2020 for its existing Mi-26s and to resumeprocurement, with deliveries continuinguntil 2025. The Mi-26 may form the basisfor a new collaborative developmentbetween Russian Helicopters and China’sAvicopter, on which a memorandum ofunderstanding was signed in 2008.

Eurocopter is workingwith Boeing on atandem-rotor project,shown in model form atILA 2010 in Berlin. It isaimed at replacing theUS Army‘s CH-47F andfulfilling Franco-Germanneeds for a FutureTransport Helicopter.(Armada/EHB)


Lower down the scale, the 33.3-tonneSikorsky CH-53E Super Stallion is to bereplaced in US Marine Corps service bythe 39.9-tonne CH-53K. Under its HeavyLift Replacement programme, the serv-ice plans to buy seven test CH-53Ks, withfirst flight in 2013. Service entry is sched-uled for 2018. Current plans call for 200production CH-53Ks, the last to be deliv-ered in 2028.

Thus far, the only substantial exportsof the CH-53 family have been to Ger-many and Israel, both of which are carry-ing out upgrade and life-extension pro-grammes. France, Germany, Singapore,Taiwan and Turkey are all potential cus-tomers for the CH-53K, and Israel hasalready selected it.

An anticipated Franco-Germanrequirement (for around 35 and 60 aircraftrespectively) envisages a Future TransportHelicopter with a larger cabin than theCH-53K and a maximum weight ofaround 35 tonnes. The German Air Forcesees a need to carry 70 troops or a payloadof 14 tonnes for a range of 300 km.

A 24-month study of European needswas launched under EDA (EuropeanDefence Agency) auspices in May 2009.It is expected to support the adoption ofa derivative of the CH-53K, Mi-26 orBoeing CH-47F Chinook. The Europeanprogramme could be launched in 2014,for fielding between 2020 and 2025.

Eurocopter is working with Boeing ona 33-tonne tandem-rotor design, whichcould carry 56 troops or a 13-tonne pay-load for 300 km. The aim in this case is toreplace the US Army’s Boeing CH-47Chinook, in addition to serving Franco-German needs. Sikorsky is reportedly

proposing for France and Germany astandard CH-53K.

Many operators have favoured thesmaller, less expensive Boeing CH-47 overthe CH-53. The latest version of Chinookis the 25.4-tonne CH-47F, which enteredservice in 2007. The US Army plans toacquire 452 in the form of 190 new-buildaircraft and 262 remanufactured CH-

least 50 CV-22Bs are to be produced forSocom.

The 13-tonne Mil Mi-8 first flew in1961, but the Mi-8/17/171 series is stillmanufactured. In 2009 Ulan-Ude built 60Mi-8/171s, and Kazan Helicopters a fur-ther 79 Mi-8/17s. At Berlin’s ILA 2010,Russian Helicopters announced develop-ment of the Mi-171M, which runs themore powerful Klimov VK-2500 engines(although maximum weight isunchanged) and is intended to replacethe whole Mi-8/17/171 series. Ulan-Ude isscheduled to complete the first prototypeMi-171M in 2011 and begin series pro-duction in 2013.

The longer-term replacement for theMi-8/17/171 family may be the 15.6-tonneMi-38, which first flew in 2003, poweredby P&WC PT127s. The programme hasbeen set back by American pressure onP&WC regarding PT127 licence manu-facture in Russia, and by engine deliverydelays following the Russio-Georgianwar of 2008. It has now been decided touse Klimov TV7-117B engines. The TV7-equipped third prototype is due to fly

This Bell BoeingMV-22B from VMM-263 squadron hasjust landed a 22ndMarineExpeditionary Unitmass casualtyevacuation team ata simulated USembassy during anexercise in NorthCarolina. (USMarine Corps)

The Beechcraft KingAir 350 series hasattracted substantialmilitary orders,both as a lighttransport and as asensor platform.This example is oneof 24 operated bythe Iraqi Air Force.(US Air Force)

More than 12,000 examples of the Mil Mi-8/17/171 family have been built, andproduction continues today. This Mi-17 is one of 18 operated by the Afghan NationalArmy Air Corps. (US Air Force)

later this year, and in 2011 the Russiandefence ministry is expected to inviteproposals for a new medium-weighttransport helicopter. Series production ofthe civil version is to start in 2013.

Western Europe’s largest helicoptersare the 15.6-tonne AgustawestlandAW101, of which over 180 are on order forten countries, and the 10.6-tonne NHIndustries NH90, of which 489 have beenordered for 14 countries. In June 2010Agustawestland reached an agreementwith Boeing, under which the AW101 willbecome part of a Boeing proposal for theVXX project to replace the US Navy’s‘Marine One’ presidential helicopter.

Drone HelicoptersThe US Army and Marine Corps are bothinterested in the use of drone helicoptersto supply forward outposts. Initial testshave employed the 5.44-tonne Kaman/Lockheed Martin Unmanned K-Max andthe 2.95-tonne Boeing YQM-18A(A160T Hummingbird) and are expectedto be followed by operational evaluationin Afghanistan.

47Ds. In addition, 61 CH-47Ds are to berebuilt as MH-47Gs for Socom (US Spe-cial Operations Command). Contractshave been signed with Canada, Italy, theNetherlands and one other country (pre-sumably Australia) for a total of 41 CH-47Fs. Britain plans to buy up to 24.

The US Marine Corps complementsthe CH-53 with the 23.5-tonne Bell Boe-ing MV-22B Osprey tilt-rotor aircraft, ofwhich it is authorised to receive 360. TheUS Navy is to acquire 48 MV-22Bs and at


Practical experience may lead to amore capable air vehicle in the form of anoptionally-piloted version of the 10.66-tonne Sikorsky UH-60L. The US Army‘Roadmap for UAS’ states that the serv-ice expects to begin fielding a ‘sustain-ment/cargo UAS’ in the mid-term (2016to 2025).

Long-term US Air Force plans includea large multi-role drone, MQ-L, which, inits second and third evolutions (MQ-Lbin 2030, and MQ–Lc around 2047), willinclude air mobility operations in itsroles.

Twin-TurbopropsTurning to conventional fixed-wingtransports, there is considerable activityat the lightweight end of the market. The7.5-tonne Beechcraft King Air 350ER isenjoying substantial military sales, bothas a light transport and as a sensor plat-form. It may well be adopted as the USAir Force Air Mobility Command’s Lima(Light Mobility Aircraft), of which 60examples are required.

In the 19-seat category, some 844examples of the de Havilland CanadaDHC-6 Twin Otter were completed whenproduction ended in 1988. The BritishColombia-based Viking Air has nowacquired rights to the DHC series, and isbuilding the 5.67-tonne Twin Otter 400.Recent orders include six for the VietnamNavy. Viking has offered a modernised22.3-tonne DHC-5 Buffalo with PW150Aengines to meet a 17-aircraft CanadianForces fixed-wing Sar requirement.

In the 19-seat category, IndonesianAerospace (IAe) is developing theseven-tonne N219 while France’s SkyAircraft (a subsidiary of GECI Interna-tional) is developing the SK-105 Skylan-

der. Switzerland’s Ruag Aviation hasstarted production at Oberpfaffenhofenin Germany of the 6.4-tonne Dornier228NG, with ‘glass’ cockpit, five-bladepropellers and Hindustan Aeronauticssubassembies.

IAe will probably be the site for allfurther manufacture of the 24-seat, 8.1-tonne EASDS-Casa C-212, of which 477have been sold to 92 operators. AirbusMilitary is also responsible for the 16.5-tonne CN-235, of which 258 have beensold to 42 operators (including IAe pro-duction) and the 23.2-tonne C-295, ofwhich 82 have been sold to twelve opera-

tonne An-32 was designed for hot/highoperations in India. The Indian Air Forceis to upgrade and extend the service livesof 80 of its remaining An-32s.

China’s Xian Y7 is a copy of the An-26, and its civil version, the 21.8-tonneMA60, has P&WC PW127J engines. Themilitary MA60M has a rear loading ramp.The civil series has progressed throughthe 60-seat MA600, which first flew in2008, to the 80-seat MA700, which has aT-tail and fuselage-mounted undercar-riage. Antonov is helping in the design ofthe MA700, which is expected to fly in2013-2014.

The 31.8-tonne Alenia Aeronautica C-27J Spartan was selected in 2007 as the USArmy/Air Force Joint Cargo Aircraft(JCA), with L-3 Communications as primecontractor. Control of the JCA pro-gramme then switched to the US AirForce, and the planned build total wasreduced from 78 (of an eventual 145) to 38,all to be flown by the US Air Force.

Alenia has so far received orders for21 C-27Js under the JCA programme,and eight more are planned in the Penta-gon’s FY11 budget. The company hasorders for over 40 C-27Js for six otherservices, but most sales are now expectedto be made via L-3 Communications

Switzerland’s RuagAviation hasrestartedproduction inGermany of theDornier Do 228light transport. Thisupgraded Do228NG has aglass cockpit andfive-bladepropellers. (MesseBerlin)

A total of 258Airbus Military CN-235s have beensold to 42 services,including the RoyalSaudi Air Force,which operates fourin the VIP transportrole, primarily onbehalf of the royalfamily. (AirbusMilitary)

All five Airbus Military C-295s ordered by the Mexican Air Force are to be deliveredby the end of 2010. The Mexican Navy has two C-295 transports and has orderedfour of the maritime patrol version. (Airbus Military)

and America’s Foreign Military Salesprogramme.

Under US Air Force contract, Alenia iscurrently delivering 18 C-27s (refurbishedex-Italian Air Force G.222s) to theAfghanistan National Army Air Corps.

One heavier twin-turboprop project isthe 39-tonne FF5000MV by the Illinois-based Freight Feeder Aircraft (FFAC).Although the baseline FF5000 isdesigned primarily to transport commer-cial pallets, a military version is planned,and presentations have been made to anumber of potential operators, includingthe South African Air Force. A prototypeof the FF5000 is under construction byFFAC and Metalcraft Technologies.

Twin TurbofansAfter decades of turboprop dominance,the tactical transport market is witness-ing a number of turbofan projects. Forexample, in 2007 an inter-government

tors. Recent orders for the CN-235include eight for the French Air Force,which already has 19.

The 24-tonne Antonov An-26 is sched-uled to be replaced in Russian Air Forceservice by the 20-tonne Ilyushin Il-112V,with an initial batch of 34 reported. TheIl-112V is due to fly in 2011 and will beproduced by Vaso at Voronezh. The 27-


agreement was signed between India andRussia on the joint development and pro-duction of a Multirole Transport Aircraft(MTA). However, it is not clear whetherHindustan Aeronautics and Ilyushin Avi-ation have yet formed the associatedjoint venture, which will require each toinvest $ 300 million in developmentfunds.

The MTA is seen as a 68-tonne projectwith two Aviadvigatel PS90A-76 turbo-

simply said, «partnerships are still to befinalised». It is often alleged that Francemay join in, buying twelve aircraft ifBrazil buys the Dassault Rafale as its F-X2, but a Brazilian Air Force officialstrongly emphasised that the two wereseparate issues (Embraer has since con-firmed that Chile and Brazil signed a‘declaration of intention’ for the formernation to participate in the programme,whereby Enaer would build part of the

merly C-X) has been delayed by twoyears due to structural weaknesses. Thefirst of two prototypes was rolled out inJuly 2007, but flew only on 26 January2010. The JASDF is expected to buyaround 40 C-2s to replace not only the C-130 Hercules but also the 45-tonneKawasaki C-1. Kawasaki is consideringforming a joint venture with a foreigncompany to develop a civil version of theXC-2, designated YCX.

The most successfullight transport in itsclass, approxi -mately 480examples of theEADS-Casa C-212have been sold. Allproduction willprobably now beassigned toIndonesianAerospace. (AirbusMilitary)

These LockheedMartin C-130Js atBagram AB,Afghanistan includeAir National Guardaircraft from the143rd Airlift Wingbased at Providence,Rhode Island, and the146th AW from PointMugu, California. (USAir Force).

All Antonov An-24s and -26s in Russian Air Force service are eventually to be replacedby the Ilyushin Il-112V. This Hungarian Air Force An-26 was pictured at Berlin’s ILA2010. (Messe Berlin)

The 20-tonne Ilyushin Il-112V is due tofly in 2011, and be manufactured byVaso at Voronezh. In the internationalmarket it will compete with AirbusMilitary’s 16.5-tonne CN-235 and23.2-tonne C-295. (Ilyushin)

fans and room for 82 troops or 74 para-troops. It is to carry a 20-tonne payloadover a range of 2250 km. India is expect-ed to buy 45 MTAs and Russia up to 100.First flight was scheduled for 2014, butthat date may already be slipping.

Antonov is proposing a less expensivealternative to the MTA in the form of theAn-178, a derivative of the 99-seat, 43.7-tonne An-158, which first flew in April2010. The An-178 would have a maximumpayload of 15 tonnes, and could fly with-in two years of go-ahead.

Brazil’s 72-tonne Embraer KC-390transport/tanker Hercules-replacementis benefiting from a $ 1.3 billion develop-ment Brazilian Air Force contract signedin 2009. The service formerly announcedan order for an initial batch of 28 KC-390s on 21 July 2010 during the Farnbor-ough Air Show (see our title illustration).Embraer officials said that first flight isscheduled for 2014 with an initial opera-tional capability in 2015, followed by,“final clearance in 2016”. While the cur-rent emphasis is on signing up risk-shar-ing partners in South Africa, Portugal,Chile and Colombia, the same officials

structure, thence the Chilean Air Forcebuy six planes). The KC-390 will accom-modate 80 troops, but the maximum pay-load, it was also announced, would growfrom 19 to 23 tonnes and that it would beable to carry seven 436-litre palletsinstead of six initially. More interestingly,Embraer said that it would be able tocarry, «one Stryker without needing todismantle anything off the vehicle».

Heading the twin-turbofan category,Japan’s 141-tonne Kawasaki XC-2 (for-

Quad PropsThe 74.4-tonne Lockheed Martin C-130JHercules continues to dominate this mar-ket sector, with orders at mid-2010 stand-ing at 288 for 13 countries. The US AirForce currently plans to acquire a total of168, mostly the stretched C-130J-30 ver-sion, which can accommodate eight pal-lets (rather than six). This increased fleetreflects the decision to phase out the C-130E by the end of FY14.

The plan will leave around 238 C-130Hs, most of which are to be upgrad-ed with Laircm (Large Aircraft InfraredCounter-Measures), a surface-to-air firelook-out capability and the AvionicsModernization Program. Boeing hasbeen responsible for AMP development,but the production of most AMP kits willbe competed, as will half of the installa-tions, the rest being done by the US AirForce Warner Robins Air Logistics Cen-ter in Georgia. A second phase will dealwith Afsoc’s Hercules.

China’s Avic Aircraft has reportedlyfrozen the design of the 77-tonne Y-9, aderivative of the 61-tonne Y-8, an unli-censed copy of the An-12. However, itappears that no prototype will be builtunless government funding is provided. Itmay be replaced by a more modest devel-opment of the Y-8.


The 132-tonne Antonov An-70 firstflew in 1994, but development wasdelayed by the loss of the first prototypein 1995 following a mid-air collision, theheavy landing of the second in 2001, andwithdrawal of Russian support in 2006. In2009 Russia and the Ukraine agreed torestart collaboration on the An-70, sub-ject to the satisfactory completion of jointstate trials and a shares-swap that wouldgive Russia’s United Aircraft a control-ling stake in Antonov.

The current An-70 position appears tobe that, in addition to the remaining pro-totype, a batch of five aircraft is beingbuilt. Two of these, destined for the

The first of five A400M developmentaircraft, the Grizzly One, had its maidenflight on 11 December 2009, followed bythe second on 8 April 2010. The third hadits maiden flight during the summer and,according to an Airbus Military official atFarnborough, the fourth is expected totake to the air by the end of this year. Cer-

Russian Air Force plans to have some ofits Il-76MDs upgraded with new avionicsand the PS-90A-76 turbofans of the Il-76MF, and to buy at least 38 Aviastar-built Il-476s with the same engines, a two-man flight deck and a modified wing.The first Il-476 may fly before the end of2010.

The lead aircraft inthis line-up of BoeingC-17 Globemaster IIIsis owned by AirEducation andTraining Command,and is assigned to the97th Air MobilityWing based at AltusAFB, Oklahoma. (USAir Force)

A total of 52 C-5s areto be upgraded to C-5M Super Galaxies.Three test aircraft andthe first productionaircraft will havebeen delivered by theend of 2010. (MesseBerlin)

Russia has agreed to rejoin the Antonov An-70 programme, subject to the successfulcompletion of joint state trials and a shares-swap that would give United Aircraftcontrol of the Ukrainian company. (Antonov)

It is still not clear whether India andRussia are going ahead with theMultirole Transport Aircraft, despite the2007 signature of an inter-governmentagreement and a planned flight in2014. (Ilyushin)

Affectionately named Grizzly by its testcrew – hence the picture stencilled bythe front access door of the firstexample – it appears that Grizzly willbe the new name of the A400M,which made its air show début atBerlin’s ILA in June, where this picturewas taken. Based on a renegotiateddevelopment and production contract,at least 170 will be built for the sevenlaunch customers. (Armada/EHB)

Ukrainian Air Force, are due to be com-pleted by the Kiev-based Aviant in 2011.The Russian Air Force evidently expectsto receive one or two An-70s in 2014 or2015. Volga-Dnepr Airlines plans to bethe launch customer for the An-70T com-mercial version, and Polet Airlines hasalso expressed interest.

By the time these words are printed,representatives of EADS and seven gov-ernments should have signed a new devel-opment and production contract for the141-tonne Airbus Military A400M (seecover photograph), replacing the originalunworkable € 20 billion deal for 180 air-craft. The launch customers are expected toprovide an additional two billion Euros fordevelopment, and a Euro 1.5 billion loan isto be repaid from export profits. Britain isexpected to reduce its order from 25 to 22aircraft and Germany has the option of cut-ting back from 60 to 53.

Quad JetsOne A400M substitute currently offeredto South Africa is the stretched 210-tonneIlyushin Il-76MF, which so far exists onlyin prototype form. As a sweetener,Ilyushin is proposing to establish an Il-76maintenance base in South Africa. The

In the same weight class as the Il-76,Xian Aircraft is developing the wide-body Y-20, which looks (from modelsexhibited) very like the C-17. The Y-20was due to be unveiled at the end of 2009but is running late.

Boeing’s 265-tonne C-17 GlobemasterIII has been outstandingly successful. USAir Force orders now stand at 223, of

tification of the plane should be achievedtowards the end of 2011 or early in 2012.The emphasis is now on persuading SouthAfrica to reactivate its order for eightA400Ms (cancelled in late 2009) and tofind new buyers, such as Chile and (in thelonger term) the US Air Force.


which 43 have been added by Congress.Exports stand at a total of 25 for Aus-tralia, Canada, Nato, Qatar, Britain andthe United Arab Emirates, but India is inthe course of ordering ten and Saudi Ara-bia is expected to place a double-digitorder soon. The proposed C-17FE deriv-

ative would have a smaller, all-compositefuselage and is aimed at JTFL.

All 111 US Air Force Lockheed Mar-tin C-5 Galaxies (built as 60 C-5As, 49 C-5Bs and two C-5Cs) were originally tohave been given the avionics modernisa-tion programme (AMP). However,

approval to begin retiring C-5As is nowworking its way through Congress, whichmay allow the first 17 C-5As to be retiredin FY11, with a corresponding reductionin AMP numbers.

Current plans are to have 52 C-5s (49C-5Bs, two C-5Cs and one C-5A) givenboth the AMP and the ReliabilityEnhancement and Re-engining Program(Rerp) by 2016, producing C-5M SuperGalaxies. The first four C-5Ms are to bedelivered by the end of 2010.

Through the 18-nation Salis (StrategicAirlift Interim Solution) programme, the392-tonne Antonov An-124-100 operatedby Volga-Dnepr and Antonov Airlines,has become a key element in supportingoperations in Afghanistan. In 2008 anagreement was signed by the govern-ments of Russia and the Ukraine onrestarting production at Aviastar. Accord-ing to Antonov (at Berlin’s ILA 2010), thenew model will be the An-124-200 withmodernised avionics and flight deck, andan 80% increase in fatigue life.

Dwarfing thediminutive 6.4-tonne DornierDo228NG, the392-tonne AntonovAn-124-100 isoperated by Volga-Dnepr Airlines.Russia and theUkraine haveagreed to restartAn-124 production.(Messe Berlin)

Bridging Continents

The past year has witnessed some interesting activity in the world of sea mobil-ity, particularly as regards amphibious support ships. Several countries arelooking to augment their capabilities with new vessels, while others turn to pre-owned craft to enhance their portfolio of amphibious support assets. Naturaldisasters such as the Haiti Earthquake in January this year underscore the needfor the world’s navies to possess amphibious support ships that not only act asa platform from where humanitarian aid can be dispatched, but that can alsohost hospitals to tend the sick and injured, and command centres from wherethe relief effort can be co-ordinated.

The Spanish Navy’s Navantia SPSJuan Carlos I is one of the newestdesigns, which will become Australia’sCanberra class

Thomas Withington

I n fact, as we shall see in this article,some of these ships can turn themselvesinto major urban centres in their own

right, as they can house almost any essen-tial trade found in a city, from bakers tophysicians, dentists and engineers – thelatter to run their own electric power-

plants and even the modern three-dimen-sional radar equipping contemporaryamphibious support vessels that can bepressed into service as surrogate air traf-fic control radar when similar land-basedfacilities have been destroyed or are nolonger functioning. Perhaps even moreimportantly, some are designed to be cer-tified as civilian ships, with military assetsbeing optional, which would theoretically

enable them to access any harbour whenthey are in ’clean‘ configuration.

Russia RethinksIn August 2009, Russia took the radicalstep of purchasing a foreign-designedship for service with its navy in the formof a Mistral class amphibious supportvessel from the French shipbuilderDCNS. Although at present the Russiangovernment is only considering the pur-chase of a single unit, this could increaseto four ships that would be built jointly inRussia and France. Russia's decision topurchase the Mistral class vessels owesmuch to the nation's changing maritimeposture. Moscow has realised the impor-tance of power projection in its nearbylittoral regions, notably the Baltic andBlack seas.

Fusing the Mistral class ships togetherwith a robust amphibious assault capabil-


ity, which could be reinforced with air-craft such as the Kamov Ka-50 attack hel-icopter, will give Russia a thorough 21stCentury amphibious warfare capability.Current plans call for the first two exam-ples of these ships to be deployed withthe Pacific and Northern Fleets, althoughthis latter deployment could cause somefriction with Russia's Baltic neighboursmindful of the power projection capabil-ities this signifies. For example, in Febru-ary 2010 Lithuania's Minister of Nation-al Defence pledged to raise the issue ofRussia's Mistral acquisition with otherEuropean Union Defence Ministers. TheMistral sale has also triggered misgivingsin some parts of the United Statesdefence establishment with Defense Sec-retary Robert Gates, noting his concernregarding the sale of the Mistral vesselsto Russia, the step change that this mayconfer on Russian amphibious warfarecapabilities, and how this may alter thebalance of power vis-à-vis amphibiouscapabilities in Russia's coastal regions. Itis interesting to note that, short ofexpressing concern regarding the Mistralsale to Russia, Mr. Gates and his col-leagues are said to be in a weak positionregarding the veto of any sale, as Mistralvessels do not contain any Americantechnology, making it difficult for Wash-ington to block the sale.

At any rate, Russia’s Defence Minis-ter, Anatoli Serdunikov, announced inlate August 2010 that the purchase wasnot sealed and that Russia had decided tolaunch an international tender, whichopens the doors to several contenders like

South Korea and possibly Spain with avariant of its Navantia Juan Carlos I.

Reports in December last year alsospoke of Russia evaluating some otheramphibious support ship designs. In par-ticular, Moscow was reportedly lookingat Navantia's BPE (Buque de ProyecciónEstratégica/Strategic Projection Vessel)design, from which the Royal AustralianNavy's Canberra class vessels arederived. One attraction of this design,which is lacking in the Mistral class, is that

although these ships lack both a ski jumpand a through-deck design for the use offixed-wing aircraft.

The acquisition of the Mistrals wouldbe a major enhancement for the Russiannavy’s amphibious warfare capabilities,which, at present, include Project1171/Tapir class and Project 775/Rop-ucha landing ships. The Tapir vessels, ofwhich the Russian fleet is thought tocomprise four, displace up to 4775 tonneswhen fully loaded and can accommodateup to 440 troops. However, these shipsare not getting any younger, having beenlaunched in the mid-1960s.

Meanwhile, around nine of the Rop-ucha class landing ships remain in service.These vessels are slightly smaller than theTapirs, displacing around 4663 tonnes fullyloaded, capable of carrying up to 25armoured personnel carriers and usingbow and stern ramps for the loading andunloading of vehicles, troops and cargo.These ships are slightly younger than theTapirs, having entered service in the mid-1970s, but this still makes them over threedecades old. These two classes of landingship are reinforced by four Project1232.2/Zubr class Landing Craft AirCushion vehicles, however, for the pur-

Natural disasterssuch as theearthquake in theCaribbean island ofHaiti earlier this yearonce againunderlined theimportant role thatamphibious supportships can perform inbringing much-needed humani -tarian supplies intodisaster areas. (USNavy)

Russia is expected topurchase a Mistral classamphibious support vesselas a much-neededsupplement to its navalfleet. However, theseplans have broughtcontroversy with some ofRussia’s neighbours, whoare nervous about theship’s intended use.(DCNS)

Like Canada’sProtecteur classvessels, the RoyalNetherlands Navy’sHNLMS Zuiderkruisis similarly aged.The Dutch plan toreplace this vesselwith three combinedreplenishment andamphibious supportcraft known as theJoint LogisticsSupport Ship. (Nato)

poses of this discussion, these ships cannotreally be considered bona fide amphibioussupport ships, as their role is still fast trans-port to the shore; as such they are essen-tially beefed-up landing craft.

The advent of the Mistrals would, at astroke, vastly increase the quantity ofmateriel that could be carried to supportan amphibious operation, and they couldact as a command centre platform forsuch operations, and a flat-top deckwhich could be used to support helicop-ter missions. With these capabilities inmind it is easy to see how Russia’s neigh-bours regard the Mistral acquisition withsome suspicion.

New MistralFor its part, France operates two of theMistral class, the Mistral and the Ton-nerre, and is expected to receive a thirdunit as part of a nationwide economicstimulus effort. The keel for this new shipwas laid down on 18 April 2009 and she isexpected to be launched by the end of theyear as the Yser, taking her name fromthe Battle of the Yser involving theFrench Fusiliers Marins during the Great

it features a ski jump over the bow, whichcould enable the Russians to operatefighters. The Russian Navy is no strangerto ski jump aircraft carrier operationsand has used such a structure on itsAdmiral Kuznetsov class ships for itsSukhoi Su-27Ks (Nato reporting name‘Flanker’). Moreover, the Russian Navyis thought to be interested in the Rotter-dam class built by Damen Schelde NavalShipbuilding in the Netherlands,


War, when a section of the Belgian coast-line was secured by the Allies. The Mistralvessels displace around 21,300 tonnesand can accommodate up to 900 person-nel. Within the well deck there is spacefor four landing craft and the ship cancarry up to 230 vehicles. Meanwhile, forthe air assault mission, a total of 14 heli-copters can be accommodated. Thesecapabilities make the Mistrals some of

klijke Marine (Royal Netherlands Navy)since 1975. The new vessels will constitutea quantum leap compared to the capabil-ities of the Zuiderkruis. They will alsomore than double the current capabilityof the Royal Dutch Navy as far asamphibious support ships are concerned.At present, the fleet operates a pair ofRotterdam class Landing PlatformDocks that displace 12,750 tonnes (in the

170 armoured personnel carriers, or 33main battle tanks can be carried alongwith either four or six Landing CraftVehicle Personnel Mk 3 or Landing CraftUtility Mk 4 vessels. Like Canada’s JointSupport Ship concept (see below), theDutch Navy is on the lookout for a vesselthat can perform the amphibious supportmission, carry helicopters, treat casualtiesin a floating hospital and act as an under-way replenishment and conventional sealift platform. In total, the navy would liketo acquire three units, although such adiverse range of missions could give thevessels a considerable cost.

Although now acomparatively oldvessel, the CanadianForces MaritimeCommand HMCSProtecteur continues tosupport underwayreplenishment andamphibious missions.She has a totaldisplacement of24,700 tonnes, andcan accommodatetwo Sikorsky SH-3Sea King helicopters.(Canadian ForcesMaritime Command)

The Protecteur’s sister ship is the HMCSPreserver. These two vessels willultimately be replaced by the samenumber of new vessels which areexpected to perform amphibioussupport and also underwayreplenishment. (Canadian ForcesMaritime Command)

Inside, the Joint Logistics SupportShip concept will have 2000 lane-metresof space and a flight deck sufficient for sixhelicopters (or two Boeing CH-47 Chi-nook-sized aircraft), plus a lift, cranes andtwo masts for replenishment at sea. Theship will be designed around a roll-on/roll-off configuration with a sternramp for the transfer of troops, materiel,and vehicles. However, it has not, so far,been reported whether these new vesselswill be outfitted with a well deck for land-ing craft. A complement of up to 150crewmembers is expected, along withaccommodation for the same number ofpassengers. For self-defence, these shipswill be outfitted with two Thales Goal-keeper close-in weapon systems, a pair of30-mm remote weapon stations and four12.7-mm machine guns. The budget forthe acquisition is around € 365.5 million

The USNS Watkins, aship of the US Navy’sMilitary SealiftCommand is connectedto the heavy lift cargoship the MV MightyServant in theforeground. TheWatkins was able totransfer her cargodown to the MightyServant on a ramp fromwhere it was loadedonto hovercraft. (USNavy)

The sixth example ofthe San Antonio classof amphibious supportships in the US Navy isthe USS San Diego. Tobe home-ported in thecity of the same name,this ship is due to becommissioned intonaval service in 2011.(US Navy)

the largest amphibious support craft out-side the United States.

A third vessel would represent amajor enhancement for the French Navy,which has no doubt been wondering howit managed to cope for so long withoutthe impressive capabilities offered by thetype. There is even some discussion ofwhether the keel for a fourth examplecould be laid down, although it is unclearif this vessel would equip the FrenchNavy, or would instead be the first in theclass for the Russian Navy.

Going DutchThe Dutch, meanwhile, as of January2010, have embarked on their JointLogistics Support Ship (JLSS) pro-gramme. This programme, which will befulfilled by Damen Naval Shipbuilding inthe Netherlands, is intended to yield avessel displacing 28,000 tonnes with aview to replacing the 16,256-tonneHNLMS Zuiderkruis replenishment shipthat has been in service with the Konin-

case of the first-of-class Rotterdam) and16,800 tonnes for the HNLMS Johann deWitt, which is 14 metres longer.

Together these two vessels can carry afull marine battalion at a maximum speedof 18 knots across a 3728-km range. Interms of aircraft, the Rotterdam class canhost two Agustawestland AW-101 sizedhelicopters, and up to four similarly-sizedaircraft in the hangar. As far as vehiclesand landing craft are concerned, up to


with delivery of the first vessel occurringin 2014. In addition, the design has beenmooted as a possible contender for anyrestarted Canadian Joint Support Shipprogramme (see below), however thisdesign would almost certainly need to be augmented with ice-breaking

M80 StilettoWhile Canada’s amphibious support shipambitions may have foundered, this can-not be said for the US Navy. The service’sM80 Stiletto vessel, which uses an inno-vative M-shaped hull, deployed on 13

only does this make the Stilleto suitablefor amphibious and coastal operations,but also a rigid hull inflatable boat can bedeployed from the vessel to perform thestop and search of other craft.

Furthermore, M-hull vessels could alsobe designed in such a fashion that theycould be physically linked together to pro-vide a large platform for the storage ofmateriel, which would dovetail nicely withthe US Navy’s sea-basing concept. Sea-basing takes its influence from the Mul-berry Harbours used by the Allies duringthe World War Two D-Day landings. Theconcept focuses on building a large sea-based logistics hub that could be locatedover the horizon, out of reach of enemyshore weapons, for the provision of troops,vehicles and supplies to units performingamphibious and coastal operations.

The Stiletto is unlikely to be procuredas a series of vessels as it has been usedsolely as a test bed, however it may wellprove some important technologies thatthe navy can spin out into future designsof amphibious support vessels. Essential-ly, the vessel could help to iron out someof the issues relating to M-shaped hullvessels before the US Navy takes theambitious step of designing its next gen-eration of naval support ships around thishull configuration.

San Antonio October 2009 saw Northrop Grummandeliver the USS New York, a San Antonioclass amphibious support ship. Until now,the US Navy had been experiencingsome challenges regards the introductionof these new amphibious vessels. Anycomplex piece of military equipment willalways suffer some growing pains uponservice entry, although the USS SanAntonio, the lead ship in the eponymousclass, had been particularly unlucky as thecost of the ship rose from $ 700 million toover $ 1.7 billion.

Sea trials of the San Antonio experi-enced problems with the vessel’s steeringsystems in March 2007, and other repairswere also necessary, which lead to theship first being deployed on a missiontwo-and-a-half years after the navy hadaccepted her into service. When deployedto the Persian Gulf in 2008 as part of anoperational mission, the ship suffered

Returning to herhomeport of NorfolkNaval Station, the USNavy’s USS New Yorkis named after thestate and not the city.Steel salvaged fromthe wreckage of theWorld Trade Centerwas used in herconstruction. (USNavy)

The US Navy’sImproved NavyLighterage System isbeing procured toreplace the antiquatedlighter fleet that theservice is currentlyreliant upon. The newlighterage system has amodular constructionincreasing its flexibility.(US Navy)

As well as being usedfor the transfer ofmateriel from ship toshore, the vessels of USNavy’s Improved NavyLighterage System canbe configured as aramp to allow ships todisgorge their cargo onthe shore or beachwhen insufficient portfacilities are availablefor this task. (US Navy)

capabilities, which may well add cost andcomplexity to the project.

Joint Support ShipsCanada’s navy needs a new support shipto replace the HMCS Protecteur andHMCS Preserver supply ships, which havebeen in service since the late 1960s. TheCanadian Forces Maritime Command hadintended to acquire three multi-purposevessels, known as Joint Support Ships(JSS) to perform amphibious operationssupport, in addition to sealift and at seareplenishment. The command issued aRequest for Proposals to this effect in2006, with delivery earmarked for 2012.Two bidders, Thyssenkrupp Marine Sys-tems of Germany and Canada’s SNC-Lavalin Profac were eventually shortlistedto provide two competing designs for theJSS requirement. However, as of August2008, the programme was terminatedamid reports alleging the unsuitability ofthe designs submitted for the request forproposals. The result is that, for the timebeing, the Royal Canadian Navy will haveto solider on with its existing Protecteurclass vessels, which are not getting anyyounger. However, this does potentiallyleave the door open for the further acqui-sition of up to three amphibious supportvessels at a later date for the force.

June last year to support counter-nar-cotics missions as part of the Joint Inter-agency Task Force South in theCaribbean Sea. The Stiletto’s ground-breaking design allows the vessel to reachmaximum speeds of 51 knots, while dis-placing up to 60 tonnes. The ship can alsooperate at speed in shallow waters, givenits 76-cm draft. Crucially, the hull designattenuates wave erosion and also givesthe shock mitigation characteristics of aconventional hull with the stability of amulti-hulled craft. In terms of reducingthe visual signature of the vessel, thecraft’s wake is assuaged by its design. Not


leaks in oil pipes lubricating the power-plants. It is difficult to pin down exactlywhat has caused these problems. Somereports in the general media cite prob-lems experienced with the three-dimen-sional computer-aided design tools usedduring the ship’s development. The USSNew Orleans, the next vessel in the class,also suffered problems and did notdeploy on a mission until two years afterit had been commissioned.

While the problems suffered by thesevessels have no doubt been a seriousinconvenience for the navy, the workundertaken in repairing them will hope-fully at least afford some understandingon how to remedy faults earlier on in theproduction schedule for later vessels,three of which are still to be launched, toensure that the disruption to the SanAntonio class’ service lives is minimalonce these future ships enter service. TheUS Navy, to this end, is still awaiting thedelivery of the USS San Diego, USSAnchorage, USS Arlington and the USSSomerset, the latter of which should enterservice by 2012. In total, the San Antonioclass will replace four separate series ofamphibious support ships. These includethe Austin class, the Anchorage classdock landing ships and Newport classtank landing craft.

Lightening the LoadShips are vital for sea mobility but so islighterage. Lighterage is the term naviesconfer on small craft designed to trans-port cargo or personnel from ship toshore. Lighterage includes amphibians,landing craft, discharge lighters, cause-ways and barges. However, lighters dohave one important difference in thatthey tend to have a flat shape, enablingthem to carry loads, and also to be linkedtogether to form ramps over which vehi-cles can drive from a ship to the shore insituations where port environments areeither destroyed on non-existent. The USNavy has always carried its lighters on theforce’s Maritime Prepositioning Shipsoperated by Military Sealift Command,and the service has recognised the impor-tance of this humble, yet vital, craft pour-ing investment into the Improved NavyLighterage System.

In 2003 Marinette Marine was awardeda fixed-price contract for the productionof the Improved Navy Lighterage System(INLS). The system consists of poweredand non-powered floating barges that canbe assembled as warping tugs, roll-on/roll-off discharge facilities and causeway fer-ries. The completed lighters will be deliv-ered to Naval Amphibious ConstructionBattalion One in California, NavalAmphibious Construction Battalion Twoin Virginia and the Expeditionary WarfareTraining Group in Florida. Since its entryinto service, the Improved Navy Lighter-age System has been used to support USNavy operations during the Haitian earth-quake earlier this year.

This new lighter design comprisesthree sections, one of which houses apowerplant and a control station, whichconnects to an intermediate flat platformand thence to a beach section which con-nects to the shore with a ramp. This entireensemble can be ready for use in less thantwo hours and can carry its cargo to thebeach at speeds of up to twelve knots – animportant improvement compared to the4.5 kt of the preceding lighters used bythe service. Moreover, in terms of flexi-bility, these new craft can comfortablyoperate in conditions of up to sea state

three, which is a step forward comparedto previous lighters which were restrictedto operating in conditions of up to seastate two.

However, thanks to its flexible design,should an amphibious support ship needto transfer cargo to the shore, the lighterscan be assembled together to form a roll-on/roll-off facility that could stretch 73metres in length and 21 metres in widthand be assembled in less than 24 hours.One concept of operations for the ro-rofacility calls for vehicles to drive off theirships onto the discharge facility and fromthere onto waiting lighters or landingcraft to be transferred to the shore. Onceagain, this harks back to the navy’s guiding philosophy of sea-basing (seeabove) which is designed to keep thelogistics supporting an amphibious forceas far out to sea, and hence out of danger,as possible.

Looking towards the future, Asiaappears to be the driving force behind anexpected rash of acquisitions as far asamphibious ships are concerned. TheIndian Ocean tsunami of 2004 shook anumber of navies around the region intorealising that their capabilities to dealwith natural disasters were inadequate.Moreover, an increasingly ‘blue water’focus of navies such as South Korea andTaiwan means that amphibious supportvessels have become part of a wider port-folio of naval capabilities that theseforces want to be able to perform atrange.

Canberra ClassThe Royal Australian Navy is alreadyahead of the game in constructing twoCanberra class Landing HelicopterDocks named Canberra and Adelaide,which are expected to be commissionedin 2011. At present, the force makes useof the HMAS Tobruk Heavy LandingShip, which was commissioned into thefleet in 1981. Displacing 5893 tonnes, theTobruk has an 8000-nm range at 15 kt and

The JapaneseMaritime Self-DefenseForce has recentlyinducted the first of itsHyuga classhelicopter carriers intoservice. The force maymove ahead withplans to acquire alarge 19,812-tonnevessel to supportamphibiousoperations. (US Navy)

The Royal Australian Navy’s HMAS Tobruk landing ship is now a little long in the toothand efforts are afoot to replace this vessel with the two new Canberra classamphibious support ships that the navy will acquire shortly. These will greatly increasethe force’s capabilities. (US Navy)


can carry up to 16 main battle tanks or 40armoured personnel carriers, along with520 troops. As regards aviation, two Boe-ing CH-47 Chinook-sized helicopters canbe accommodated on the main cargodeck and a single similar-sized aircraft onthe rear flight deck. At a stroke, the intro-duction of the Canberra class adds twoships that each displace up to 27,851tonnes and can carry up to 1000 troopsand 150 vehicles. On the flight deck andin the hangar, 24 helicopters of SikorskyS-70B Blackhawk size can be conveyedand a ski jump also outfits the vessel. Thisuseful bit of foresight prepares the shipsfor the eventual operation of LockheedMartin F-35B Lightning II Short TakeOff and Vertical Landing aircraft at alater date.

North of Australia, Japan hasenhanced its amphibious warfare capa-bilities with the introduction into serviceof the first vessel in the Hyuga class ofhelicopter carriers, which was commis-sioned on 18 March last year. This ship isthe largest vessel operated by the JapanMaritime Self-Defense Force since theSecond World War, displacing 18,000tonnes fully loaded. On the flight deckthe Hyuga can carry up to eleven heli-copters. A second ship, to be named Ise, isexpected to be commissioned in 2011.She will join the Hyuga to support Japan-ese naval operations. However, two heli-copter carriers maybe insufficient forJapanese needs, and reports are circulat-ing that the force may acquire a vesseldisplacing around 19,812 tonnes andaccommodating up to 14 helicopters, plus4000 troops and 50 trucks. As well as sup-plementing the Hyuga class, this hugeship would reinforce the 22 assorted tanklanding ships, mechanised and utilitylanding craft and hovercraft that theJapan Maritime Self-Defense Force cur-rently operates.

A Passage from IndiaAustralia and Japan are not the only twoAsian powers enhancing their amphibi-ous warfare capabilities. In 2009 the finalexample of the Shardul class of tank land-

ing ships, the INS Airavat, was commis-sioned into Indian naval service. Displac-ing 5649 tonnes, the ship joins its two sis-ters, the Shardul and Kesari, eachaccommodating up to 500 troops, tenarmoured vehicles and eleven tanks, plusa single helicopter landing spot. The entryinto service of the Airavat represents thelatest step in the long-running moderni-sation of the Indian Navy’s amphibiouscapabilities, the centrepiece of which wasthe recent entry into service of the formerUS Navy Austin class amphibious sup-port platform USS Trenton, which wasrenamed INS Jalashwa.

Additional amphibious support ves-sels are expected to enter service in thefuture, although the size of these ships,along with the number to be procured,has yet to have been decided. The expan-sion of the Indian Navy’s amphibiouscapability is being eagerly watchedaround the Asian region. While eventssuch as the Indian Ocean tsunami wereinstrumental in highlighting the short-comings of the amphibious capabilities ofseveral navies in the Asia-Pacific region,there is no doubt that amphibious capa-bilities can also be used for offensiveoperations. Along with its new aircraftcarrier in the form of the ex-RussianNavy Kiev class ship, the Admiral Gor-shkov, the Indian Navy’s emergingamphibious posture will give the forceimpressive power projection toolsaround the Asian region.

Design for LifeShould India embark upon a furtheracquisition of amphibious support ves-sels, the country will, along with Canada(which is also in the market for newamphibious platforms – see above), haveseveral design concepts from which tochoose. The efforts of the French, Dutchand United States, with their respectiveMistral craft, JLLS concept and SanAntonio class, betray three differentphilosophies as regards the design ofamphibious support vessels.

The French, for their part, have madeconsiderable use of commercial design

and building standards in their Mistralships, prompting some naval observers toconsider them as essentially militarisedcar ferries with a flattop deck. Yet theFrench design has illustrated that it ispossible to build a vessel in such a man-ner and these vessels have been in con-sistently high demand around the worldto support humanitarian missions.

The Dutch, meanwhile, have opted tofold a number of rolls such as transport,replenishment and amphibious landingsupport into one vessel, reducing theneed to procure additional platforms forthese missions, which may help to reduceacquisition costs, although they still haveto be constructed and cost overruns arealways a danger in new naval pro-grammes.

Finally, the United States has devel-oped a tailor-made amphibious supportvessel in the form of the San Antonioclass, designed from the ground up as amilitary ship. These three approachesillustrate that there are no right or wrong answers as regards the design ofamphibious support ships and that invari-ably a number of different designapproaches exist to suit navies of all sizesand budgets.

The Japan MaritimeSelf-Defense Forcedeploys helicoptercarriers in the formof the JDS Kunisakiamphibious supportship – the third inher class and seenhere in the centre ofthis picture. She cancarry up to 40vehicles and 330troops. (US Navy)

Formerly the USS Trenton, an Austinclass amphibious support ship of theUS Navy, this vessel now serves withthe Indian Navy as the INS Jalashwa.She is the latest acquisition in a long-running initiative by the navy toupgrade its amphibious supportcapabilities. (US Navy)

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E ven truck cabins are increasinglybeing armoured – with logistical con-voys now an obvious target for insur-

gents. The other effect of the growingroadside bomb threat is that now unitsdeploying for operational purposes tendto prefer travelling off-road, making itmuch more difficult for insurgents to pre-dict a convoy’s route. This, however, pre-supposes a higher reliability of mobility-related subcomponents, such as wheels,because tracked vehicles are now aminority in the vehicle fleets used down-range. While tracks have proven theireffectiveness in cross country operations,especially in wintertime, it is the advent ofnew types which combine medium-heavyvehicle high mobility with less damage tolocal road systems that might bring themback to a more prominent status.

Logistical MobilityIf tactical mobility for combat units is anobvious must, logistical mobility is of

paramount importance to support it. Ifthis was obvious in war situations with alinear front (the first Gulf War was first ofall a logistical victory), it becomes evenmore important in non-linear scenarios,where logistics convoys do not move in afriendly environment, but in the same

high-risk environment as their opera-tional colleagues tasked with increasingsecurity and stability.

The number of attacks against logisticsconvoys – the latest in early June in Pak-istan at time of writing – show well theimportance that insurgents (for politicalor economical purposes) give to the sup-ply chain. This chain is directly linked tocombat mobility, as fuel is a major compo-nent. Since it is often impossible to consis-tently assign a combat force to protectthem (in the mid-2000s in Iraq escortswere limited to a few Humvees armedwith 12.7-mm machine guns and 40-mmautomatic grenade launchers), some logis-ticians started to up-armour transportcabins in typical soldier do-it-yourselfstyle as a remedy to the slow delivery paceof officially issued protected trucks.


Mobility: More and More aWheeled Business

It is more and more difficult to split land mobility subjects from those which fallinto well defined categories – such as ‘light armoured vehicles’, for example. Thisstems from the fact that in today’s combat operations military units have to facethreats, mainly from roadside bombs, that can hit any vehicle on the move what-ever their task (combat or support), which means that most if not all the vehiclesthat move along the Iraqi and Afghan roads are now heavily armoured de factomaking them ‘light armoured vehicles’, Mraps or medium armoured vehicles. Inother words, very few unarmoured vehicles are still used for operational pur-poses, and most of these fall into the ‘special forces equipment’ category.

Mercedes-Benz Actros 8 x 8 high-mobility truck equipped with anarmoured cabin

Even front enginetrucks such as thisMercedes Zetros 6 x 6 are beingequipped withprotected cabins.(Mercedes-Benz)

The trend was, however, not a newone, and since the operations in Bosnia-Herzegovina some nations had begun toprovide some degree of protection totheir logistic vehicles.

The US Army is currently moving onwith its Long-Term Armor Strategy(Ltas), which, in the lower segment, looksat Hummer recapitalisation, but in theheavier one takes care of FMTVs (Fami-ly of Medium Tactical Vehicles),HEMTTs (Heavy Expanded MobilityTactical Truck), the M915 truck familyand all relevant trailers. In the firstinstance though, recapitalisation focuseson new technologies that might improvefleet performances in a programmeknown as Emip (Expedited Moderniza-tion Initiative Procedure), while in theupper scale the Ltas focuses on the sec-ond generation of tactical wheeled vehi-cles armouring strategy.

This comes in the form of a baselinekit known as ’A-kit‘ to provide basic pro-tection against ballistic, mine and blastthreats, but which at the same time offersprovision for the installation of add-on’B-kits‘ able to cope with higher threatareas. Why two kits, one may ask? Well,this allows to shift B-kits amongst vehi-cles according to needs and therebyreduces the need for a whole fleet ofheavily armoured logistic vehicles.

Since 2008, one of the companies thathas most benefited from the Ltas pro-gramme is BAE Systems. In mid-April

2008 it was awarded a $ 43.6 million con-tract to manufacture 730 Ltas A-Kit-con-figured cargo vehicles. This covered theinitial production and full-scale ramp-upof the Family of Medium Tactical Vehi-cles (FMTV) Ltas variants (both the 2.5-tonne payload 4 x 4 and the five-tonne


tract worth up to $ 2.2 billion, with $ 1.65billion of funding already agreed, for upto 10,000 Ltas FMTVs, and also includeda one-year option for the procurement of10,000 additional vehicles, which materi-alised in November.

One month later a follow-on contractfor 761 B-kits went to BAE Systems,which followed a previous contract award-ed in March 2007. This was followed inFebruary 2009 by yet another order for upto 5108 B-kits and yet another in April for500 FMTV ten-tonne dump trucks in Ltasconfiguration. The subsequent bid for theFMTV A1P2 re-buy contract was won byOshkosh; this five-year contract includesup to 12,415 trucks and 10,926 trailers. TheFMTV family comes in 14 truck and threetrailer variants. Following a protest filedby the two other competitors, the contractwas confirmed in February 2010, leadingto the production of 2568 trucks and trail-ers with the first units being delivered inlate May 2010.

The FMTV family is certainly not theonly one to benefit from the Ltas treat-ment. Oshkosh has been asked toredesign its 8 x 8 HEMTT to provide anLtas cabin compatible with B-kits. Known

The MAN HX81high-mobility truckhas been down-selected for theAustralian bid.(MAN)

Oshkosh has wonthe last contract forUS Army FMTVs,which has apotential to includeover 12,000 units.(Oshkosh)

The US Long-Term Armor Strategy is to equip all trucks with a basic armour solution,but upgradeable with add-on kits. Here an Oshkosh HEMTT A4, the latest version,which adopts the Ltas cabin. (Oshkosh)

as the HEMTT A4, the new version has anew 500-hp Caterpillar engine (55 hpmore than its A2 forerunner), improvedsuspension, a cabin fitted with integratedunder-cab protection and an integratedmounting for Gunners Protection Kit andmachine gun mount. These trucks are partof the US Army FHTV (Family of HeavyTactical Vehicles). Oshkosh also appliedthe Ltas concept to its LVSR (LogisticVehicle System Replacement), a 10 x 10for which first full production order camein early 2009. In parallel, orders for newand recapitalised HEMTT A4s as well asfor B-kits for those vehicles also came in.The first HEMTT A4 was delivered inApril 2009. The most recent order wasfilled in late June for 1900 A4s and 350PLS (Palletized Load System) – the latterfitted with the same Ltas-compliant cab-ins as the A4.

Mercedes-Benz in Germany is mar-keting its full range of logistics vehiclesequipped with armoured solutions of dif-ferent types, according to vehicle capaci-

payload 6 x 6). BAE Systems’ Ltas is asystem designed for the FMTV andincludes a different cab and vehicle ele-ments allowing for significant increasesin weight. A follow-on modificationincluded a further 103 A-kits. That sameyear, in June, the US Department ofDefense awarded BAE Systems a con-

ties. In the lighter range, the UnimogU5000 is available in three different con-figurations: one as personnel transportwith a two-seat single cab and anarmoured body, the second with a four-seat double cab and armoured body,available for command post, ambulanceor other configurations, and the thirdwith single cab and unprotected body.The latter version, however, has the mostheavily protected cab; Levels 2 ballisticand 2b anti-mine, but still leaving a two-tonne payload capacity, while the firsttwo models respectively protected to 2/2aand 1/1 standards.

The Zetros series of four to ten-tonnetrucks is provided with Level 3/3b pro-tection. The cabins are said to withstanda 50-kg TNT-equivalent blast, althoughthe range is not indicated. The armouredActros 8 x 8 family of trucks still offers apayload capacity of up to 15 tonnes andprovides their two-man crews ballisticprotection of up to Stanag Level 3, mineprotection of Level 3b (eight kg AT-mineunder belly) and a 50-kg TNT blast andhigh-velocity fragment protection.

Eurosatory 2010, however, saw thelaunch of the Actros 4151 AK 8 x 8 offer-ing an even higher level of protection –up to Level 4 ballistic and Level 4bagainst mines – together with superior

protection against roadside and carbombs. This result comes from an optimi-sation of the cabin structure whichallowed packing more protection and tofit new seats with five-point safety har-nesses. The Actros 4151 AK 8 x 8 on show

earlier in the armoured version havebeen tested for the GTF (GeschützteTransportfahrzeuge) programme.

As for the export market, the Actroswon the Canadian bid in 2007, 83 8 x 8armoured trucks having been deliveredin 2007-08 under the main contract plus13 additional trucks as part of the option,and they are now operating inAfghanistan. Currently the Actros is bid-ding for the Australian Land 121 ’Over-lander‘ Phase 3 – Medium/Heavy capa-bility while the Zetros is offered for theMedium segment. The vehicles wereshortlisted in 2009 after a competitiveevaluation testing; following the requestfor tender issued last May the selectionand the contract signature are awaitedfor 2011 and the overall requirementshould involve over 2000 vehicles in max-imum option guise.

Another company that is bidding forthe Australian contract is MAN MilitaryVehicle Systems Australia, which is pro-posing the HX Series high-mobility trucksystem. The HX Series includes 4 x 4, 6 x6 and 8 x 8 chassis in different versions –all can be equipped with modular or inte-grated armoured cabs. The ModularArmoured Cabin (Mac) comes in a kit


A German Army MAN Multi-FSA equipped with an armoured cabin produced byKMW. (Krauss-Maffei Wegmann)

Two solutions canbe adopted fortruck cabins,integral steelarmour replacingstandard cabins,and add-onarmour, the latterrequiring anoriginal cabinsufficiently strong.(Krauss-MaffeiWegmann)

that is fixed to the standard cabin andprovides protection against ballisticthreats (Level 2) and against mine threat(Level 1). The advantage is that it can eas-ily be installed by two men and removedand mounted on another truck if needed.A heavier solution is the IntegratedArmour Cabin (IAC), which comes in theform of an armoured cabin in itself pro-viding a higher ballistic protection, Level3, and a much higher mine protection ofLevel 3b (against an eight-kilo anti-tankmine under belly). The IAC also allowsthe installation of a remotely-controlledweapon station on top of the vehicle forself-defence purposes.

MAN, which since March 2010 put itsmilitary production under the hat of anew company, Rheinmetall MAN Mili-tary Vehicles, with Rheinmetall holding a51% stake and MAN 49%, also fieldsanother family, the SX series, in which SXstands for extreme mobility. Its box framehas an even higher torsion resistance

was the recovery version, but the newcabin is transferable to the other variants.Mercedes-Benz provided numeroustrucks to the German Bundeswehr, andcurrently all three models mentioned

An Iveco DV M17033 WM HighMobility 4 x 4 truckwith protected cab;armour solutionshave beendeveloped with IBDDeisenroth fromGermany. (Iveco)

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than the HX series, which together withprogressive coil spring suspensions allowspeedy movement on uneven terrain,hydro-pneumatic load-regulating shockabsorbers being proposed as an option.The SX series is offered in 6 x 6 and 8 x 8chassis carrying various configurations,the latest being the SX45 8 x 8 heavy tac-tical recovery vehicle shown at Eurosato-ry 2010.

The MAN HX represents the core ofthe British Army support fleet with over7000 trucks planned. Some 280 such vehi-cles were given a protected cabin withadd-on armour from NP Aerospace, pro-viding Level 2 ballistic and Level 1 blastprotection. Germany ordered 160 SX 8 x8 trucks which will be known as Multi A4FSA – all equipped with the IAC cabin.They will enter service in early 2011.MAN is obviously bidding for the Ger-man GTF programme with its armouredcabin trucks. Austria, Denmark and Nor-way have also adopted the IAC for theirMAN trucks. Denmark acquired 143 HXand SX trucks in 6 x 6 and 8 x 8 versions,including 20 equipped with the IAV,while the remaining feature the Maccabin. Leveraging the high commonalitybetween the two armies, RheinmetallMAN eyes with optimism the tender thatshould be launched at the end of 2010 bythe Netherlands with a view to replacingits fleet of tactical and logistic trucks.

Until now IAC cabins were provided byKrauss-Maffei Wegmann (KMW), whileMac add-on kits were coming from various

providers. Since last March, synergiesbetween Rheinmetall and MAN will leadto in-house solutions, a Rheinmetalldesigned IAC cabin being already underdevelopment while add-on kits will mostlycome from Chempro, a company con-trolled at 51% by Rheinmetall, the remain-ing stakes being owned by IBD Deisen-roth, the German armour specialist.

(6 x 6) and AT 410T (8 x 8) are availablewith different wheelbases and with a bal-listic steel cab with up to four seats. Com-pared with the original non-armouredcab, this increases the kerb weight bybetween 2.2 and 3.5 tonnes, depending onmodel and protection level, but accord-ingly reduces effective payload capaci-ties, and still leaves them respectively inthe 10, 15 and over 20-tonne classes.Armoured cabins are provided by KMWand the ballistic, anti-mine and roadsidebomb protection levels can be tailored to customer needs within the limits of the vehicle.

The Trakker family is in service withvarious countries. In Britain Iveco is pro-viding a fleet of AT 380 45, most of whichequipped with the protected cab. Ger-many has 150 trucks of the Trakker fami-ly in service, all with the protected cab,but an additional 78 were delivered withdecontamination equipment.

The Iveco high-mobility familyincludes three main types, the M170 (4 x4), the M250 (6 x 6) and the M320 (8 x 8),with different wheelbases and a basicnon-protected cabin designed to accept

The Iveco DV High Mobility family is developed in various versions on 4 x 4, 6 x 6and 8 x 8 chassis. (Iveco)

Derived from thecommercial Trakkerseries, Iveco DVmedium mobilitytrucks are equippedwith steel armouredcabins produced byKrauss-MaffeiWegmann. (Iveco)

An Italian patrol insouthern Iraqmounted on IvecoDV VM90 non-armoured vehiclesin 2004. Newthreats such as IEDshave considerablychanged themobility paradigm.(Armada/PV)

The Iveco DV portfolio includes twofamilies of trucks; one based on the com-mercial Trakker chassis and the other onthe High Mobility line, both with 4 x 4 to8 x 8 configurations with and withoutarmoured cabin. The Trakker-basedtrucks known as AT 190T (4 x 4), AT 380T

add-on ballistic armour. The RemovableProtection Kits (RPK) have been devel-oped by Iveco DV together with IBDDeisenroth of Germany. Iveco provided400 M250.45 WM eight-tonne 6 x 6s toBelgium, together with 350 RPKs, whilemany versions of the high-mobility fami-ly are in service with the Italian Army, anumber of them equipped with RPKs fordownrange operations. The same appliesto Spain, one of Iveco DV’s main cus-tomers (the company having a produc-tion line in that country), which acquired150 RPKs to be installed on its trucksdeployed in Afghanistan. Spain shouldsoon issue a new tender for protected 4 x 4s for which Iveco will certainly bidagainst principal rivals identified as Sca-nia and Renault Truck Defense.

Renault Trucks Defense's range of mil-itary trucks consists of two main products:the Sherpa Medium tactical truck (6 x 6and 4 x 4) designed for military needs andthe Kerax logistic truck (4 x 4, 6 x 6, 8 x 4and 8 x 8) – a commercial vehicle mili-tarised by Renault. They both are avail-

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able with armoured cabs and self-defenceweapon stations (directly or remotelyoperated). Several options are availabledepending on the level of protectionrequired, the vehicle’s payload capacityand their configuration. The ’Service desEssences‘ of the French Army is forinstance operating a fleet of Kerax 4 x 2tractor trucks fitted with armoured cabs.Higher levels of ballistic, mine and road-side protection are available for theKerax 8 x 4 and 8 x 8 variants.

The Kerax 8 x 8 fitted with anarmoured cab was shown at Eurosatory2010 with a Panhard/Sagem Wasp remote-ly-operated weapon station, as the Frencharmy is looking for such a solution for its’Porteur Polyvalent Terrestre‘ pro-gramme, which might involve up to 2500new trucks. Designed for military needssince its inception, the Sherpa Medium isable to receive armoured cabs with highlevels of ballistic, mine and roadside bombprotection without compromising its all-terrain mobility and payload capacity.Some 200 Sherpa Medium 6 x 6s (GBCADR) have also been ordered by theFrench Army, part of them fitted witharmoured cabs, especially for ammunitiontransport. The same type also serves as thebase of the Nexter Caesar artillery systemordered by France and Thailand.

Renault has also developed an Mrapvariant of the Sherpa Medium 6 x 6.

Other companies also propose truckswith armoured cabs. Scania’s are avail-able with the Exchangeable Cabin devel-oped by Centigon, Sisu of Finland offersits 10 x 10, 8 x 8 and 6 x 6 models with theSisu Armoured Cabin accepting add-onarmour up to Level 3 ballistic and mineprotection, Tatra’s 810 and 815-7 modelsoffer Level 1 protected cabins, while thePanhard TC-54 five-tonne high-mobilitytruck is also provided with a protectedcab. Numerous manufacturers in Russiaand in other countries also offer protect-ed crew cabins for their logistic trucks inorder to adapt them to today’s battlefieldrequirements.

Armoured-borne LogisticsWhile trucks were originally developedas non-protected vehicles and subse-quently fitted with armoured cabins, theopposite is also true: to provide logisticalsupport to mounted patrols operating ata distance from camps, and in order togive them vehicles with similar mobility, anumber of vehicles of the Mrap andlighter categories, born as full lightarmoured personnel transport assets, arebecoming available in logistics versions

which, thanks to the smaller protectedvolume, normally feature a higher pay-load capacity compared to their standardversions. The need for this kind of vehicleis such that from the outset the US JLTVprogramme included two utility versions– the Cat. B vehicle for the US MarineCorps and the Cat. C vehicle for both thearmy and the marines.

Turning to logistics derivatives, theOshkosh M-ATV utility variant providestop protection to its three crew members(one being the gunner) while retaining a2.3-tonne payload capacity with a 6 x 8-ftexpanded cargo bed. Force Protection

Armoured cabinsare normallyproduced bysubcontracors; herea Centigon cabinmounted on aRenault TrucksDefense vehicle.(Renault TrucksDefense)

Forward view of a Renault TrucksDefense Kerax equipped with anarmoured cabin. (Renault TrucksDefense)

Despite certain criticism, the irresistible rise of the wheeled vehicle is not likely to showany signs of respite in the near future as exemplified by Sweden’s recent order for noless than 113 armoured Patria AMVs (here a South African MCV) to the tune of SEK2.5 billion. All vehicles are to be delivered by end-2013. (Patria)

developed the Tactical Support Vehicleout of its Cougar/Mastiff 6 x 6 family.Navistar Defense developed the 6 x 6International Maxx Pro into a full 20-footISO container transporter with a two-man cabin (and a third optional seat).

Thales Australia, for its part, offers thesingle-cab utility vehicle version of itsBushmaster troop transport vehicle. At17.2 tonnes laden mass, the vehicle has apayload capacity of over 5.7 tonnes and isthe only one to feature independent sus-pensions. Its 4.1-metre-long tray canaccept an ISO half-container. The cab pro-tection can be tailored to customer needsthanks to add-on armour. The utility Bush-master has been downselected for the Aus-tralian Land 121 Phase 3 contract.

KMW has developed a pick-up ver-sion of its Dingo 2 with a three-man pro-tected cabin and a three-tonne payloadcapacity. The rear tray can be provided asa platform or with a twist lock system fortransporting containers and mini-shel-ters. The cabin roof can host a remote-control weapon station for self-protec-tion. Unveiled at Eurosatory 2010 byGDELS-Mowag, the new Eagle has autility version with a two-crew cab and a3.6-tonne payload capacity and it is high-ly probable that if and when the Eagle

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6 x 6 will see the light of day a utility ver-sion will be part of the offer. Iveco DVhas also developed a logistics variant ofits LMV based on the latest chassis.Stretched by some 300 mm compared tothe earlier models to bring the wheelbaseto 3.53 metres, it is equipped with theshort cab and can accept a 2.6-tonne pay-load on its rear tray.

Other light armoured vehicles will cer-tainly follow this example, as they offloadlogistical missions to smaller carriers thatare more apt to closely follow mountedpatrols on long-term missions.

Tyre ImprovementsThe wheel has definitely dominated thetrack in current missions. Both have theirpros and cons:� wheeled mobility still needs to beimproved, not only for operations inincreasingly harsh terrain, but also in

terms of reliability, notably its vulnerabil-ity to punctures where it would be leastuseful to control such effects through aprogressive degradation of the vehicle’smobility� while tracks still are the best way to copewith the most difficult cross-country situa-tions, there still is a need to further devel-op types that do not damage local road sys-tems. The other problem with trackedvehicles is more subjective, but important,as they convey a much more aggressiveimage to a local population, which makesit antonymous with the idea of the peacethey are supposed to restore.

Various solutions are being proposedto improve wheel reliability. These rangefrom run-flat systems, through self-seal-ing tyres, to non-inflatable tires. Ironical-ly, the latter solution would swing oneright back to the automotive industry ori-gins, when WW I trucks were mostly

a non-pneumatic tyre. Although it hasalready been tested, its development isonly expected to be finalised by late 2011.Researchers looked for the best structur-al solution, considering many designsoffered by nature, which led them to optfor a honeycomb structure. Obviouslynot using pressurised air, it providesstructural rigidity, flexibility andimproved heat dissipation, while reduc-ing vibration and wear. According to thedevelopers, the adopted hexagonal cellpattern duplicates at best the ’ride feel‘ ofpneumatic tyres.

The requirement from the US ArmyResearch Laboratory is to develop a tyrethat can withstand the same payload ascurrent Humvees, that is 1815 kg, which isfully within the current parameters, whilebeing able to sustain a speed of 120 km/hover 100 km with a 10% damage to thehoneycomb structure. The tyre will be

ResilientTechnologies isdeveloping a non-pneumatic tyre forHumvees thatshould be ready forproduction in late2011. (ResilientTechnologies)

Air-Seal Products inBritain is offering anew sealing systemthat is inserted intothe wheel and fillspunctures in near-real-time or, whenthis is impossible,to ensure acontrolled deflation.(Air-Seal Products)

The armoured version of the TC54Renault Trucks Defense tactical truck.(Armada/PV)

lighter than that of a standard Humveeequipped with a run-flat insert. Labora-tory ballistic tests have already been car-ried out and showed that damage causedto the tyre and honeycomb structure bysmall and medium calibre rounds gener-ated only very limited performancedegradation. The stiffness of the polymerused to build the NPT, as it is called, canbe tuned according to the load and com-fort required. Unsurprisingly, a moreflexible material provides a smootherride but a limited loading while largerand heavier vehicles would require amore rigid polymer. To speed-up thedevelopment of the NPT, Resilient Tech-nologies teamed with Cooper Tire andRubber in November 2008.

In the meantime, the current aim is toallow users on the battlefield to maintainmobility even when one or more wheelshave been punctured or damaged byenemy fire. Hutchinson provides a fullrange of solutions not only to allow thedamaged vehicle to maintain a high per-centage of its mobility, but also to reducepuncture rate. Internal beadlocks answerthe primary requirement to maintain thetraction when the wheel deflates; withoutsuch a system the pneumatic would slipover the rim and the damaged wheelwould no longer contribute to the vehicletraction, and even worse, would lead to a

equipped with rigid wheels, often made ofiron and wood – definitely a non-punc-ture solution, but with serious drawbacksin terms of current traction and comfortrequirements.

However, Resilient Technologies inco-operation with the University of Wis-consin-Madison, is currently working on

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total separation of tyre and wheel. Thebeadlock is also a key element when airpressure is decreased to augment tyrefootprint.

The Hutchinson beadlock is thus com-patible not only with the majority of tiresand rims but also with central tire infla-tion systems (CTIS). However, the bead-lock does not allow running at speed on apunctured tire over a long distance, onereason why Hutchinson now also offersthe Runflat VFI (Variable FunctionInsert), which not only acts as a beadlockbut also provides an interface betweenthe rim and the tyre to enable a totallydeflated tyre to continue to run for longerperiods of time.

This solution is a standard fit on manymilitary vehicles. Both the beadlock andthe VFI integrated system represent awheel weight increase of between 15 and25%. While it indeed remains a penalty, itis only relative when weighed against theadvantage of still being mobile and there-fore alive. However, Hutchinson hasdeveloped an aluminium rim that saves

up to 60% weight compared to a standardsteel wheel. In addition, the two-partbolted rim encloses the CTIS and furtherreduces overall weight, number of com-ponents and mounting time. It is also pro-vided with a cover to protect the CTISand the hub.

The rims can be custom designed andare used on many vehicles such as theStryker and the Iveco LMV, and stillallow having a wheel equipped with aVFI system at a lesser weight than a stan-dard mount.

At Eurosatory 2010 Hutchinsonlaunched the latest of its mobilityenhancement features – the Tire Shield.Developed under, no pun intended, thepressure of US Forces’ experience in

A ResilientTechnologies tyreshowing itscapability toabsorb shocks onuneven ground.(ResilientTechnologies)

A Panhard VBL demonstrates Hutchinson systems at Eurosatory 2010. The front wheelis protected by the new Tire Shield while the rear is deflated and still works thanks tothe Runflat VFI. (Armada/PV)

Hutchinson developed the Tire Shield, visible on the front wheel, to answer a USrequirement. US forces in Afghanistan are suffering a high damage rate due to thepuncturing of tyre walls. (Armada/PV)

Afghanistan where many tyres sufferedsidewall damage from rocks, it comes inthe form of a reinforced rubber diskwhich is mounted on the tyre side. It alsoprotects wheels from damages inflictedby stabs or screwdrivers. First testsshowed that such a solution may reducerock-inflicted damage by a mere 10%,which, considering the whole chain ofevents involved, is after all a substantialsaving since, quite apart from the cost ofthe tyre itself, the true cost of replacinghigh number of wheels in theatreinvolves the transportation and logisticparaphernalia required to make thewheel available to the end user. Deliver-ies of the Tire Shield began in summer2010.

Another major provider of runflat sys-tems is Runflat International in Britain,whose Tyre Support Inserts (TSI) aremade of specially developed plasticsinstead of rubber. This reduces theirweight by about 30% and gives themanti-ballistic properties, as they do notgenerate splinters inside the tyre if hit bya projectile. Single-piece Runflat TSIs arealso easy to install in a tyre without spe-cialist fitting equipment. Known as TSI

The event line up may be subject to change, please contact one of our helpful customer managers for more information


Combat, the military insert is in servicewith European and Middle East cus-tomers. Runflat International also pro-duces a new range of alloy wheels.

South Carolina-based Dynamic Run-flats, part of the Defense Venture Group,developed a multi-segmented runflat sys-tem known as Dynamic Runflat System,with bead blocking positive lockingdevices. In March 2010 the companyentered into an agreement with BASFPolyurethane Solutions to exploitBASF’s proprietary elastomer technolo-gies, and more specifically the Elastocast,to manufacture the runflat assembly, andthe Elastofoam, used to hold the elas-tomer inserts in place within the tire cav-ity. BASF polyurethane materiel provedto be extremely ballistic tolerant, asproven by runflat inserts surviving hitsfrom12.7-mm calibre rounds.

Europlast-Nycast in Germany pro-vides runflat systems for numerous Bun-deswehr wheeled vehicles, among themthe new Boxer as well as the Fuchs andthe Dingo.

While runflat systems certainly offergood performance, avoiding pressure lossin a wheel in case of puncture is even better. Air-Seal Products in Britain hasdeveloped an aramidic-fibre-based

sealant that blocks even huge gaps in atyre. When other gum-based productsreact chemically with the tyre compo-nents, hardening once in place, and arenormally injected into the tyre followingthe puncture and deflation, the Air-Seal

ing the chances of an instant catastrophicfailure (blow-out) and allow the driver tomove to a safe place.

Fibres constitute the backbone of thetyre sealant: the stronger the fibres, thestronger the tyre repair. The strongestfibres are state-of-the-art synthetic fibressuch as those used in bulletproof vests.The fibres have variable lengths anddegrees of branching, the more varied thefibres, the faster the seal forms and themore permanent the seal will be. Thosefibres are inserted in a liquid which is themedium by which the fibres and fillersreach the area of the puncture in the tyre,the problem being to avoid separationbetween the two components when thetyre is at rest, a problem that Air-Sealsays was solved in its product. The Air-Seal sealant can work in synergy withrun-flat systems and central tyre inflationsystems, each enhancing the performanceof the other, further augmenting thechances of the vehicle not to turn itselfinto a sitting duck.

Different grades of product are avail-able. The military world prefers theArmor-Seal Grade, which is capable of

The latest developments from Soucy has allowed the firm to offer band tracks for muchheavier vehicles than the M113, as evidenced by this CV90 Armadillo unveiled atEurosatory 2010. (Armada/PV)

Soucy Internationalof Canada is theleading manu -facturer of bandtracks; here aSoucy trackmounted on aNorwegian M113pictured in Kabul in2005.(Armada/PV)

The Dynamic Runflat System is a multi-segmented insert with bead blockingpositive locking devices. (DynamicRunflats)

plugging holes up to 30 mm across heav-ier-ply tyres. The forerunner of the cur-rent product was subject to a military trialin May 1994 and subsequently used dur-ing Operation Gabriel – the British Armydeployment to Rwanda that year. In May2008 further trials were completed: theoutline for the trial was to seal three-andfive-mm holes, but that criterion was thenraised to ten and 20-mm holes, the Air-Seal Armor-Seal grade tyre sealant easilycoping with that size of penetration.

Currently the Air-Seal is installed inthe Jackal and Coyote vehicles inAfghanistan as well as in the ATVs andtheir trailers, which are operating at verylow pressures.

sealant is inserted into the tyre beforemounting and spreads within the tyrewith rotational centrifugal force. Thisseals any puncture in near-real-time, withthe driver even possibly not noticing theincident.

The air pressure in the tyre forces mil-lions of fibres and fillers suspended in thesealant to interlock to form a plug, whichprevents any further loss of air. If the tyresealant is contaminated due to oil orgrease, or if the tyre itself is structurallydamaged, then Air-Seal’s sealant cannot,and will not, form a lasting plug, as fibreswill be unable to grip the sides of thewound in the tyre. It will, however, gener-ate a controlled deflation, greatly reduc-

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Soucy band tracks are also being usedon the tracked version of BAE SystemsHägglunds’ SEP and have been thor-oughly tested on the CV90 with goodresults. Soucy tracks also equipped thelatest version of the CV90, the so-called’Armadillo‘, which was unveiled atEurosatory 2010.

Another company involved in thesame business, Diehl Remscheid of Ger-many, has developed an innovative bandtrack design. Currently available for theBV 206 all terrain vehicle, it differs fromother available rubber tracks in beingsubdivided into four segments. The BandTrack 325B’s segments are each 1.45metres long and weigh 52 kg. Vehicle kitsare delivered on two pallets, each witheight segments, since the BV 206 has fourtracks. The fact that the track can beopened allows its replacement in thesame way as with normal tracked vehi-cles. Once the track has been opened atone of its separation points, the vehiclebacks up and then engages a new track,while one-piece tracks need the vehicleto be lifted, their replacement requiringsix people and 60 minutes of work versusa two-people and 20-minute job for theDiehl tracks. Moreover spare segmentscan be carried on board the vehicle and the repair can be easily carried out inthe field.

Torsion stability, lateral force take-upand lateral guidance are obtainedthrough extremely stable steel traverses,the supporting structure is enclosed by arobust and high-traction rubber profile.The 325B has been fully qualified and isin service on German Army BV 206s.Diehl Remscheid is leveraging this expe-rience to develop segmented band tracksfor heavier vehicles, first in the 20-tonneand then in the 35-tonne classes. a

Compendium Mobility - Air, Sea, Land 2010Supplement to issue 5/2010

Volume 34, Issue No.5, October/November 2010

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vehicles have to deploy on roads or inurban environments (tracks have beenseen kicking off heavy rubber pads intothe crowd or tearing up tarred roads informer Yugoslavia).

Soucy in Canada has been the compa-ny that mostly believed in rubber bandtracks for armoured vehicles. The compa-ny started developing those systems inthe mid-1990s under a contract from theUS Army Tank Automotive Command.Later in that decade it proposed com-plete track systems including rubberband track and plastic drive sprocketsand idlers for armoured vehicles in theM113 category. Those tracks are beingused in Afghanistan onboard Canadian,Danish and Norwegian M113s, and exem-plify the first operational deployment forsuch type of tracks.

New tyres are also entering the mar-ket. Michelin, by large the principal mili-tary tyre manufacturer, introduced atEurosatory 2010 its new XZL2, which hasthe same payload performance of thewidely used XZL pneumatic, but allows10 to 15 km/h-higher top speeds. Thisenables trucks equipped with off-roadtyres to increase their speed on-roadwhile maintaining off-road capabilitiesand toughness. The XZL2 features aredesigned tread pattern that offersgreater speed capabilities and improvedtread life over a wide range of terrains.The new tyre is ready for production in395/85R20 size, and weighs five per centless than the previous model. Differentsizes are under development.

Softening Track ImpactLast, but not least, tracked vehicles canacquire some new capabilities if theirtracks are modified to cope with new mis-sion requirements. This does not meanthat all of them will necessarily abandontheir current track types, which in someareas perfectly suit the operational needs,cross-country movements being theirdaily routine. However, some situationswould certainly command the use ofband tracks, particularly when heavy

A complete trackmade with foursegments of the325B modelmanufactured byDiehl Remscheid.Available for theBV206, thecompany isdeveloping newmodels for heaviervehicles. (DiehlRemscheid)

AM General 19AxleTech International 23Ceradyne 19Defence IQ 25Diehl Remscheid 27Future Naval Summit 23General Dynamics LS 13

Hutchinson 21LAAD 2011 27Lockheed Martin C4Mercedes-Benz 17MTU C2Plasan 21Textron Marine & Land C3

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