Browse Topic: Military vehicles and equipment
RF and fiber have long co-existed within modern military and aerospace systems, with each medium dedicated to separate, mission-critical roles. Increasingly, however, system designers are turning to RF-over-fiber (RFoF) architectures to bridge the gap between over-the-air RF interfaces and the long, interference-resistant transport advantages of fiber. When it comes to over-the-air communications uses like tactical radio or satellite communications terminals, radio frequency (RF) is still the dominant signal format. RF is also commonly used at the front end of radar and electronic warfare, supporting search, tracking, fire control radar, missile seekers, jammers and electronic support measures.
Pyrovalves (also known as pyrotechnic valves) have long been a staple in defense systems, particularly in missile and munition launcher applications. The rapid growth of counter-UAS and missile defense systems makes this an ideal time to explore smarter alternatives to pyrovalves. One of the largest ongoing U.S. military efforts is the Missile Defense Agency's (MDA) Scalable Homeland Innovative Enterprise Layered Defense (SHIELD) Multiple Award Indefinite Delivery/Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) contract. In December, MDA issued two tranches of SHIELD awards to more than 2,100 companies, including major defense contractors and startups such as Lockheed Martin, Raytheon, Boeing, Shield AI, Anduril, and Virtualitics.
The U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command Technical Center's Aerophysics Research Facility, (ARF), fired a successful hypersonic shot to test its new rainfield simulator. U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command Technical Center, Huntsville, AL Zack Perrin, ARF manager and technical lead engineer of the U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command (USASMDC's) Targets and Test Resources Branch of the Ronald Reagan Ballistic Missile Defense Test Site, said ARF is SMDC's premier hypersonic flight and hypervelocity impact laboratory. Perrin said their largest gun system, the 254 mm light gas guns, or LGGs, is the fastest gun in the Army and can launch projectiles 6 inches in diameter to speeds up to 3 kilometers per second or smaller projectiles on the order of 2.7 inches in diameter to velocities exceeding 6 km/s. “I like to tell people that the facility is a gun range the size of an aircraft carrier and within the facility are multiple engineering tools, called light gas guns
Current world conflicts have proven that drones are now indispensable tools in modern warfare. Whether for reconnaissance, loitering munitions, or asymmetric tactics that exploit vulnerabilities in conventional defenses, unmanned aerial systems (UAS) are redefining the rules of engagement.
Since the emergence of the first tanks in World War I, tracked military vehicles have driven the development of increasingly sophisticated control systems, keeping pace with the evolution of technologies and combat tactics. This study aims to develop a longitudinal speed control system for tracked military vehicles using a cascade framework. To this end, a dynamic model based on the bicycle model—commonly employed for wheeled vehicles—has been appropriately adapted to represent the dynamics of tracked vehicles. In the first stage, a Model-based Predictive Controller defines the required traction force to be produced by the track; subsequently, a PID controller determines the necessary torque on the drive pulley to achieve the desired force. Simulations performed in MATLAB, considering a straight trajectory and speeds of up to 20 km/h, demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed control system, yielding satisfactory results in the regulation of longitudinal speed.
Augustine's Law predicts “In the year 2054, the entire defense budget of the United States will purchase just one aircraft. This aircraft will have to be shared by the Air Force and Navy three days each per week except for leap year, when it will be made available to the Marines for the extra day.” While the world is not on course for the $800 billion aircraft as Augustine predicted, the aerospace & defense industry must take steps to bring new technology to the battlefield without the $800 billion price tag. The development of robotic aircraft or drones is one way to deliver new capability faster for less cost.
Modern warfare is defined as much by data dominance as by maneuver. From satellite-based intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) platforms to dismounted soldiers' handheld radios, operational success depends on the ability to move, process, and act on digital information in real time. Yet this dependence introduces a critical vulnerability: as the force becomes more data-centric, it becomes more susceptible to disconnection, jamming, and cyber denial. In disconnected, intermittent, and limited (DIL) environments - where communications are degraded by terrain, adversarial interference, or limited infrastructure - traditional network architectures falter. Centralized command nodes and linear data pipelines cannot sustain the agility or resilience required at the tactical edge. The solution is a new design paradigm - one that integrates ruggedized hardware, edge computing, artificial intelligence (AI), and hybrid tactical-cloud architectures into a distributed, adaptive
Leonardo DRS Arlington, VA mmount@drs.com
Moog Inc. East Aurora, NY kgibas@moog.com
This SAE Standard applies to all combinations of pneumatic tires, wheels, or runflat devices (only as defined in SAE J2013) for military tactical wheeled vehicles only as defined in SAE J2013. This applies to original equipment and new replacement tires, retread tires, wheels, or runflat devices. This document describes tests and test methodology, which will be used to evaluate and measure tire/wheel/runflat system and changes in vehicle performance. All of the tests included in this document are not required for each tire/wheel/runflat assembly. The Government Tire Engineering Office and Program Office for the vehicle system have the responsibility for the selection of a specific test(s) to be used. The selected test(s) should be limited to that required to evaluate the tire/wheel/runflat system and changes in vehicle performance. Selected requirements of this specification shall be used as the basis for procurement of a tire, wheel, and/or runflat device for military tactical wheeled
U.S. Army soldiers recently evaluated the off-road delivery capabilities of Overland AI's “ULTRA” autonomous vehicle during a demonstration exercise in Vaziani, Georgia. U.S. Army, Vaziani, Georgia In an effort to cut costs and improve supply delivery efficiency, the U.S. Army assessed the Overland AI ULTRA Fully Autonomous Tactical Vehicle prototype during exercise Agile Spirit 25 at the Combat Training Center, Vaziani Training Area, Georgia, in July. “Agile Spirit 25 is the 12th iteration of a biennial multinational exercise designed to enhance readiness, interoperability and combined operational capabilities, which promotes our countries' shared goal of security and stability in the Black Sea Region,” said Col. Will Cox, Co-exercise Director for Agile Spirit 25.
Hensoldt Taufkirchen, Germany nico.fritz@hensoldt.net
In an effort to cut costs and improve supply delivery efficiency, the U.S. Army assessed the Overland AI ULTRA Fully Autonomous Tactical Vehicle prototype during exercise Agile Spirit 25 at the Combat Training Center, Vaziani Training Area, Georgia, in July.
When a Marine in the field launches an uncrewed aerial vehicle (UAV) to gather intelligence, it becomes more than just a drone. It's a flying data center that processes AI workloads, runs machine learning algorithms, and transmits critical information through a complex network designed to provide situational awareness across multiple commands. All of this computational power generates significant heat, and in the confined space of a UAV operating in harsh environmental conditions, thermal management becomes critical to mission success. But there's a fundamental question the U.S. defense isn't asking: how will we manage the heat? The Golden Dome, the Trump administration's vision for missile defense, builds upon the existing Joint All-Domain Command and Control (JADC2) framework for connecting sensors from all branches of the U.S. armed forces into a unified network powered by artificial intelligence. This plan faces an existential threat from thermal management challenges that have
Forest fire prevention and control agencies in São Carlos, in the interior of the state of São Paulo, Brazil, will soon have help from the sky to detect fires more quickly and combat them before they grow out of control and cannot be extinguished.
The increasing complexity of systems has necessitated a modernized model-centric approach to design them. Becoming fully model-centric has introduced a new set of challenges that need to be overcome in order to realize the full potential from this new approach. This paper presents a plugin for Cameo System Modeler 2022x that automates the extraction of SysML Block Definition Diagram data from an entire model or a selected diagram. The extracted data is formatted into JSON and processed via a Java-based API client, which sends it to Mistral AI for interpretation. The AI-generated textual summary provides insights into system components and relationships, streamlining model comprehension and decision-making. By integrating AI-driven interpretation into the Cameo environment, this approach enhances model-based systems engineering (MBSE) workflows, reducing the manual effort required to analyze complex architectures. The paper discusses the plugin’s implementation, its benefits in model
Manufacturers of fans/propellers using hydraulically-actuated pitch control claim energy efficiency gains up to 75% over fixed-pitch solutions. Unfortunately, the added cost, weight, reliability and maintenance considerations of hydraulic solutions has limited the introduction of pitch control for small-to-medium fans and propellers leaving a large market unserved by the efficiency gains associated with changing the pitch of a blade when the blade shaft’s speed changes. Pilot Systems International and Cool Mechatronics are developing an electromagnetically controlled pitch (EMCP) fan/propeller that will produce a new pareto optimal in size, weight, power, cost and cooling (SWaP-C2). The technology will substantially improve the efficiency of military ground vehicle cooling fans which is typically the third greatest power draw (~20kW)1 in the entire vehicle and provide critical performance improvements during silent watch. It will be a key enabler for the electrification of aircraft.
This paper explores the integration of Microsoft Power BI into Model-Based Systems Engineering (MBSE) workflows, specifically within a Model-Based Product Line Engineering (MBPLE) context. Power BI provides a versatile platform for visualizing, analyzing, and manipulating data, enabling users to configure system variants outside traditional MBSE environments while maintaining integration back into the original MBSE model. This approach enhances collaboration between engineering and business disciplines, improves decision-making with real-time data analysis, and allows users to configure and evaluate multiple system variants efficiently. Additionally, the paper discusses how Power BI’s interactive dashboards facilitate better accessibility and analysis, bridging the gap between technical teams and non-technical stakeholders. Future work will focus on improving data pipeline automation and incorporating feature performance metrics to enable real-time trade study analysis, further
The Technical Cooperation Program (TTCP) is a five-nation defense innovation network that harnesses science and technology in support of the defense and national security of the participant nations. The 2019 TTCP Scrum Event’s objective, sponsored by the Aerospace Systems group, was to enhance the military capability of current and future systems through collaborative research and innovation. The primary goal of this effort was to contribute to a shared understanding of the benefits of a MS&A-powered wargame-like event while examining future concepts. The 2019 Scrum Event was a collaborative event demonstrating a new approach of MS&A capabilities to FVEY partners fostering future TTCP scrum processes and relationships. This paper will discuss the resultant simulation environment, analysis methodology comparing constructive and virtual simulation, provide an overview of the scrum’s origins, purpose, and composition, and provide high-level results, outcomes, and lessons learned.
The objective of this effort is to create a methodology to posture and position equipped manikins in Computer-Aided Design (CAD) software for ground vehicle workstation design. A collaborative effort is taking place to evaluate the current practices used to posture and position both physical and digital human representations. The goal of the group is to determine how best to utilize posture and position data to update positioning procedures. Data from the Seated Soldier Study and follow-on studies is being utilized to develop statistical models using multivariate analysis methods. Design is the first area of focus across the broader design-develop-evaluate process. The products to address this need are parametric CAD accommodation models with imbedded Digital Human Models (DHMs). Developing updated positioning procedures for each of the manikins will provide a traceable justification for positioning manikins based on Soldier data.
This paper explores key trends shaping E/E architectures in the commercial and automotive industries, including the increasing adoption of High-Performance Computers (HPCs) and high data rate Ethernet networks. These advancements facilitate the transition from Distributed to Zonal physical architecture. Concurrently, industry shifts toward standardizing software development via Software Architecture standards, Software Factories and embracing Software Defined Vehicle (SDV) strategies are gaining momentum. Finally, we provide key insights and lessons from the automotive and commercial vehicle sectors, with implications for E/E architectures in Ground Combat Vehicles (GCVs).
This paper presents updates to a “meta-algorithm” for achieving safer AI driven systems by integrating systems theoretic process analysis, quantitative fault tree analysis, structured generation of safety metrics, and statistical hypothesis testing of metrics between simulation and reality. This paper presents updates to the meta-algorithm after its application in use cases involving commercial autonomous vehicle deployment.
This paper presents the development of an alternative to the traditional multichannel Fiber Optic Rotary Joint (FORJ) using spatial division multiplexing. The proposed solution utilizes phase plates assembly in a compact housing made by a French optical communications company called Cailabs. It is distinguished from conventional multichannel technologies that rely on Dove prisms or wavelength multiplexing by using the housing of a single channel Fiber Optic Rotary Joint (FORJ) without needing strong constraint on the choice of optical transceivers. Our research focused on characterizing the specific mechanical parameters required to transfer optical modes from the rotor to the stator without deformation or misalignment of those. Three test campaigns were conducted, each with iterative improvements. The latest results demonstrate commercially viable performance for transmission of 3G-SDI video stream on up to 6 channels.
A Modular Open Systems Approach (MOSA) for command and control (C2) of autonomous vehicles equipped with sensor and defeat mechanisms enhances force protection against unmanned aerial systems (UAS), swarm, and ground-based robotic threats with current technology while providing an adaptable framework able to accommodate technological advances. This approach emphasizes modularity, which allows for independent upgrades and maintenance; interoperability, which ensures seamless integration with other systems; and scalability, which enables the system to grow and adapt to increasing threats and new technologies – all of which are essential for managing complex, dynamic, and evolving operational threats from UAS, swarm, and ground-based robots. The proposed systems approach is designed around component-based modules with standardized interfaces, ensuring ease of integration, maintenance, and upgrades. The integration of diverse sensors through plug-and-play capabilities and multi-sensor
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