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Tag: Bradley Fighting Vehicle

  • Ground Combat Vehicle – The Bradley Replacement That Could Have Been

    Ground Combat Vehicle – The Bradley Replacement That Could Have Been

    Where did the Ground Combat Vehicle come from and what is it? In 2009, the US Army announced its intention to “significantly restructure” it’s Future Combat System” (FCS). This was formally announced by the Secretary of Defense, Robert Gates. The FCS was a program being developed since the year 2000. It was to be a multi-billion dollar program which would be implemented over a period of several years, and one of the salient features of this program was the Manned Ground Vehicle, (MGV).

    However, the development of the MGV was cancelled and replaced by another vehicle called the “Ground Combat Vehicle” (GCV), to replace the then existing M113s and the Bradley. The features were obviously planned to be better than the Bradley, in all respects.

    M2 Bradley IFV
    M2 Bradley IFV (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

    Features of the Ground Combat Vehicle

    The basic philosophy behind the GCV was that it should be possible to add capabilities on to it in the future, including development of armor. Further, the vehicle should be adaptable to both existing as well as future network capabilities like jammers, radar and sensors. Furthermore, it should be integrated with mature technologies. The vehicle was expected to be in the field by the year 2017, at the latest. The capacity was expected to be a total of 13 soldiers, which would have been more that the capacity of 9 in the M2 Bradley. A common chassis would enable variants to be built around the base structure. The vehicle would also have modular armor, which could be added and removed according to combat requirements. The propulsion system would be an E-X Drive hybrid electric that would deliver high power torque.

    Setbacks and Budget Cuts

    Originally, once the Analysis of Alternatives (AoA) had been carried out by the army, and no other alternative contractors had been located, two contracts of $439.7 million and $449.9 million were awarded to two contractors, General Dynamics and BAE Systems, Nothrop Grumman respectively. Firms like Lockheed Martin, MTU, Detroit Diesel, Raytheon, Rheinmetall Defence, Krauss-Maffei Wegmann, SAIC and Boeing were also in the fray.

    In 2010, a Request for Proposal (RFP) was issued. Under the deadlines of this RFP, companies were given up to January 2011 for proposals to be submitted for tracked or wheeled vehicles. The Army put a ceiling on the cost per vehicle to a range between $9 million to $10.5 million. The cost of each operational mile was to be $200. The vehicle was also required to fit on a C-17 transport aircraft. 1,874 vehicles had been planned, with the first ones being run off the production line in April 2018.

    However, there were several clauses that the Army introduced, that would put the companies in extremely deep water, if there were any glitches in the production. For instance, there was a $450 million ceiling per company and if there was any further rise in the cost, 100% of the additional cost would have to borne by the contractor.

    Further deterioration of the program occurred with Boeing protesting about its rejected proposals. The Army defended its case by stating that it had requested certain technical details from Boeing, but the company did not come forward. A total of 20 weaknesses of Boeing were identified, but according to the Army, the company did not address them adequately.

    The program was officially called off on 24 February 2014, as confirmed by the Secretary of Defense, Chuck Hagel.

    Potential of the Ground Combat Vehicle

    If the GCV had been continued, would it, and how would it have benefited the Army? In 2009, Maj. Gen. Robert H. Scales (Ret.) wrote an article for the Armed Forces Journal. In his article, A Vehicle for Modern Times, Scales brings to the fore the burning issue of the state of the US Army’s ground forces. He feels that the GCV would be able to bring about the much-needed modernization of the US Army’s ground forces. He feels that the GCV could influence the way all other support systems of the war machine work, like sensors, network, aircraft and fire support. Scales makes a lucid observation that it is unfortunate that drastic changes are usually brought in as a consequence to the death of soldiers.

    When the Stykers and Land Warriors were introduced, Scales says, they played different roles, such as long-range and short range transporters, firepower platforms, rally points or even rest centers. He says that the development of a land vehicle effectively resistant to Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) abundantly found in Afghanistan is far from satisfactory. He says that loading on armor has got its limitations; the balance has to be struck between offering sufficient protection and making the vehicle to unwieldy and overweight due to excessive armor. This is one good thing that the GCV has going for it.

    Scales hits the nail on the head by stating that Soldiers and Marines have paid a heavy price in Iraq and Afghanistan. The Ground Combat Vehicle program he feels, would give them back what they have lost. He concludes the article with a powerful summation by saying, “Let’s get on with giving them the fighting system they deserve.”

  • Classes of Supply – What are they?

    Classes of Supply – What are they?

    The United States Armed Forces uses ten classes of supply. These are ten roman numerals designed to categorize the different types of items one might need on the battlefield. These classes of supply are a great checklist to use when deciding if you need something or not.

    So here is the list of the Army classes of supply directly out of the U.S. Army Field Manual 4-0:

    • Class I Subsistence, including health and welfare items.
    • Class II Clothing, individual equipment, tentage, tool sets and tool kits, hand tools, administrative, and  housekeeping supplies and equipment (including maps). This includes items of equipment, other than major items, prescribed in authorization/allowance tables and items of supply (not including repair parts.
    • Class III POL, petroleum and solid fuels, including bulk and packaged fuels, lubricating oils and lubricants, petroleum specialty products; solid fuels, coal, and related products.
    • Class IV Construction materials, to include installed equipment and all fortification/barrier materials.
    • Class V Ammunition of all types (including chemical, radiological, and special weapons), bombs,
    • explosives, mines, fuses, detonators, pyrotechnics, missiles, rockets, propellants, and other associated items.
    • Class VI Personal demand items (nonmilitary sales items.)
    • Class VII Major items: A final combination of end products which is ready for its intended use: (principal item) for example, launchers, tanks, mobile machine shops, vehicles.
    • Class VIII Medical materiel, including medical peculiar repair parts.
    • Class IX Repair parts and components, including kits, assemblies and subassemblies, reparable and  nonreparable, required for maintenance support of all equipment.
    • Class X Material to support nonmilitary programs; such as, agricultural and economic development, not included in Class 1 through Class 9.

     

    The above was the text version of it, now we are putting an image of them in case you want to print it out or use the image in a presentation etc. So here is the image:

    Classes of Supply
    Classes of Supply from the Army Field Manual 4-0

    Tips for Classes of Supply

    They are a great mental checklist to run through prior to any mission. In your head, ask yourself each class of supply and see if your rucksack, M2 Bradley, and HMMWV has everything you need for upcoming missions. The mental check would go like this:

    Class I – Do we have all the food, water, and hygiene items like MREs, Gatorade (for hydration), or ice if you are in a very hot vehicle in 110 degree heat in the middle of the desert.

    Class II – Do we have enough toilet paper and changes of clothes?

    Class III – There are 2 types of Class III. There is Class III(P) which is short for POL (meaning lubricants). Then there is Class III(B) which is short for bulk (meaning fuel). You would want to make sure you have both types of Class III prior to a mission. Gun cleaning oil and JP8 diesel fuel.

    Class IV – Do we have concertina wire and building materials (sand bags) for any bunkers we need to build?

    Class V – Do we have all of the kinds of ammunition, missiles, grenades, and flares we need?

    Class VI – Do you have all entertainment items (smokes, frisbees, etc.) for the trip. This may sound trivial but you would be surprised how many DVDs deployed soldiers watch when not on duty. Also soccer balls were often handed out to kids to try and win hearts and minds.

    Class VII – Do you have the right vehicle? In our unit we had both M2 Bradleys and HMMWVs we could take out. Sometimes when it was a major firefight we would take Bradleys, other times when we needed speed at long distances we would take the wheeled vehicles.

    Class VIII – Do you have all medications, IVs, bandages, alcohol swabs, etc. you will need for the worst case scenerio?

    Class IX – Do you have all the batteries and repair parts you need? You know what those pieces of equipment are that break often. Well sometimes stocking repair parts for items that break a lot will help you get your equipment fully mission capable quickly and it will save the day. So bring repair parts and batteries.

    Class X – Anything else you may need that has nothing to do with the other classes of supply?