I think the Alvis Hagglunds SEP Modular Armoured Vehicle is worth taking a look at for a FFCV. The tracked version provides the mobility of a tracked vehicle while also maintaining many of the advantages of a wheeled vehicle. The rubber band tracks, suspension system and hybrid electric engine allow for higher speeds, less noise, reduced logistics, etc.
http://www.baesystems.se/default.asp
It seems that Alvis Hagglunds is moving to a "Modular Chassis" design for the Army of the Future - probably something similar to the American FCS.
Are we getting on this bandwagon, or are we going to continue to by land systems piecemeal, thereby ensuring that we field 4 or 5 different chassis with the requisite increased logistical footprint, O&M, training costs, etc.
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SEP
SEP (Swedish abbreviation for "Splitterskyddad EnhetsPlattformâ ?, Modular Armoured Tactical System) is a modular multi-role vehicle system. SEP combines the high valued parameters:
- Low systemcost
- Low signature
- High mobility
- High flexibility
- High reliability
- Extremely high load capacity (weight/volume)in relation to vehicle weight/volume into a system for the future armed forces.
SEP Modular concept
Background
The modular design allows the vehicle to be configured for more than twenty different roles including armoured personnel carrier, command post, ambulance, medical vehicle, anti-tank missile system, anti aircraft missile system, mortar vehicle, reconnaissance, forward observation vehicle, nuclear, biological and chemical warfare decontamination centre, mine clearing and mine scattering, recovery and repair, communication post, radar, electronic warfare.
The mission or role specific modules can be fitted on both the SEP-track and SEP wheel vehicle base units. Plug in building blocks will be used allowing fast adaptation to different tasks and quick upgrades as new technologies become available.
The electric transmission system (i.e. the drive shafts have been replaced by cable and the power from the engines is transferred by cable) gives a number of advantages including volume efficiency, fuel efficiency, reduced life cycle costs, reduced environmental impact and increased stealth characteristics. The engine is decoupled from the final drives allowing flexibility in the placing of systems in the vehicle and also easily allows two engines to be installed instead of one. Batteries are integrated into the electric drive system which allows the vehicle to be driven silently with the engines shut down.
The useable internal volume of 10 cubic metres in the role module is substantially increased over a conventionally powered vehicle of a similar length. The SEP fully laden weight is 16,6 tonnes and the load capacity is up to 6 tonnes. The top speed for the wheeled and tracked variants are 100 kilometres per hour and for the wheeled variant 85 kilometres per hour. The dimensions of the vehicle 5.9 metres, width 2.7 metres and height 1.9 metres for the tracked version and 2.0 metres for the wheeled version give the vehicle a low profile and signature.
DEVELOPMENT
Studies on the SEP began in 1995 and the first SEP-track demonstrator was delivered to the Swedish Defence Materiel administration Forsvarets materialverk (FMV) in November 2000 for trials and evaluation. By 2003 the vehicle had covered over 2,000 kilometres in various trials. In September 2001, FMV placed a contract on Hägglunds for the development of the wheeled version of SEP and a wheeled variant prototype demonstrator, SEP-wheel, was delivered to FMV in 2003. In 2003 FMV placed a risk reduction contract on Hägglunds involving the construction of a second tracked SEP testbed vehicle among a lot of different risk reduction activities.
In a parallel program, Hägglunds was also co-ordinating the industrial effort in a six nation, All Electric Vehicle project with the participation of Finland, Holland, Italy, Greece, Sweden and Turkey.
WHEELED SEP
The SEP-Wheeled vehicle has 3 axles and is driven through all six wheels. The propulsion system is based on two engines with electric transmission and with integrated 100 kW maximum power, permanent magnet type, electric motors in the wheel hubs. The motors are fitted with a two speed reduction gear.
The wheels are mounted with double cast-steel wishbones with short torsion bar spring. The front wheels are steered normally, the centre wheels are not steered and the rear wheels are steered to provide steering at low to medium speeds and to cut out the rear wheel steering at high road speeds to maintain high speed stability. The wheels are fitted with 405/70 type R24 tires.
SEP Winter
Background TRACKED SEP
The tracked vehicles are fitted with rubber bandtracks rather than conventional steel link tracks. The band tracks are lighter, quieter and have a longer operational life. The noise developed by the running gear is reduced. The operational life is about twice that of an equivalent steel linked track, contributing to lower life-cycle costs. Bandtracks also have a lower rolling resistance. The lower rolling resistance and the efficiency of the engines and electric transmission systems give the vehicle higher fuel efficiency.
Band track technology has been used previously by Hägglunds on the Bv206 articulated carriers which use short track length bandtracks. The longer life of the bandtracks gives advantages in lower maintenance requirements and in lower costs. The logistical requirements of judging wear, carrying spare tracks and replacing band tracks in the field will be confirmed during development trials.
In the SEP-tracked vehicle the suspension is mounted to the underframe and not on the side frames, so the suspension is separated from the hull. A result of using a decoupled suspension and bandtracks is that the internal noise level is as low as 85dB which is sufficiently low to meet civilian vehicle noise requirements.
The suspension being mounted on the underframe also provides a spaced outer layer which gives improved protection against mines. The SEP vehicle can withstand a 7 kilogram TNT explosion under a track.
The vehicles are capable of operation in a many different types of terrain
and in a wide range of climatic conditions.
ELECTRONICS
The vehicle uses a new electronic architecture developed by Hägglunds, based on an open scalable, fault tolerant databus which manages all the on-board systems and the crew interfaces including the weapons systems, battlefield management, defensive aids suite, built in test, digital radio communications and other mission or role specific systems.
CREW STATIONS
The SEP design incorporates built in component redundancy, for example there are duplicate crew stations and the vehicle is able to continue operations with only one of the two diesel engines running.
The crew stations and the SEP man-machine interface is subject to detailed studies in the ongoing Risk reduction contract. Much effort will be learnt from the collaborative project VETEC by Hägglunds of Sweden and Diehl Geräte of Germany and which was sponsored by the Swedish Defence Materiel administration Försvarets materialverk (FMV) and the German Federal Office for Defence Technology and Procurement
STEALTH
The new electric drive vehicle SEP has greatly improved stealth characteristics in terms of thermal and acoustic signatures as well as low visual and radar signatures. The continuous rubber band tracks are very much quieter and lighter than conventional steel tracks.
ENGINES
The SEP uses two commercially available diesel engines placed in the sponsons of the vehicle. This gives the advantage of a totally clear central volume of the vehicle compared with traditional build with a large engine compartment interfering.
PROTECTION
The different zones of the vehicle have different levels of ballistic protection. With the highest level of protection for the personnel compartment. The hull is of high hardness steel armour construction rated to protect against shell fragments and rifle rounds. The 1.5 tonnes add on armour includes ceramic tiles and provides protection against 14.5 mm armour piercing rounds. Heavier armour provides protection against 30 mm armour piercing fin stabilised discarding sabot (30 mm APPFSDS) rounds.
SPECIFICATION
Empty weight 10.1 tonnes
Maximum fully laden weight 16.6 tonnes
Crew 2
Length 5.9 metres
Height tracked SEP 1.9 metres
Height wheeled SEP 2.0 metres
Width 2.7 metres
Air transportable within C-130 envelope
Power
Diesel engines 2
Performance
Forward speed tracked SEP 85 kilometres per hour
Forward speed wheeled SEP 100 kilometres per hour
Operational life 30 years
Payload, universal load carrier 6 tonnes
Payload, personnel transport 4.5 tonnes
Number soldiers, APC role 12 soldiers
Internal volume 13 cubic metres
Role volume 10 cubic metres
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