KICK THESE TIRES
T
o maximize its use of fiscal resources, the Army’s project manager for the Stryker bri- gade combat team (PM SBCT)
initiated a groundbreaking double-V-hull (DVH) exchange program in response to an urgent requirement for additional DVH vehicles at a reduced overall cost. Teir DVH vehicles cost 40 percent less than their newly constructed counter- parts and highlight new partnerships between the Army and industry.
Working with Anniston Army Depot, AL, and General Dynamics (GD) Land Systems, the Army developed this pilot program to validate whether components from traditional Stryker flat-bottom-hull (FBH) variants
could be refurbished
expeditiously and installed on a new, more survivable DVH at a lower cost than producing a new vehicle. Te process includes reusing common parts and mis- sion equipment packages (MEPs) from existing FBHs, refurbishing them and reusing the parts in the new DVH struc- ture. Te DVH exchange vehicles have the same capabilities as new-production DVH vehicles at an average cost savings of 40 percent, depending on the variant.
Attaining that cost savings took some brainpower and experience. “Te exchange program is considerably harder to organize than a new procure- ment,” said LTC Eric Frutchey, PM SBCT’s product manager for Stryker fleet management within Program Exec- utive Office Ground Combat Systems (PEO GCS).
“With a new procurement, we know how many vehicles to build and exactly how many new parts are needed. With the exchange vehicles, knowing what will be needed is a bit tougher,” he said. “We know how many of each variant we will be exchanging, but we don’t know which
26 Army AL&T Magazine
REUSING MISSION EQUIPMENT Stryker DVH exchange vehicles have proven to be as effective and reliable as new vehicles, while costing 40 percent less than a newly constructed Stryker. The largest portion of the savings for the exchanged vehicles comes from reusing the MEPS from the FBH vehicle. (Photo courtesy of General Dynamics Land Systems)
parts on those variants are going to need to be replaced,” he explained.
During the disassembly of the two ini- tial pilot FBHs, which began in July 2012, every step was painstakingly docu- mented. Te engineering effort produced vital working tear-down and rework directions that will be examined to find further efficiencies as well to help deter- mine exact costs.
“Te biggest lesson we learned from the pilot vehicles [was that] we need to make sure that the personnel at Anniston have extra time to inspect the vehicles in order to get parts, including long-lead items, on order,” Frutchey said. “Many of the parts are easily accessible. However, for longer- lead items, we are taking steps to ensure that we have a small volume on hand to cut down on the lead time,” he added.
THE NEED FOR STRYKER DVH At
the end of 2009, evolving threats
in Afghanistan led to the generation of
an urgent requirement to increase
the protection level of Strykers. As a result, the hull design of the flat-bottom Stryker vehicles was changed to a more survivable structure.
During this time, the Stryker
modernization program was beginning to develop a similar capability, but it was eight years away from production. Te Army and industry believed they could accelerate the effort to meet the urgent need in theater, and the Stryker DVH was born.
From the outset, the DVH program was a success. Design, testing, production and fielding were accelerated, and the vehicle was provided to Soldiers within 18 months.
Te DVH provides Soldiers with a level of protection consistent with the Mine Resistant Ambush Protected vehicle while maintaining the Stryker’s signature mobility. As of February 2013, Stryker DVH variants had been in the fight for more than 20 months. Tese vehicles have been attacked more than
April–June 2013
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100 |
Page 101 |
Page 102 |
Page 103 |
Page 104 |
Page 105 |
Page 106 |
Page 107 |
Page 108 |
Page 109 |
Page 110 |
Page 111 |
Page 112 |
Page 113 |
Page 114 |
Page 115 |
Page 116 |
Page 117 |
Page 118 |
Page 119 |
Page 120 |
Page 121 |
Page 122 |
Page 123 |
Page 124 |
Page 125 |
Page 126 |
Page 127 |
Page 128 |
Page 129 |
Page 130 |
Page 131 |
Page 132 |
Page 133 |
Page 134 |
Page 135 |
Page 136 |
Page 137 |
Page 138 |
Page 139 |
Page 140 |
Page 141 |
Page 142 |
Page 143 |
Page 144 |
Page 145 |
Page 146 |
Page 147 |
Page 148 |
Page 149 |
Page 150 |
Page 151 |
Page 152 |
Page 153 |
Page 154 |
Page 155 |
Page 156 |
Page 157 |
Page 158 |
Page 159 |
Page 160 |
Page 161 |
Page 162 |
Page 163 |
Page 164 |
Page 165 |
Page 166 |
Page 167 |
Page 168
