THE NEXT GROUND COMBAT VEHICLES


gain superiority in any domain can raise their likelihood of failure immensely.


LASER FOCUSED


The Army is looking to leverage investments in high-energy laser applications to develop vehicle platforms with improved operational capabilities at significantly smaller sizes, offering defense capabilities against unmanned aerial vehicles, rockets, artillery and mortars.


Survivability in the future battlespace will be challenging. Our near-peer adversar- ies have combined enhanced long-range sensors with the effects from long-range precision fires. Tis is forcing a careful review of the requirements for future com- bat vehicles. Army leadership recognizes that the Army must develop the critical enabling technologies to support the next generation of combat vehicles. Increased capabilities, including advanced mobil- ity, lethality and power generation, are required to operate smartly in the current operational environment.


Additionally, vehicle survivability can be greatly increased with intelligent sensors that are integrated with the hardware, software and effectors to create an over- arching, layered system of passive and active self-defense measures. Examples include protective systems that could pre- vent an adversary weapon system from engaging a U.S. platform or identify an incoming threat and electronically ren- der it ineffective or physically engage to defeat its lethal mechanisms. Tese over- lapping and multiaspect methodologies would sequentially complement each other


to defeat adversarial and protect friendly forces.


To expand its combat capability, the Army is exploring the use of unmanned vehicles


teamed with manned control A SMALLER FOOTPRINT


The Army is focusing vehicle technology investments on vehicles that are smaller, lighter, intelligently interconnected, safer and more lethal than current combat platforms.


vehicles to support a yet-to-be defined role in multidomain operations. Surviv- ing first contact and dominating in the dispersed battlespace will require the integration of a range of ground and air systems: semiautonomous, fully autono- mous, optionally manned, tethered and untethered. Autonomous unmanned systems will have the maneuverabil- ity to travel over complex terrain and


84 Army AL&T Magazine January-March 2018 capabilities


environments with greater capabilities than their manned counterparts. Tese systems will extend the reach of U.S. forces and will allow them to initiate con- tact with their adversaries under the most favorable conditions. Tese platforms will extend the maneuver force’s understand- ing of the combat environment, increase survivability and extend lethality. Auton- omous systems also will perform some of the dangerous, physically demanding and mundane tasks required of Soldiers.


Areas of specific focus supporting the


Army’s next generation ground vehicles include:


• Sensors. Improved sensors will provide increased capability to detect, recog- nize, identify and locate entities rapidly and precisely, at extended distances and with greater image resolution.


• Directed energy and energetics. Te Army is investing to leverage the effects of directed energy in lethal, nonlethal and protection applications that can lead to reduced logistics and vehi- cle platforms that have significantly improved operational capabilities at significantly smaller sizes. For example, Army investments in high-energy laser applications are leading to effective defense capabilities against airborne threats, including unmanned aerial vehicles, rockets, artillery and mortars.


• Power generation and management. Te Army is investing in vehicle plat- forms that require less fuel yet have greater operational range and generate more power, improving mobility, sur- vivability and lethality.


• Advanced armor materiel solutions. Army science and technology is invest- ing in lighter and more capable armors that can, when augmented with other


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