RDECOM’S ROAD MAP TO MODERNIZING THE ARMY: NEXT GENERATION COMBAT VEHICLE


and program briefings and a coordinated modernization strategy.


MODULAR ACTIVE PROTECTION SYSTEMS Te Army is changing the way it protects its forces as the velocity of battle, the lethal- ity of potential adversaries and the range of threats increase in multidomain oper- ations. Historically, the Army countered the impact of the enemies’ more power- ful and lethal vehicles by adding armor to combat vehicles. While this provided additional protection, it also increased the weight of the vehicle, reducing its speed and increasing the need for fuel.


Te Modular Active Protection Systems (MAPS)


is a multiyear RDECOM


program led by the Ground Vehicle Systems Center in collaboration with the acquisition community and indus- try. Te overarching goal of the MAPS program is to produce a modular and open approach for developing technologies that


will be used to enable agile, layered protec- tion against current and future threats in demanding environments.


The MAPS science and technology program has established a community of interest that ensures maximum participa- tion by government and industry experts to help shape products and establish the right solution for the Army. Tis commu- nity is shaping and driving development of the MAPS products by leveraging indus- try partners to inform and fortify products to ensure their success. Community of interest members help frame the future of active protection systems (APS), and they leverage their knowledge of MAPS to update or develop technologies that are compliant with the MAPS Frame- work. Te community is made up of 55 members of industry and academia from the computing technology, vehicle plat- form integration and vehicle protection systems communities.


The Ground Vehicle Systems Center has been leveraging the Mission Enabling Technologies


Demonstrator to


demonstrate various emerging science and technology capabilities for


manned-unmanned teaming.


Numerous industry partners have driven and fortified the development of MAPS products. MAPS has funded more than 27 key organizations throughout the life of the program and worked with more than 55 companies to develop products through the community of interest.


FOLLOW THE LEADER


Soldiers test leader-follower technology with semiautonomous trucks during operational training at Fort Bliss, Texas, in 2016. Semiautonomous systems like this one could be fielded as early as summer 2019. (U.S. Army photo)


MAPS defeats incoming threats to combat vehicles without adding excessive armor weight. While these active protection systems—sensors, defeat mechanisms, processors and other components—are not a replacement for armor, they can significantly increase survivability of vehicles and Soldiers in multidomain oper- ations by integrating hard- and soft-kill systems. Hard-kill systems use physical countermeasures such as blasts or projec- tiles to destroy or divert incoming fire, while soft-kill systems use sensors that detect signatures from weapons and send out electromagnetic signals to interfere with incoming weapons.


14 Army AL&T Magazine January-March 2019


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