ARMY AL&T
sets to supplement the vehicle FSS, to include a backpack with 5 gallons of water-based foam and a compressed air cylinder to fight external vehicle fires.
The Future of FSS PEO CS&CSS, working alongside the U.S. Army Research, Development, and Engineering Command, is advanc- ing FSS technologies. Research and development (R&D) initiatives are paving the way in evaluating emerging FSS technologies necessary to support the Army’s modernization plans for legacy vehicles, as well as developing and evaluating new fire protection technologies for future TWV applica- tions. These include fuel tanks, crew automatic fire extinguishing systems (AFES), and FSS agents.
Technologies are being developed in the form of a self-sealing bladder fuel tank, which is designed to be crash-tolerant. The systems provide significant increases in survivability when subjected to ballistic impacts. Another technology prototype is the integral fuel tank. This protection is a combination of the powder panel and self-sealing coating concepts. These systems are designed to be internal to the fuel tank, protecting fuel tanks from explosions and external fires following the impact from various threats.
In addition to fuel tank redesign and protection, the Army is investigating fire-resistant fuel (FRF) for ground
R&D initiatives are paving the way in evaluating emerging FSS technologies necessary to support the Army’s modernization
plans for legacy vehicles, as well as developing and evaluating new fire protection technologies for future TWV applications.
vehicles. FRF is still under develop- ment for JP-8, and the logistics burdens associated with its fielding must be addressed before integration into the TWV fleet. FRF provides a safer, less flammable fuel to the warfighter. It is potentially compatible with all combat and tactical vehicles, but does cause a loss in vehicle power, torque, and range.
An advanced crew AFES technol- ogy under development is ‘zero delay’ activation. The principle behind this technology is to activate the crew AFES when the fuel tank is penetrated in a ballistic event, before a fire develops. The crew AFES will discharge before the fire fully develops. This concept has been tested with promising results, and additional development and test and evaluation (T&E) will be conducted to refine and verify the initial approach and assess the applicability to TWVs.
Further T&E is being conducted to identify possible alternate extinguish- ing agents for legacy vehicles as well as future applications. This effort will enable the Army and USMC to evalu- ate more effective and environmentally friendly extinguish- ing agents than those currently used.
The Army’s FSS requirements for up-armored TWVs came through vari- ous ONS received from OEF/OIF, which were subsequently validated in August 2008. (U.S. Army photo.)
30 JULY –SEPTEMBER 2010
The FSS procure- ment and integration plan must meet the Army Long-Term Protection Strategy of all TWVs and must be armor-capable.
The protection offered by the FSS is critical to crew survivability in com- bat operations; it is treated with the same level of importance as external armoring of vehicles. Priority of acqui- sition of the system must be given to TWVs in the Army Force Generation (ARFORGEN) Theater-Provided Equipment pool and preposition stocks, with second priority given to the TWV equipment requirements in the available pool. Additionally, cer- tain TWVs in the ARFORGEN train/ ready/define/explain pool will require the FSS for training purposes.
Future capability designs will require some type of FSS to mitigate risks. The U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command and the USMC Combat Development Command, with the capabilities integration missions, will incorporate FSS capabilities into future requirements documents. Today, FSS can be linked back to current ONS/ JUONS and will be integrated into future developments. FSS will ulti- mately reduce casualties, reduce vehicle losses, and better enable warfighters to complete their missions.
COL MICHAEL RECENIELLO is the Deputy Program Executive Officer CS&CSS for Acquisition, Logistics, and Technology. He holds a B.S. in business administration and a B.A. in psychology from Columbia Univeristy and an M.S. in operations research from St. Louis University. Receniello is certified Level III in program manage- ment and contracting and Level II in life-cycle logistics.
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