Defense Technology International - July 2007 - (Page 12)

TECH WATCH PAUL McLEARY pieces of FCS, which are going to be rolled out much later. “It’s a good start. We just don’t want it to be overplayed, to claim success based Despite ongoing questions about duce equipment for the program. on an initial step in the right direcFCS plans to integrate the NLOS tion.” funding, cost overruns, developHis view of the spinout is colored ment delays and even relevance, the propulsion system at BAE Systems’ Pentagon’s Future Combat Systems Power and Energy Systems Integra- by the fact that when the FCS proprogram is moving ahead, with tion Laboratory in Santa Clara, Calif. gram was announced in 2003, the plans to start ﬁeld testing its tech- This will be the first time the en- goal was to have it up and running nology by early next year. The goal, gine, power pack, hybrid drive sys- by late 2008. The reality is that by according to program ofﬁcials, is to tem and generator are combined in the end of next year, the most advanced systems are still only going get the ﬁrst versions of networked one testing suite. manned and unmanned sensors, The Unattended Ground Sensors to be in prototype testing. Paul L. Francis, director of acquisirobots and weapon systems to sol- are made up of a combination of diers by 2010. visual, infrared, acoustic and mag- tion and sourcing management at The U.S. Army is preparing for the netic sensing capabilities. One is de- the GAO, says the Army is trying ﬁrst of three prototype “spinto “identify low-hanging fruit outs” that are scheduled to instead of waiting to come out culminate in 2014. Plans are to with the ultimate FCS technolhave “full FCS battle and comogies that could be installed mand systems networked” by on existing vehicles.” Still, he says, in the absence of a fully 2015, says Paul Mehney, an battle-ready system, “spinning Army representative for the out technology [in stages] is program. “Between 2012 and a good strategy and consis2015, you’ll see FCS brigades tent with an evolutionary apand most of the current modproach.” ular brigades [with] FCS techOne criticism of the program nologies in them” (see p. 34). centers on weight issues inSpinout 2 is scheduled for volving the Manned Ground 2010-12 and Spinout 3 for Vehicles (MGVs), which, as 2010-14. originally envisioned, were Among the prototypes that not supposed to exceed 20 will be shipped to Ft. Bliss, tons. They are now coming in Tex., for Spinout 1 testing are at about 27 tons in full combat an integrated computer sysconﬁguration, including fuel, tem, the Joint Tactical Radio soldiers and their gear. The System (also known as JTRS) original design criteria called and battle-command softfor three fully loaded MGVs ware. These will be installed in an M1A1 Abrams tank, a to be capable of an airlift on Bradley Fighting Vehicle and FCS ground sensor uses visual, IR, a single Boeing C-17—an ima Humvee. portant capability since rapid acoustic and magnetic sensors to detect Spinout 1 will also include enemy personnel—or civilians. response is part of the FCS the Non-Line-of-Sight (NLOS) mandate. The Army is in talks rocket-launch system and two Un- signed to operate inside buildings, with USAF about the weight issue. attended Ground Sensors, hand- providing the capability to detect Boeing is building the ﬁrst protoplaced nodes that allow soldiers to personnel and relay data to soldiers. type MGVs and plans to ship them The second will operate outside to to Ft. Bliss and to the Aberdeen monitor urban spaces in real time. Dennis Muilenburg, vice president protect ﬂanks, convoy routes and Proving Ground in Maryland sometime in 2008. of Boeing Combat Systems, says the other applications. As far as future rollouts go, MehOnce testing is completed, MuiNLOS provides vertically launched rockets in a “container launch unit” lenburg says, “the Army plans to ney and Muilenburg point to the that is “basically a box with missiles spin it out broadly throughout the unmanned ground vehicles and unthat can be placed anywhere in the operational force at a rate of six bri- manned aerial vehicles as the most intriguing technologies still in the battlespace and networked back to gades per year starting in 2010.” While the program is moving to- works. Boeing is developing early the soldier” for precision-ﬁre capaward getting some of its more de- versions of the UGV that weigh in at bility. Boeing and Science Applications veloped technologies into the ﬁeld, about 30 lb. The UAV tips the scales International Corp. were contracted it has come in for criticism. William at around 60 lb., which Boeing will by the Army to be lead systems in- Graveline of the Government Ac- need to reduce since it’s meant to tegrators for FCS. Both companies countability Ofﬁce says that while be carried in a soldier’s backpack. are responsible for selecting and the spinouts are ﬁne, they’re only Both vehicles are to be included in managing the contractors that pro- “appetizers,” not the significant Spinouts 2 and 3. I FCS ON THE MOVE 12 DEFENSE TECHNOLOGY INTERNATIONAL JULY/AUGUST 2007 U.S. ARMY www.aviationweek.com/dti http://www.aviationweek.com/dti

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Around the World Science Watch Tech Watch Parallax Ghost Ship Low Visibility Red Tape Sub Catcher Boom Time Broad Access Fight or Flight Cut Loose Loud and Clear Drone On Postmortem The Net Cutting Edge On the Record In Review Insight

Defense Technology International - July 2007

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