Defense Technology International - July 2007 - (Page 9)

URBAN UTILITY VEHICLE The Land Systems Div. of Israel Military Industries has completed work on the Urban Fighter, an up-armored and enhanced M-113 armored personnel carrier. The vehicle is optimized for low-intensity conﬂicts. It will augment or replace minimally protected Israel Defense Force vehicles conducting counter-insurgency operations in the West Bank. Urban Fighter utilizes the “Iron Wall” armor suite developed by IMI. The vehicle reportedly protects against heavy machine gun ﬁre, shrapnel and most IEDs, and has improved slat armor shielding it from attacks by rocket-propelled grenades. IMI delivered the prototype to the IDF at the end of June for testing. A procurement decision is expected after the trials are completed. Unlike other M-113 up-armoring projects, the Urban Fighter required only minor vehicle upgrades, which further IMI contributes to its claimed economy. Converting a plain M-113 into an Urban Fighter is expected to be about 10% of the cost of a U.S.-made Mine-Resistant Ambush-Protected vehicle (see p. 23). I SHIP SHAPE Having secured a £7.7-billion ($15.8-billion) increase in its defense budget covering the next three years, Britain is placing orders for two 65,000-ton aircraft carriers, Defense Secretary Des Browne announced July 25. The HMS Queen Elizabeth and HMS Prince of Wales will enter service in 2014 and 2016, respectively, and be based in Portsmouth. “In parallel,” Browne says, “we are continuing efforts to cooperate with France. This has already led to a common baseline design for the carrier to which we are now committing. Further avenues for collaboration could be joint procurement of equipment and through-life support.” Browne says Britain’s naval shipbuilders, BAE Systems and VT Group, will form a joint venture. The companies note that an agreement is being worked out with the Ministry of Defense to deﬁne a 15-year partnering arrangement that will “facilitate transformation of the sector through a deﬁned forward workload.” The carriers will be assembled at Rosyth shipyard in Scotland, with sections built at Govan, Portsmouth and Yarrow. Thales UK will be responsible for system design of the platform, power and propulsion and for ensuring the integrity of the ship with respect to aviation operations, the company conﬁrmed (see also DTI June, p. 28). I THALES UK CONCEPT VIRTUAL MAINTENANCE NEXTER SYSTEMS Software that uses virtual reality to train maintenance crews in servicing weapons systems was unveiled by Nexter Systems of France at the Paris air show. GVT (generic virtual training) software is based on technology developed by Nexter for use in training programs with the Leclerc main battle tank and Caesar self-propelled 155mm. howitzer. Chairman and CEO Luc Vigneron describes GVT as an “integrated package that provides training in the operation, maintenance and diagnostics of systems.” GVT has been sold as a Leclerc diagnostics simulator for the French army’s technical training center at Bourges. It is also used by Nexter to train engineers qualifying for the VBCI infantry ﬁghting vehicle. The system is available in immersive, non-immersive and portable versions. These are conﬁgured, respectively, with a large-screen display and virtual reality goggles, a desktop PC or a laptop. I JULY/AUGUST 2007 DEFENSE TECHNOLOGY INTERNATIONAL 9 www.aviationweek.com/dti http://www.aviationweek.com/dti

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Defense Technology International - July 2007

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