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WFLIP
As we discussed last year in our debate over WFLIP and whether it would be handled by BAE or ABRO, Archie Hughes was firm in his convictions and told the Editor, “DSG is a very busy organisation and well placed to play a major role in FRES and WFLIP. We will definitely have a role in FRES and aim to be the in-house Support Provider for MRO today and in the future. We will wait and see what unfolds in the current debate. The formation of DSG has given us great strengths in the maintenance and support of future and legacy fleets. As for Warrior, DSG has more experience and embedded knowledge of this vehicle than anyone else in the world. Whilst we do not have the capacity to design the turret, this can be done by the contractors, such as BAE, Lockheed Martin and Selex, with whom we are in discussions. We are currently doing extensive turret re-work at Donnington where we have the ability to overhaul and rebuild a complete vehicle. We are the only people who can do this and we do it well, there is nothing to suggest that this work will be transferred.”
Lockheed Martin later told BATTLESPACE that the Company had modelled a simulation of the Donnington Warrior line to bring in improvements to streamline the WFLIP process. “We have modelled the facility to allow a two-stage process to take place whilst these vehicles come in from theatre,” Lockheed said.
“The vehicle comes in at one end and is split into two lines, one for upgrading and reworking the chassis and one for the turret. At the end of the process the new turret is then mated with the chassis and the vehicle sent for final test and evaluation before going back into theatre. This process allows the WFLIP work to become an inclusive part of the normal Warrior work done on vehicles coming back from theatre.”
Ricardo - Celebrating 10th Anniversary of the WMIK
Ricardo was out in force as usual at DVD, celebrating the 10th Anniversary of the versatile and unique WMIK vehicle, which continues to evolve from its original conception. It is interesting to note the huge growth in WMIK-type vehicles over the past 10 years
Ricardo has significant experience in the conversion of Land Rover Defender based products (WMIK, RDV, SRV) and Pinzgauer for global military applications on a volume basis. This includes installation of a ring-mounted weapons system, chassis upgrades, the addition of armour protection, onboard power and payload enhancement. Ricardo also has significant experience militarising commercial vehicle platforms (e.g. Ford F350) from both an armour application and communications specification perspective. The focus is on developing cost effective military vehicle solutions. Ricardo also focuses on developing its own unique military vehicle equipment solutions – vehicle infrared lighting and lightweight mesh seating are two examples.
John Lake of Ricardo told the Editor, “The RDV was conceived as an adaptation kit to enable the conversion of standard Land Rover Defender transports - already strengthened to include chassis outriggers and roll-cage mounts - into peacekeeping and other specialist role vehicles in just a few hours. Following ten years of exceptional service, a fleet of 200 WMIK-equipped Land Rover Defenders is undergoing a major upgrade by Ricardo Special Vehicles.”
The programme, which is already 50 per cent complete, involves significant enhancements to crew protection systems as well as a significant increase in vehicle payload, enabled by in-depth re-engineering of the chassis and suspension systems. These are just the latest improvements to the original WMIK product, which has been sold to a number of customers from other NATO and Commonwealth countries. It has also produced a range of optional modules and products, including infra-red lighting systems and lightweight seating systems, which are compatible with many vehicle types.
In addition to the standard Land Rover Defender WMIKs used by the British Army, Ricardo has developed similar RDV concepts based on other platforms, such as the Ford F350 and the SUPACAT/Babcock MWMIK.
Paul Tarry, operations director of Ricardo Special Vehicles told BATTLESPACE, "We are proud to have supported the peacekeeping roles of the British Army over the past ten years with the WMIK-equipped Land Rover Defender product. The latest upgrade contract is a further demonstration of the way in which we are able to leverage the very latest in automotive processes and technology to develop state-of-the-art defence vehicles."
It was interesting to note from John Lake that since the MWMIK was brought into service, the MoD has continued to order the WMIK and some 200 have been supplied since last year.
Ricardo also showed details of its Vixen SNATCH Land Rover which is an uparmoured version of the original SNATCH vehicle. The vehicle has the same Land Rover chassis but with uprated axles giving a 4.1 tonne payload to accommodate increased armoured protection 33 Vixens are being supplied into theatre, with better mine protection, from a concept to final design produced in less than three weeks.
Guardium UGV
Ricardo has entered into an agreement with IAI to promote the Guardium UGV to the MoD. Working in association with ULTRA Electronics, Ricardo showed a version of the Guardium at DVD with Ultra’s Quad-2 Compact day/Night Observation system.
Guardium's perimeter security system addresses the critical period between the initial warning of perimeter intrusion and response. Operating in the perimeter fence area, Guardium deploys its unmanned ground security vehicle (UGV) to continuously patrol, survey, and report on the status of the perimeter area and react immediately to isolate, contain, communicate with, and control intruders until backup support arrives. Each high-speed UGV can be equipped with sensors to navigate varied terrain, cameras that relay field data, voice communication capabilities, and other operational means.
The brain of the Guardium system is the C4I center, which monitors and controls UGV activity and continuously processes data. As appropriate, the C4I commander can override automatic vehicle operation and assume direct control. This security solution significantly improves incident response times, minimizes the manpower required for continuous monitoring, and reduces security personnel exposure to physical danger.
Applications The Guardium system is a first responder for perimeter intrusion that is appropriate for a broad range of civilian and military applications including:
Transportation facilities: airports, ports
Key government installations and assets
Military bases and installations
Land borders
Nuclear and electric power plants
Oil and gas refineries and storage areas
Oil and gas pipelines
Railroad lines/tracks
Sensitive industrial areas
Further developments will include mines and roadside bomb detection, and the use of customized scenarios for simulation training.
With more and more UGVs being shown at DVD, has the time come for a specialist UGV track at DVD?
Hybrid Drive
Ricardo also showed the Land Rover hybrid drive system launched at last year’s DVD
The hybrid system incorporated in the demonstrator provides significant practical and operational advantages in defence roles. Independent electric hub motors provide improved traction control and stability, survivability and increased ground clearance, resulting in enhanced vehicle mobility. Moreover using energy stored in the vehicle’s on-board batteries gives the option of a quiet mode for stealth operations. The hybrid system also delivers significant improvements in fuel economy, vehicle capability, maintainability and whole life costs. It can also provide practical advantages in avoiding the need for trailer based generators for communications etc as the on-board generator, capable of delivering more than 100kW of electrical power, can be used to provide auxiliary power requirements.
The benefits of the Ricardo Series Hybrid vehicle to the defence sector can be summarised as follows:
• Improved fuel economy over most terrain (hence cost and logistics savings)
• Significantly improved vehicle stability (lower rollover likelihood) via electronic stability control using Ricardo Torque VectoringTM technology
• "Electric only" quite mode for 8 to 10km or over (depending on battery options
• Over 100kW on-board power generation available (potentially replacing a towed gen set)
• Survivability and reliability (four independent hub motors and two power sources)
• Excellent off-road traction and speed control
• Good gradeability and general performance (to 120km/h)
• Easier to operate and maintain than conventional powertrain systems.
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