FED Alpha Fuel-Efficient Light Tactical Vehicle

Multi-industry engineering firm Ricardo has unveiled a new armoured light tactical vehicle design for US Army testing purposes.

The FED (Fuel Efficient Ground Vehicle Demonstrator) ALPHA represents a response to the US Army’s desire to press into service more fuel-efficient battlefield vehicles and, so, help move the US away from its oil dependence.

The US Army’s TARDEC (Tank Automotive Research, Development and Engineering Center) initiated its FED programme three years ago with the above goals in mind and the development of Ricardo’s new, fuel-efficient vehicle falls within that programme. The result of its work is a design that uses as little fuel as possible, while still functioning as a high-performance light tactical vehicle.

FED ALPHA Tactical Vehicle

The FED ALPHA tactical vehicle’s fuel economy is achieved through a variety of measures, both internal and external. On the mechanical side of things, the vehicle incorporates a finely-calibrated Cummins 14 engine and low-resistance tyres, custom-made by Goodyear. Its shell’s manufactured from lightweight aluminium and, on the underside, features an aluminium blast shield designed to protect those inside from the impact of explosions caused by IEDs (Improvised Explosive Devices) of the type that have claimed multiple lives among allied forces deployed in Afghanistan.

The dashboard, meanwhile, incorporates a display signalling to those behind the wheel how to carry out the most fuel efficient type of driving and the automatic transmission is six-speed, giving lower engine speeds when the vehicle’s travelling at higher speeds.

Fuel-Efficient Light Tactical Vehicle

The fuel-efficient light tactical vehicle’s already been on show at the Pentagon and, now, it’s being put through trials at Maryland’s US Army-operated Aberdeen Proving Grounds.

Aberdeen Proving Grounds house the ATC (Aberdeen Test Center) Roadway Simulator – the largest system of its kind anywhere in the world. This has been used to validate the Ricardo FED ALPHA tactical vehicle’s fuel economics through carrying out vibration, shock and powertrain performance tests, all within a controlled laboratory environment.

“The FED ALPHA vehicle is the culmination of Ricardo’s total vehicle system methodology”, FED programme primary engineer at Ricardo, Wes Scharmen, stated in a company press release issued on 10 October 2011. “Each technology that made its way onto the vehicle was properly vetted to ensure that it aided in achieving the program goals of making a fuel efficient and creditable military vehicle”, he added.

“We are extremely pleased to be able to continue supporting TARDEC in its objective to increase the fuel efficiency of the US Army’s vehicle fleet”, Ricardo Inc’s military vehicle programmes director, Robert Ellis, added. “The FED programme represents an ideal application of Ricardo’s expertise in armoured vehicle design and fuel efficiency improvements.”

Image copyright and courtesy of Ricardo Inc.

See also
News: MoD Looks to Renewable Energy for Troop Power
Products and Services:
Companies supplying Armoured Vehicles

Watch the New Trailer for International Armoured Vehicles 2012

Download the programme at http://bit.ly/oNkeSH.

Minister Peter Luff MP, UK MoD Confirmed for International Armoured Vehicles Show

Minister Peter Luff MP, Minister for Defence Equipment, Support and Technology, UK Ministry of Defence has been announced as the opening Honorary Keynote speaker for the International Armoured Vehicles event, taking place 20-23 February 2012 at the FIVE in Farnborough.

He will be speaking at 09.00 on the 21st February 2012, during the first day of the conference. The completed programme has been published on the event website, www.internationalarmouredvehicles.com.

General Sir Peter Wall, KCB, CBE, ADC Gen., Chief of the General Staff of the British Army will be providing the audience with the closing Keynote Address on the 22nd February 2012 at 16.00. 

The keynote addresses will provide a circularity to the event, which sees the UK hosting a range of over 21+ Generals and 14+ OEMs from over 17 countries.

The full speaker faculty has been listed online at http://bit.ly/qyyyXg.  The 15-page event brochure is available for free as a download on http://bit.ly/oNkeSH. Visit the website for updates as Defence IQ will post additional information on sessions details shortly.

Market Report: Asia to be key region for growth over the next decade

Contributor: Calum Jeffray

A few weeks ago Marketresearch.com unveiled its latest report, Global Armored Vehicles and Counter IED Vehicles Market 2011-2021, which analyses the expected trends and statistics within the global armoured vehicles market over the next decade.

Although the news isn’t universally good for everyone (when is it ever?), when you look at some of the headlines, there are some pretty impressive figures in there. In particular, some of the best news seems to be reserved for those who work with the Asian markets, whose governments are going against the grain and increasing their defence budgets. Here is what our Armoured Vehicles Team thinks about some of the key takeaways:

In 2011, the global armored vehicles and counter IED vehicles market is valued at over US$25 billion*

Whilst the report makes the point that the amount of in-service vehicles looks set to decline as military operations come to an end in Iraq and Afghanistan, it remains true that for all modern militaries, the armoured vehicle continues to provide the lynchpin in all ground campaigns, and is the recipient of ongoing continuous investment worldwide. With the role of Improvised Explosive Devices continuing to be of paramount importance in modern warfare worldwide, it is clear that the armoured vehicles market is set to see some exciting new developments over the next few years, particularly in the areas of new armour and survivability technologies.

In Asia, defense expenditure and modernization is set to increase [...] Asia will increasingly require armored and counter IED vehicles to combat territorial disputes and to cater to the large troop size of regional forces*

Today, some of the fastest-growing militaries in the world are to be found in Asia. Top of the list are likely to be China and India, but Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia and Thailand are all experiencing a boost in the numbers of serving personnel. And these countries are showing no sign of slowing down their defence spending – leading to a situation of rapidly-expanding forces investing in new equipment, new systems and new technology.

Strong economic growth, territorial disputes, domestic violence and the large troop size of regional forces will create a significant demand for armored vehicles in Asia, which will account for a share of 24.1% of the total armored vehicles market during the forecast period**.

Unsurprisingly then, many vendors view the region as being crucial to their long term growth plans. Whilst not the biggest market (the number one spot still being reserved for the North America countries), Asia will account for almost a quarter of all armoured vehicles business over the next 10 years, representing a huge potential market for suppliers and offering opportunities for real long-term growth.

If you are looking to clarify what the future requirements and procurement plans of Asian countries are, you may be interested in the conference programme for Armoured Vehicles Asia 2011, taking place 19th-21st October in Singapore.

 
*Source: http://www.marketwire.com/press-release/global-armored-vehicles-counter-ied-vehicles-to-fall-by-1-billion-by-2021-1547081.htm

**Source: http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/reportlinker-adds-the-global-armored-vehicles-and-counter-ied-vehicles-market-2011-2021-121984393.html

International Armoured Vehicles Moves to Farnborough for 2012

A letter from the IAVs Team
Guest post from Duraid J., Production

 The team and I made a promise to keep you updated on the International Armoured Vehicles conference and exhibition as much as we can before the big event in February, and so I’m really excited to write this post.

First things first – an introduction.  My name is Duraid Jalili and I’m the conference producer for IAVs 2012, working under the wing of Keith Mallon (You may have met him onsite – slim gentle-Irishman with a quick wit, always running around the exhibition hall?) 

 Well, it’s a strong team this year, and we’ve jumped headfirst into how we can make IAVs bigger and better.  I know Kim’s written about the background of our research, so I’ll get straight into what’s new for 2012:

• We’re moving to Farnborough – as the blog title announces, it’s official.  After 10 years inLondon, we’re moving to FIVE@Farnborough for 2012!  This is a huge deal for us, as it opens up the doors to new and bigger ventures.  Plus, it’s just a 30 minute train ride from Waterloo, London, and is near the heartland of the British Army.  How’s that for symbolic and easy access?
• More opportunities for informal discussions – we’ve added in two days worth of round table discussions, speed networking, and have integrated a level of intimacy to certain sessions to enhance the debate.  There’s also talk of a new Awards System, in which speakers and key military personnel judge current products…
• A more holistic perspective on the future of armoured vehicles requirements – I’m in the middle of my research right now with ISAD TCNs, NATO member states as well as some highly interested Middle East and Indian officers so that I can integrate a multi-national perspective, and increase the level of input from newly developing international militaries in the programme.

 And this is just the beginning – I’ll be sending out the draft agenda in 2 weeks time, so you’ll probably start receiving some news from me leading up to the event. Please feel free to send me a note, a comment, anything in regards to the event – the door is always open.

Before I finish up this post, a friendly reminder – if you haven’t already, please visit the website at www.internationalarmouredvehicles.com for updates, check out our Download Centre or sign up for the Armoured Vehicles Newsletter (email armouredvehicles@iqpc.co.uk).  Visitor registration is already open if you know you’re attending this year.

We’ve also just posted some photos to our Flickr account: www.flickr.com/photos/armouredvehicles

Thanks for reading, and don’t hesitate to drop me a message. – Duraid

Asia: The Crucial Regional Market for Armoured Vehicles

For both Western and Asian armoured vehicle companies, reminders of the strategic importance of the Asian market for long term growth can frequently be found in daily news stories.

Just yesterday, an online Turkish news publication was reporting on the expanding international sales of the country’s defence industry, into regions further afield their more traditional markets in the Middle East:

“We are happy to see these companies now chasing deals in parts of the Far East they have not yet sold their products to, and there are initial signs of penetration into difficult markets like the U.S. All of that is very encouraging,” a senior procurement official with a portfolio to support Turkish arms exports said, on condition of anonymity.

This follows two recent announcements from FNSS, a joint venture between BAE Systems and Turkey’s Nurol Holding. In February, FNSS signed a $600 million deal with Malaysia for the joint development and manufacturing of 257 8×8 Pars amphibious armoured vehicles, whilst last month FNSS declared that it would be supplying the Indonesian Armed Forces with 257 wheeled armoured vehicles (see post below).

The Malaysian and Indonesian markets currently seem to be among the most active in terms of armoured vehicle procurement, and it has even emerged that they are looking to purchase from each other – the Jakarta Post last week revealed that the Malaysian military had expressed interest in acquiring Indonesian armored vehicles during a meeting between the new Malaysian chief, Gen. Dato’ Sri Zulkifeli Bin Mohd Zin, and Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.

“They didn’t specifically discuss weaponry, but touched on the issue of 6×6 armored vehicles. Malaysia wants to purchase them,” Indonesian Military (TNI) Commander Adm. Agus Suhartono said after the meeting.

Listening to delegate feedback it would seem that many western companies perhaps find it difficult to discern the different requirements of each separate Asian country – and where they are prioritising spending. However it would also appear that, as European militaries continue to face heavy budgetary restraints, large armoured vehicle primes and sub-contractors are more and more willing to overcome the geographic distance and increase their efforts to penetrate and increase their presence in the Far East.

If you are looking to clarify what the future requirements and procurement plans of Asian countries are, you may be interested in the conference programme for Armoured Vehicles Asia 2011, taking place 19th-21st October in Singapore.

Malaysian MoD joins delegations from Indonesia and South Korea to discuss development of armoured vehicle fleets

Contributor: Calum Jeffray

Officials from the Malaysian, Indonesian and South Korean Ministries of Defence will be gathering in Singapore in October to examine the future growth of the region’s armoured vehicle fleets at the 3rd annual Armoured Vehicles Asia conference.

Confirmation of the speaker faculty at this year’s event comes in the wake of the announcement earlier this month of the $559 million deal for event sponsor FNSS, a joint venture between BAE Systems and Turkey’s Nurol Holding, to supply the Indonesian Armed Forces with 257 wheeled armoured vehicles. The AV-8 vehicle selected by the Malaysian military is based on the FNSS-designed PARS 8×8 multi-purpose, multi-mission, wheeled armored vehicle.

“FNSS is committed to providing the means [...] to realize the goal of developing an 8×8 Wheeled Armored Vehicle Family (AV8) to meet the Malaysia Armed Forces requirements” explains John Kelly, Vice President of exports and international business for BAE Systems’ Land and Armaments sector. “This effort will not only benefit the Malaysian army but will also further develop the indigenous capability in Malaysia”.

Examining Malaysia’s success in selecting a contractor for the 8×8 programme, the impact on Malaysia’s Defence industry, as well as future armoured vehicle procurement and development in the country, will be Major General Dato’ Pahlawan Dr. William R. Stevenson, Director of the Malaysian Institute of Defence and Security, speaking on Day One of the programme.

Joining him to explore their own country’s vehicle fleet expansion and to identify future procurement priorities and capability requirements in the Asian region will be an expert panel of speakers from Sri Lanka, India, Thailand, Indonesia and South Korea including:

• Lieutenant General Jagath Jayasuriya, Commander, Sri Lankan Army
• Lieutenant General Dalip Bhardwaj (Ret’d), Former Director Mechanised Forces, Indian Army
• Major General Surasit Thanadtank, Director General, Strategic Studies Centre, Royal Thai Armed Forces
• Brigadier General Junias Tobing, Chief ofTNICenter for Strategic Studies, Indonesian Ministry of Defence
• Mr Yonghwan Kim, International Cooperation Director, Defence Agency for Technology and Quality, Korean Ministry of Defence

Full conference details and are available at http://www.armouredvehiclesasia.com, including complimentary articles, podcasts and videos in the Download Centre.