Army Capstones User Testing of Future Tactical Truck System Demonstrators

FT. LEWIS, Wash., April 17, 2007; Three U.S. Army Future Tactical Truck demonstrators rolled off of a C-17 cargo aircraft and immediately went into action delivering logistic supplies to a Army training unit several miles away, marking the capstone event of nearly five weeks of intensive user technology assessments on these platforms.

Managed by the Army's Program Manager Future Tactical Systems, with engineering support provided by U.S. Army Tank Automotive Research, Development and Engineering Center, the Future Tactical Truck System Advanced Concept Technology Demonstrators (FTTS ACTD) are proving out advanced automotive and survivability technologies in a military use environment which will provide a basis for potential requirements for the Army's future fleet of tactical trucks.

The objective of the Future FTTS ACTD is to identify, assess and integrate key technologies and emerging Operational and Sustainment Concepts to develop the requirements of an optimized distribution platform for the Future Force.

Since March 12, Soldiers at Fort Lewis, Washington, have been working with Army Program Managers, TARDEC engineers and contractors to assess the trucks' overall performance and to provide feedback on various technology suites on the vehicles. It is the first such user testing of the Future Tactical Truck System concept demonstrators.

The Military Utility Assessment has given engineers the ability to gather real-time Soldier feedback which will help the Program Managers make technology trade off recommendations for upcoming tactical vehicle development.

During the Military Utility Assessment a number of scripted scenarios were developed for the Soldiers to perform, making sure that all the technologies on the vehicles were demonstrated. Scenarios included: recovery of a downed vehicle using the FTTS's capability to export power to provide lighting, using onboard C4ISR systems while operating in a scout mission, and use of the hybrid electric drive system in "silent mode" while rescuing a hostage.

The FTTS demonstrators consist of the Maneuver Sustainment Vehicle (MSV) and two Utility Vehicles (UV). The MSV, with a capacity of 13 tons, is intended to perform the role of the medium/heavy truck. Similarly, the UVs, with a payload of up to 3 tons, are intended to perform the role of the light truck. The FTTSs are newly designed and fully integrated demonstrators which include hybrid electric powertrains, adjustable height suspensions, integral and applique armors, C4I suites, material handling equipment, companion trailers and improved safety devices. Both systems are designed to demonstrate organic support to the Army's Future Combat System brigades for the distribution of cargo, equipment and personnel, as well as Command and Control (C2) operations. Additionally, the UVs are key assets underpinning the technology maturity assessment and requirements validation for the Joint Light Tactical Vehicle effort. Both Soldiers and Marines are participating in the FTTS UV evaluations.

TARDEC, part of the U.S. Army Research, Development and Engineering Command (RDECOM), is headquartered at the Detroit Arsenal, Warren, Mich. It is the Nation's laboratory for advanced military automotive technology. TARDEC's mission is to provide full service life cycle engineering support to the TACOM Life Cycle Management Command, the Program Executive Office for Ground Combat Systems, the Program Executive Office for Combat Support and Combat Service Support, and the Program Manager for Future Combat Systems Brigade Combat Team. TARDEC develops and integrates the right technology solutions to improve the effectiveness of the current force and realize the superior capability of the future force in order to facilitate Army transformation. Its technical staff leads research in ground vehicle survivability, mobility, intelligent systems, and maneuver support and sustainment.