Monthly Archives: November 2017

Air Force

Brimstone missile

A series of live firings of the MBDA Brimstone precision strike missile from a Eurofighter Typhoon have been completed successfully, adding enhanced capability to the aircraft.

Brimstone missile trials completed successfully as part of Eurofighter Typhoon enhancement programme
Brimstone missile trials completed successfully as part of Eurofighter Typhoon enhancement programme

The trials, conducted from BAE Systems’ Military Air & Information at Warton, Lancashire, UK, form part of a programme of new enhancements which will be rolled out across the Royal Air Force (RAF), ensuring Typhoon remains at the cutting edge of combat capability.

Brimstone will provide Typhoon with a low collateral, pin-point accurate air-to-surface weapon, further enhancing the aircraft’s already combat-proven swing-role performance. Planning for the next stages of work on Brimstone – including evaluation by the RAF in mid-2018 – is now underway ahead of its entry into service.

Andy Flynn, Eurofighter Capability Delivery Director, BAE Systems, said: «To complete this milestone is testament to the expertise and dedication of our people and the value of working closely with our partners. Brimstone will add a low-collateral, high precision strike capability and ensure Typhoon remains fit to meet the threats of the future for decades to come».

Brimstone is part of the Phase 3 Enhancement (P3E) package which also includes mission system and sensor upgrades. P3E is the final part of Project Centurion – the programme to ensure a smooth transition of Tornado GR4 capabilities on to Typhoon for the RAF.

In total nine firings and nine jettison trials, which began in July, have been completed, with support from the UK Ministry of Defence, MBDA, QinetiQ, Eurofighter GmbH and the Eurofighter Partner Companies – Airbus and Leonardo.

The aim of the trials was to provide weapons integration clearance for operational use. They covered a range of specific release scenarios, testing at various heights, speeds, levels of G-force and in different positions on the aircraft wing and in the launcher. The nine firings have also been used to perform data analysis and models of the weapon’s performance. Further flight trials will take place in early 2018, followed by operational evaluation by the RAF.

Operational evaluation of the Phase 2 Enhancement (P2E) package with the with RAF’s 41(R) Squadron – the Test and Evaluation Squadron – at RAF Coningsby, Lincolnshire, UK, is continuing and will include live firings ahead of roll out to the UK fleet. The P2E package includes MBDA’s Meteor Beyond Visual Range air-to-air missile and the Storm Shadow deep strike stand-off air-to-surface missile.

Air Force

Airborne Laser

The Air Force Research Lab (AFRL) awarded Lockheed Martin $26.3 million for the design, development and production of a high-power fiber laser. AFRL plans to test the laser on a tactical fighter jet by 2021. The contract is part of AFRL’s Self-protect High Energy Laser Demonstrator (SHiELD) program, and is a major step forward in the maturation of protective airborne laser systems.

Lockheed Martin is helping the Air Force Research Lab develop and mature high energy laser weapon systems, including the high energy laser pictured in this rendering (Credit: Air Force Research Lab)
Lockheed Martin is helping the Air Force Research Lab develop and mature high energy laser weapon systems, including the high energy laser pictured in this rendering (Credit: Air Force Research Lab)

«Lockheed Martin continues to rapidly advance laser weapon systems and the technologies that make them possible», said Doctor Rob Afzal, senior fellow of laser weapon systems at Lockheed Martin. «We have demonstrated our ability to use directed energy to counter threats from the ground, and look forward to future tests from the air as part of the SHiELD system».

The SHiELD program includes three subsystems:

  • SHiELD Turret Research in Aero Effects (STRAFE), the beam control system, which will direct the laser onto the target;
  • Laser Pod Research & Development (LPRD), the pod mounted on the tactical fighter jet, which will power and cool the laser;
  • Laser Advancements for Next-generation Compact Environments (LANCE), the high energy laser itself, which can be trained on adversary targets to disable them.

LANCE is designed to operate in a compact environment, and as such, the Lockheed Martin team focused on developing a compact, high efficiency laser within challenging size, weight and power constraints.

«Earlier this year, we delivered a 60 kW-class laser to be installed on a U.S. Army ground vehicle. It’s a completely new and different challenge to get a laser system into a smaller, airborne test platform. It’s exciting to see this technology mature enough to embed in an aircraft», said Afzal. «The development of high power laser systems like SHiELD show laser weapon system technologies are becoming real. The technologies are ready to be produced, tested and deployed on aircraft, ground vehicles and ships».

Lockheed Martin has more than 40 years of experience developing laser weapon systems. The LANCE contract leverages technology building blocks from internal research and development projects, including the ATHENA system and ALADIN laser, as well as contract experience gained from programs such as the U.S. Army’s Robust Electric Laser Initiative (RELI) program.

Navy

Vietnam veteran

Secretary of the Navy Richard V. Spencer announced the U.S. Navy’s newest Expeditionary Sea Base (ESB) ship, T-ESB-5, will be named in honor of Marine Corps Vietnam veteran and Medal of Honor recipient Miguel Keith during a ceremony in National Harbor, Maryland, November 4.

An artist rendering of the future Expeditionary Sea Base (ESB) ship, T-ESB-5 named in honor of Marine Corps Vietnam veteran and Medal of Honor recipient Miguel Keith (U.S. Navy photo illustration/Released)
An artist rendering of the future Expeditionary Sea Base (ESB) ship, T-ESB-5 named in honor of Marine Corps Vietnam veteran and Medal of Honor recipient Miguel Keith (U.S. Navy photo illustration/Released)

Keith was born in San Antonio, Texas and joined the Marine Corps on May 1, 1969.

In 1969, Keith served as a machine gunner with Combined Action Platoon 132, III Marine Amphibious Force in Quang Ngai Province, Republic of Vietnam. He was promoted to the rank of Lance Corporal on April 1, 1970.

He was severely wounded on the morning of May 8, 1970 when his platoon came under a heavy-ground attack. Despite being injured in the attack and open to hostile fire, he continued to engage the enemy with heavy machine gun fire.

Keith’s efforts resulted in him killing three attackers and dispersing two remaining adversaries. Despite receiving further serious injuries caused by an enemy grenade, he continued to advance upon an estimated 25 enemy soldiers, killing four and dispersing the rest.

Keith was mortally wounded, but his performance in the face of overwhelming odds contributed, in no small measure, to the success of his platoon defeating a numerically superior enemy force.

Able to accommodate up to 250 personnel, the new ESB ship will support multiple missions, such as Air Mine CounterMeasures (AMCM), counter-piracy operations, maritime security operations, humanitarian aid and disaster-relief missions, and crisis response operations.

Also, the vessel will be capable of supporting Sikorsky MH-53 and MH-60 helicopters, with an option for future upgrades to support Bell Boeing V-22 Osprey tilt-rotor aircraft.

The new 784-foot-long/239-meter-long vessel will feature a 52,000-square-foot/4,831-square-meter flight deck, fuel and equipment storage, repair spaces, magazines, and mission-planning spaces.

USNS Miguel Keith will be constructed by General Dynamics National Steel and Shipbuilding Company (NASSCO) in San Diego. The ship is expected to be delivered to the U.S. Navy in 2019.

Air Force

Norwegian F-35A

On November 3rd, three Norwegian F-35A Lightning II aircraft flew from Fort Worth, Texas and landed at Ørland Air Base, Norway.

3 F-35s entering Norwegian air space (Credit: Helge Hopen, Norwegian Armed Forces)
3 F-35s entering Norwegian air space (Credit: Helge Hopen, Norwegian Armed Forces)

«Receiving the first three aircraft is a major milestone for Norway. On November 10th, Norway will celebrate First Aircraft Arrival of the first three F-35s on Norwegian soil. Achieving this milestone is a major step towards increased operational capability for the future», says Major General Morten Klever, Program Director for the F-35 program in Norway’s Ministry of Defence.

«This is an historic event. The arrival of the first F-35 in Norway at this time shows that we have reached the timeline set for the acquisition. The program delivers on all key criteria: time, cost and performance. Today we are both proud and happy. The Royal Norwegian Air Force is looking forward to starting their training with the F-35», says Major General Klever.

The three aircraft, the first to be delivered to Norway, took off from Fort Worth, Texas at 06.35 AM Norwegian time November 3rd and landed at 03.57 PM the same day at Ørland Air Base.

From 2018, Norway will receive six aircraft annually up until, and including, 2024.

November 3rd the three aircraft landed at Ørland (Credit: Torbjørn Kjosvold, Norwegian Armed Forces)
November 3rd the three aircraft landed at Ørland (Credit: Torbjørn Kjosvold, Norwegian Armed Forces)

 

Specifications

Length 51.4 feet/15.7 m
Height 14.4 feet/4.38 m
Wingspan 35 feet/10.7 m
Wing area 460 feet2/42.7 m2
Horizontal tail span 22.5 feet/6.86 m
Weight empty 29,300 lbs/13,290 kg
Internal fuel capacity 18,250 lbs/8,278 kg
Weapons payload 18,000 lbs/8,160 kg
Maximum weight 70,000 lbs class/31,751 kg
Standard internal weapons load Two AIM-120C air-to-air missiles
Two 2,000-pound/907 kg GBU-31 JDAM (Joint Direct Attack Munition) guided bombs
Propulsion (uninstalled thrust ratings) F135-PW-100
Maximum Power (with afterburner) 43,000 lbs/191,3 kN/19,507 kgf
Military Power (without afterburner) 28,000 lbs/128,1 kN/13,063 kgf
Engine Length 220 in/5.59 m
Engine Inlet Diameter 46 in/1.17 m
Engine Maximum Diameter 51 in/1.30 m
Bypass Ratio 0.57
Overall Pressure Ratio 28
Speed (full internal weapons load) Mach 1.6 (~1,043 knots/1,200 mph/1,931 km/h)
Combat radius (internal fuel) >590 NM/679 miles/1,093 km
Range (internal fuel) >1,200 NM/1,367 miles/2,200 km
Maximum g-rating 9.0

 

Navy

Steel Orca

Lockheed Martin will support the growth of the U.S. Navy’s family of unmanned undersea systems under a design phase contract valued at $43.2 million for Orca, the U.S. Navy’s Extra Large Unmanned Undersea Vehicle (XLUUV).

Lockheed Martin engineers in Palm Beach, Florida, will design an Extra Large Unmanned Undersea Vehicle, Orca, for the U.S. Navy to support the Navy’s mission requirements (Image courtesy Lockheed Martin)
Lockheed Martin engineers in Palm Beach, Florida, will design an Extra Large Unmanned Undersea Vehicle, Orca, for the U.S. Navy to support the Navy’s mission requirements (Image courtesy Lockheed Martin)

XLUUV Orca is a two-phase competition, including the currently awarded design phase and a competitive production phase for up to nine vehicles to meet increasing demands for undersea operational awareness and payload delivery.

This long-range autonomous vehicle will perform a variety of missions, enabled by a reconfigurable payload bay. Key attributes include extended vehicle range, autonomy, and persistence. Orca will transit to an area of operation; loiter with the ability to periodically establish communications, deploy payloads, and transit home. A critical benefit of Orca is that Navy personnel launch, recover, operate, and communicate with the vehicle from a home base and are never placed in harm’s way.

«With each new undersea vehicle that Lockheed Martin designs, we bring to bear the state-of-the-art in technology, and innovative system integration of those technologies, to increase the range, reach, and effectiveness of undersea forces and their missions», said Frank Drennan, director, submersibles and autonomous systems, business development. «With decades of experience supporting the U.S. Navy’s mission, our engineers are approaching this design with a sense of urgency and continued agility».

Lockheed Martin has over four decades of experience in unmanned and robotic systems for sea, air and land. From the depths of the ocean to the rarified air of the stratosphere, Lockheed Martin’s unmanned systems help our customers accomplish their most difficult challenges.

Lockheed Martin employees in Palm Beach, Florida, will perform the work on Orca, with additional support from employees at the company’s locations in Manassas, Virginia, Syracuse, New York, and Owego, New York.

Navy

Christening of Delbert

The U.S. Navy christened the newest guided-missile destroyer, the future USS Delbert D. Black (DDG-119), Saturday, November 4, during a 10 a.m. CST ceremony at Huntington Ingalls Industries Shipbuilding in Pascagoula, Mississippi.

Mrs. Ima Black, MCPON Black's widow and a World War II Navy veteran herself, broke a bottle of sparkling wine across the bow to formally christen the ship, a time-honored Navy tradition
Mrs. Ima Black, MCPON Black’s widow and a World War II Navy veteran herself, broke a bottle of sparkling wine across the bow to formally christen the ship, a time-honored Navy tradition

The future USS Delbert D. Black (DDG-119) is the first ship to bear the name of a Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy (MCPON) and is named for the first person to hold that office. Black began his 30-year Navy career in the spring of 1941. After completing recruit training, he reported to his first assignment, USS Maryland (BB-46) in Pearl Harbor, where he witnessed the Japanese attack that drew the United States into World War II. Over the next 26 years, he rose through the ranks to Gunner’s Mate Master Chief before his selection in 1967 to serve as the first MCPON. The MCPON is the senior enlisted leader in the Navy and serves as an advisor to the Chief of Naval Operations (CNO) and to the Chief of Naval Personnel (CNP) in matters dealing with enlisted Sailors and their families.

MCPON Steven S. Giordano, 14th and current Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy, served as the principal speaker during the ceremony. During the event, Mrs. Ima Black, MCPON Black’s widow and a World War II Navy veteran herself, served as the ship’s sponsor and broke a bottle of sparkling wine across the bow to formally christen the ship, a time-honored Navy tradition.

«It is a fitting tribute to the master chief who set the tone for all of us to follow as authentic, competent and courageous leaders», Giordano said. «This ship represents the enlisted force perhaps more than any other ship in the Navy».

USS Delbert D. Black (DDG-119) will be the 69th Arleigh Burke-class destroyer and is currently the fifth of 13 ships currently under contract for the DDG-51 program. The ship will be configured as a Flight IIA destroyer, which enables power projection, forward presence and escort operations at sea in support of low intensity conflict/coastal and littoral offshore warfare, as well as open ocean conflict.

USS Delbert D. Black (DDG-119) will be equipped with the Navy’s Aegis Combat System, the world’s foremost integrated naval weapon. The ship will also incorporate Cooperative Engagement Capability that when combined with the Aegis Combat System, will permit groups of ships and aircraft to link radars to provide a composite picture of the battle space-effectively increasing the theater space. The capability is designed to provide the U.S. Navy with a 21st Century fighting edge.

The nearly 9,500-ton Delbert D. Black is 510 feet/156 m in length, has a waterline beam of 59 feet/18 m and a navigational draft of 30.5 feet/9.3 m. Four gas turbine engines will power the ship to speeds in excess of 30 knots/34.5 mph/55.5 km/h.

MCPON Steven S. Giordano, 14th and current master chief petty officer of the Navy, served as the principal speaker during the ceremony
MCPON Steven S. Giordano, 14th and current master chief petty officer of the Navy, served as the principal speaker during the ceremony

 

Ship Characteristics

Length Overall 510 feet/156 m
Beam – Waterline 59 feet/18 m
Draft 30.5 feet/9.3 m
Displacement – Full Load 9,217 tons/9,363 metric tons
Power Plant 4 General electric LM 2500-30 gas turbines; 2 shafts; 2 CRP (Contra-Rotating) propellers; 100,000 shaft horsepower/75,000 kW
Speed in excess of 30 knots/34.5 mph/55.5 km/h
Range 4,400 NM/8,149 km at 20 knots/23 mph/37 km/h
Crew 380 total: 32 Officers, 27 CPO (Chief Petty Officer), 321 OEM
Surveillance SPY-1D Phased Array Radar and Aegis Combat System (Lockheed Martin); SPS-73(V) Navigation; SPS-67(V)3 Surface Search; 3 SPG-62 Illuminator; SQQ-89(V)6 sonar incorporating SQS-53C hull mounted and SQR-19 towed array sonars used with Mark-116 Mod 7 ASW fire control system
Electronics/Countermeasures SLQ-32(V)3; Mark-53 Mod 0 Decoy System; Mark-234 Decoy System; SLQ-25A Torpedo Decoy; SLQ-39 Surface Decoy; URN-25 TACAN; UPX-29 IFF System; Kollmorgen Mark-46 Mod 1 Electro-Optical Director
Aircraft 2 embarked SH-60 helicopters ASW operations; RAST (Recovery Assist, Secure and Traverse)
Armament 2 Mark-41 Vertical Launching System (VLS) with 90 Standard, Vertical Launch ASROC (Anti-Submarine Rocket) & Tomahawk ASM (Air-to-Surface Missile)/LAM (Loitering Attack Missile); 5-in (127-mm)/54 (62) Mark-45 gun; 2 (1) CIWS (Close-In Weapon System); 2 Mark-32 triple 324-mm torpedo tubes for Mark-46 or Mark-50 ASW torpedos

 

Guided Missile Destroyers Lineup

 

Flight IIA: Technology Insertion

Ship Yard Launched Commissioned Homeport
DDG-116 Thomas Hudner GDBIW 04-01-17
DDG-117 Paul Ignatius HIIIS 11-12-16
DDG-118 Daniel Inouye GDBIW
DDG-119 Delbert D. Black HIIIS 09-08-17
DDG-120 Carl M. Levin GDBIW
DDG-121 Frank E. Peterson Jr. HIIIS
DDG-122 John Basilone GDBIW
DDG-123 Lenah H. Sutcliffe Higbee HIIIS

 

Air Force

Expanded production

Arlington, Virginia, MBDA Inc. is proud to announce a new contract award from Boeing to produce up to 21,000 Diamond Back Wing Assemblies for the Small Diameter Bomb (SDB-1). This new contract follows a U.S. Air Force award to Boeing for additional SDB-1 production.

MBDA Inc. is proud to announce a new contract award from Boeing to produce up to 21,000 Diamond Back Wing Assemblies for the Small Diameter Bomb (SDB-1)
MBDA Inc. is proud to announce a new contract award from Boeing to produce up to 21,000 Diamond Back Wing Assemblies for the Small Diameter Bomb (SDB-1)

MBDA’s Diamond Back Wing Assembly – a key component of Boeing’s Small Diameter Bomb-features a patented tandem wing design that improves SDB’s manoeuverability and extends its range to over 60 nautical miles/69 miles/111 km, increasing pilot safety and expanding operational reach. SDB-1 is an advanced precision-guided glide bomb that provides aircraft with the ability to carry a higher number of weapons and accurately strike multiple targets in a single combat sortie.

Following the announcement of the contract award, MBDA Inc.’s CEO John Pranzatelli said: «This new award is possible thanks to our strong partnership with Boeing and outstanding past performance over many years of delivering wing kits. As the MBDA Inc. Huntsville team scales up and expands our reach into the U.S. supply chain, we will continue to meet customer requirements on time and budget. In addition to Diamond Back, MBDA Inc. remains committed to introducing MBDA’s superior portfolio of precision guided munitions and advanced technology to the U.S».

MBDA Inc. has been recognized with three Boeing Performance Excellence Awards over the course of producing over 18,000 Diamond Back Wing Assemblies. MBDA produced the 20,000th unit in September 2017.

MBDA Inc. will continue assembling and testing Diamond Back Wing Assemblies at its Huntsville, Alabama facility. MBDA Inc. is also hiring new staff and expanding its facilities to accommodate increasing demand for wing assemblies.

Navy

Sea trials

HMS Queen Elizabeth (R08) has sailed from Portsmouth Naval Base for the first time since arriving at her home port in August.

HMS Queen Elizabeth leaves Portsmouth for sea trials
HMS Queen Elizabeth leaves Portsmouth for sea trials

The Royal Navy’s future flagship has embarked on the next set of sea trials to test the £3 billion ship’s capability.

Captain of Portsmouth Naval Base, Captain Bill Oliphant said: «HMS Queen Elizabeth has been in Portsmouth Naval Base for two months of planned maintenance to allow her to sail to complete her sea trials today. This period at sea will mark an extremely significant milestone in the life of the ship leading towards her acceptance into the Royal Navy at her commissioning later this year, back in her home port of Portsmouth».

HMS Queen Elizabeth (R08) is expected to be at sea for the next month and will be delivered to the Royal Navy by the end of the year; an exciting finale in 2017 – «The Year of the Navy».

Her first phase of sea trials, conducted earlier this year, demonstrated the platform stability and manoeuvrability. Commanding Officer Captain Jerry Kyd, said «She was stable and strong, which is important for aviation operations from an aircraft carrier flight deck. Very quickly we were able to run her at full power and she performed extremely well».

HMS Queen Elizabeth has sailed from Portsmouth Naval Base for the first time since arriving at her home port in August
HMS Queen Elizabeth has sailed from Portsmouth Naval Base for the first time since arriving at her home port in August

The 65,000 tonne carrier is the biggest and most advanced warship to have ever been built by the Royal Navy and can accommodate up to 1,600 personnel, which would include a full air crew, but also provides space for embarked personnel such as Royal Marines.

The design, build and development of the Queen Elizabeth Class has been a truly national effort, involving every region in the UK.

Shipyards in six cities across the UK have constructed sections of the aircraft carriers and while many parts of the carrier arrived in Rosyth by road, the major sections needed to be transported by barge around the coast of the UK.

HMS Prince of Wales (R09), the second of the fleet’s new aircraft carriers, is in the final phases of construction in Rosyth Dockyard and is expected to be floated out of its giant dock next spring.

To date, construction of the two ships have devoured 51 million man hours – enough to keep one person occupied for more than 5,800 years.

This period at sea will mark an extremely significant milestone in the life of the ship leading towards her acceptance into the Royal Navy at her commissioning later this year, back in her home port of Portsmouth
This period at sea will mark an extremely significant milestone in the life of the ship leading towards her acceptance into the Royal Navy at her commissioning later this year, back in her home port of Portsmouth
Air Force

Supersonic

Defence and security company Saab announces that the Gripen E smart fighter flew supersonic for the first time. The aircraft broke the sound barrier over the Baltic Sea on the 18th October.

Gripen E Goes Supersonic
Gripen E Goes Supersonic

The Gripen E smart fighter flew at speeds greater than the speed of sound, at over Mach 1, as part of the ongoing flight trials programme. The purpose was to collect data from the aircraft as it achieved and sustained supersonic speed. The flight took place over the Baltic sea and the aircraft sustained supersonic speed for a number of minutes, whilst carrying out maneouvres, demonstrating the successful combination of the aircraft’s fighter design and its powerful engine.

«As Gripen pilots we are used to extreme speed but to go through the sound barrier for an aircraft’s first time is still a moment to enjoy. It is important that the aircraft handles the transition smoothly through what we call the transonic zone around the sound barrier and she certainly did, it was very smooth», said Marcus Wandt, Test Pilot, Saab.

Welcoming the news, Jonas Hjelm, Senior Vice President and head of business area Aeronautics said, «Individual milestones such as this supersonic flight demonstrate the thoroughness of our engineering approach and the validity of the modelling. It is further evidence that the Gripen E flight test programme is going extremely well, whilst the delivery schedule to our two customers remains our key focus».

This milestone has been preceded by over 20 flying hours since the first flight back on 15 June 2017.

 

KEY DATA

Length overall 15.2 m/50 feet
Width overall 8.6 m/28 feet
Basic mass empty 8,000 kg/17,637 lbs
Internal fuel 3,400 kg/7,496 lbs
Maximum takeoff weight 16,500 kg/36,376 lbs
Maximum thrust 98 kN/9,993 kgf/22,031 lbf
Minimum takeoff distance 500 m/1,640 feet
Landing distance 600 m/1,968 feet
Maximum speed at sea level > 756 knots/870 mph/1400 km/h
Maximum speed at high altitude Mach 2
Supercruise capability Yes
Maximum service altitude > 16,000 m/52,500 feet
G-limits -3G / +9G
Hardpoints 10
Combat turnaround air-to-air 10 min
Full engine replacement 1 hour

 

Ground Forces

Mine Protected Vehicle

A platoon of route clearance engineer Soldiers began testing a new Multi-Functional Video Display, or MVD, for the Medium Mine Protected Vehicle (MMPV) Type II Wednesday at Fort Leonard Wood.

A new Multi-Functional Video Display for the Medium Mine Protected Vehicle Type II is currently being tested by Soldiers from the 509th Engineer Company at Fort Leonard Wood (Photo Credit: Clay Beach, Operational Test Command Visual Information)
A new Multi-Functional Video Display for the Medium Mine Protected Vehicle Type II is currently being tested by Soldiers from the 509th Engineer Company at Fort Leonard Wood (Photo Credit: Clay Beach, Operational Test Command Visual Information)

The new monitors will give vehicle commanders and crew complete visibility around the vehicle, keeping them buttoned up and safe from potential explosives outside.

Soldiers from the 509th Engineer Company, 5th Engineer Battalion, 36th Engineer Brigade, performed the operational test so the U.S. Army Operational Test Command, or USAOTC, based at Fort Hood, Texas, could collect data on the integration of the video displays with the MMPV Type II to inform senior Army leaders on how effective, suitable and reliable the MVD will be during combat.

Video input to the MVD is provided by an array of on-board enablers, which provide crewmembers with all information needed to detect and defeat roadside explosives.

Operational testers say one of the most important elements of the test is Soldier feedback, with primary data focus on Soldier surveys.

«We are also collecting data on the reliability, availability, and maintainability of the MVD, so that we can identify any issues causing malfunctions of hardware failure now, rather than after fielding of the equipment», said Heidi Watts, chief of USAOTC’s Maneuver Support Test Division.

During the test, the 509th Engineers deploy the MMPV and new video display in a realistic tactical scenario to see how well the new system supports their mission.

«The importance of collecting data on the MVD is to verify the usability of the MVD by Soldiers in an operational context», said Major Michael Fleischmann, the test’s Operational Research and Systems analyst and data project manager.

«The operationally realistic scenarios allow for the test unit Soldiers to tell the Army how well the system supports their mission execution», Fleischmann said. «We want to ensure that any issues the Soldiers have with the system are discovered now, rather than in the middle of combat».

Watts explained how the USAOTC test team typically organizes and plans for equipment testing a year in advance.

«Planning so far out ensures the test includes exercises composed of both day and night mine clearing operations, which equates to providing the most realistic missions and threats», she said.

Data collectors collect MVD performance data, and most of the information will come directly from the users.

«By allowing Soldiers to test the monitor in a realistic environment», explained Fleischmann, «they share their real-time feedback that may allow for easier operation for the user».

The 509th’s 3rd Platoon sergeant said being involved in an operational test is valuable for his Soldiers and the Army.

«This effort is definitely worthwhile because it allows Soldiers to have input into the MVD monitor system and possibly make it better», said Sergeant 1st Class Charles Campbell.

Staff Sergeant Bobby Ray, a junior leader with 3rd Platoon, also said the equipment test will be good for his platoon because it allows them to train on their tactics, technique and procedures for route clearance.

One USAOTC test officer familiar with combat vehicles similar to the MMVP, recalled his experiences in Afghanistan.

«I spent two years in Afghanistan conducting the same missions that these engineers are executing and encountering a threat nearly identical to what they face here», said Captain James Wakeland, U.S. Army Test and Evaluation Command test officer.

«I understand the need for the equipment in the Engineer Corps, and I understand that the lives of future engineers depend on the results of this test», he continued. «This vehicle brings a capability to the Engineer Corps that has not previously existed as a program of record, but is badly needed».