The US Armed Forces have a large fleet of various armored vehicles designed to transport and provide fire support for infantry. In service are tracked and wheeled vehicles of various types - primarily, relatively old ones. To extend the resource and maintain their characteristics at the required level, it is necessary to regularly carry out repairs and upgrades. Also, in some cases, it makes sense to completely replace obsolete samples with new equipment.
In recent years, the command, together with the industry, have been implementing several projects for updating the fleet of armored vehicles. One of them provides for the future replacement of outdated armored vehicles. Others still offer only the modernization of existing equipment. In parallel, the procurement of new samples of a number of classes continues. Consider the basic plans of the US Army for the most common armored infantry vehicles.
Replacement for M113
The tracked armored personnel carrier M113, despite all the recent upgrades, is outdated long ago and can no longer meet modern requirements. In this regard, the AMPV program (Armored Multi-Purpose Vehicle - "Armored Multi-Purpose Vehicle") was launched quite a long time ago, the purpose of which was to create a new tracked armored personnel carrier. By 2014, a number of proposed projects from different organizations dropped out of the program, which predetermined its results.
Armored personnel carrier M113. US Army Photos
The winner of the competition was the RHB (Reconfigurable Height Bradley) project from BAE Systems. She proposed to build a new armored personnel carrier based on the serial M2 Bradley BMP. The project of the armored personnel carrier provides for the removal of the standard turret, the restructuring of the internal volumes of the hull, as well as the revision of the external units. The enlarged troop compartment was proposed to be used to transport people or to accommodate special equipment.
At the end of 2014, BAE Systems was awarded a contract for a 52-month design phase. As part of this contract, it was necessary to complete the development of the project, and then build and test 29 RHB machines in five versions with different equipment. As a result of this stage, an order for almost 300 serial armored vehicles should appear. It is expected that such a contract will be concluded no later than 2019-2020.
AMPV family of machines to replace the M113. Figure BAE Systems / baesystems.com
After 2020, BAE Systems will have to establish full-scale serial production of RHB. The new equipment will be rebuilt from BMP M2 and BRM M3, removed from storage or withdrawn from combat units. Production will continue for 10 years, and during this time the army wants to receive 2,897 vehicles of all modifications - armored personnel carriers, command staff, ambulances and evacuation vehicles, as well as 120-mm self-propelled mortars. In all cases, we are talking about replacing outdated samples on the M113 platform.
The contractor is currently continuing development work on the AMPV / RHB theme. This stage of the program should be completed as soon as possible with the desired results. Thus, the complete abandonment of the M113 can already be considered a matter for the foreseeable future.
Update for M2 Bradley
M2 Bradley tracked infantry fighting vehicles and their modifications for various purposes account for a significant share of the US armored vehicle fleet. So far, the command does not plan to abandon such equipment, but in its current form it no longer suits the military. So, immediately after the end of active hostilities in Iraq, there was an intention to modernize equipment. In the future, "Bradley" was updated several times, including with the formation of new modifications. Another project of this kind is being implemented now.
The M2 Bradley infantry fighting vehicle is one of the serial modifications. US Army Photos
In June last year, BAE Systems was awarded a $ 347 million contract for the deep modernization of 473 Bradley vehicles. As part of this order, several hundred M2A2 and M2A3 infantry fighting vehicles, as well as M7A3 fire support vehicles, will be updated. The updated equipment receives the letters "A4".
In the course of previous upgrades carried out after the Iraqi war, the M2 infantry fighting vehicles received additional armor and new electronic devices. The growth of some of the characteristics led to an increase in mass, and at the same time to an increase in the load on the engine and chassis, which negatively affected mobility. The new M2A4 project provides for the revision of systems and units "damaged" during previous upgrades.
The proposed appearance of the BMP M2A4. Photo BAE Systems / baesystems.com
The M2A4 BMP and the M7A4 fire support vehicle receive a more powerful engine and corresponding transmission. The increase in mass is compensated by the installation of reinforced torsion bars. The track has a lower mass for the same strength and contact area. An updated electrical system with modern control devices is used. With its help, a more efficient distribution of energy between the on-board systems is ensured. The onboard electronics complex is proposed to be updated using modern components.
Work on the serial modernization of armored vehicles of combat units started last year. Probably, by now, the contractor company has managed to rebuild and improve a number of M2 and M7 machines. While the command plans to update less than 500 armored vehicles - a smaller part of the available fleet. It is possible that after receiving the ordered equipment under the current contract, the Pentagon will place a new order for the M2A4 and M7A4. However, one cannot exclude the possibility of creating a new modernization project, according to which the equipment will be updated in the distant future.
Upgraded Stryker
The Stryker family of wheeled armored vehicles continues to serve, but the operation of such equipment in its original configuration is no longer considered possible. Since 2011, a massive modernization of armored vehicles has been underway under the ECP (Engineering Change Proposal) and DVH (Double V-Hull) programs. Also last year, we launched the process of retrofitting equipment with new devices. The result of the current upgrades is a machine called the Stryker-A1.
M2A4 Bradley prototype on display. Photo BAE Systems / baesystems.com
Current projects for the modernization of "Strikers" provide for the revision of the armored hull with the installation of new elements that increase the overall level of protection. A new 450 hp engine is also installed. instead of the base 350-horsepower, and with it an improved transmission is used. A more powerful electric generator is used, capable of ensuring the operation of all modern and advanced on-board systems. The suspension of the wheel chassis is reinforced with a margin, which makes it possible to increase the combat weight to 25-27 tons.
The composition of the equipment and weapons of the modernized Stryker-A1 is determined in accordance with the role of a particular vehicle. At the same time, new communication and control devices are being introduced. In some cases, we are also talking about rearmament. Thus, "Strikers" in the configuration of an armored vehicle can be equipped with a 30-mm automatic cannon and a launcher for Javelin anti-tank missiles.
Serial armored personnel carrier M1126 Stryker. US Army Photos
Last year, a new project started, providing for the creation of another machine of the Stryker family. On the basis of a universal chassis in its modern configuration, it is proposed to build an M-SHORAD (Maneuver-Short-Range Air Defense) anti-aircraft complex. In the future, such equipment will have to complement the AN / TWQ-1 Avenger complexes and strengthen the air defense of troops in the near zone.
In the summer of 2018, it was announced that, as part of the M-SHORAD program, the Stryker-A1 chassis would be slightly modified and equipped with an RIwP (Reconfigurable Integrated-weapons Platform) combat module from the Italian company Leonardo DRS. The RIwP product can be equipped with automatic cannons and machine guns, as well as carry various types of guided missiles. The army plans to receive 144 anti-aircraft self-propelled guns in various configurations, and deliveries will be completed as early as 2022.
Build or Upgrade?
The US Army has several tens of thousands of protected infantry vehicles, and a significant portion of this fleet consists of M113, M2 and Stryker armored vehicles. In terms of their numbers, they are inferior to modern MRAP armored cars, but at the same time they are of great importance and should remain in service. At the same time, the command takes into account urgent problems, as a result of which it renews its fleet of equipment, implementing optimal solutions.
BTR Stryker-1A at the exhibition. Photo Armyrecognition.com
The old and well-deserved M113 armored personnel carriers do not meet modern requirements for a long time, which is why a decision was made to replace them with a new model. In the near future, such a vehicle of the AMPV / RHB type will enter full-scale serial production, which will launch the process of finally abandoning outdated armored personnel carriers.
Newer BMP M2 Bradley and equipment based on them are not without problems, but they want to keep it in service due to the next modernization. It is curious that this time the M2A4 update project provides for the restructuring of the power plant and chassis, but almost does not affect protection and armament. The same applies to the M7A4 fire support vehicle.
The machines of the Stryker family are the newest of those reviewed, but in their case it is necessary to organize modernization. From the very beginning of operation, such equipment faced serious problems, and in order to correct the identified shortcomings, it was necessary to organize various programs for the repair and renewal of machines. Another project of this kind, ECP / DVH, was completed in the recent past. While new upgrades are not planned, but the Stryker family will be replenished with another model on a modified chassis.
Promising anti-aircraft complex Stryker-1A M-SHORAD. Drawing Leonardo DRS / leonardodrs.com
As you can see, the Pentagon intends to abandon only hopelessly outdated armored vehicles, which, in principle, cannot be brought into line with all current requirements. In other cases, repairs and upgrades are applied to ensure the growth of performance and the introduction of new capabilities. This approach, in general, justifies itself. It allows you to do without unnecessary spending on the construction of completely new technology, but at the same time bring the material part into the desired form.
It should be noted that similar approaches are used in other areas. Thus, multipurpose army vehicles are systematically replaced with modern armored cars, and in the past, MRAPs were widely used. At the same time, only modernization projects are being implemented in the field of tanks, while the development of new models is still considered inappropriate and therefore has long gone into the background.
The American military department considers such principles of updating the fleet of army equipment to be optimal and, with their help, makes plans for the future. This means that in the medium and long term, the fleet of armored vehicles of the US Army will change noticeably, but a significant proportion of it will continue to be well-known samples, even if they have undergone a deep modernization.
