In previous articles, we examined ways to increase the situational awareness of the crews of armored vehicles and the need to increase the speed of targeting weapons and reconnaissance assets. An equally important point is to ensure effective intuitive interaction of the crew members with weapons, sensors and other technical systems of combat vehicles.
Armored vehicle crews
At the moment, the workplaces of the crew members are highly specialized - a separate driver's seat, separate workplaces for the commander and gunner. Initially, this was due to the layout of armored vehicles, including a rotating turret and optical observation devices. All crew members had access only to their controls and observation devices, not being able to perform the functions of another crew member.
A similar situation was previously observed in aviation; as an example, we can cite the workplaces of the pilot and navigator-operator of the MiG-31 fighter-interceptor or the Mi-28N combat helicopter. With such a layout of the working space, the death or injury of one of the crew members makes it impossible to complete the combat mission, even the process of returning to the base itself became difficult.
Currently, the developers are trying to unify the crew jobs. To a large extent, this was facilitated by the emergence of multifunctional displays, on which any necessary information can be displayed, from any reconnaissance equipment available on board.
The unified workplaces of the pilot and navigator-operator were developed as part of the creation of the Boeing / Sikorsky RAH-66 Comanche reconnaissance and attack helicopter. In addition, the pilots of the RAH-66 helicopter were supposed to be able to control most of the functions of the combat vehicle without taking their hands off the controls. In the RAH-66 helicopter, it was planned to install a helmet-mounted joint sighting system from Kaiser-Electronics, capable of displaying infrared (IR) and television images of the terrain from the front hemisphere viewing systems or a three-dimensional digital map of the area on the helmet display, realizing the principle of “eyes outside the cockpit”. The presence of a helmet-mounted display allows you to fly a helicopter, and the weapons operator can search for targets without looking at the dashboard.
The RAH-66 helicopter program was closed, but there is no doubt that the developments obtained during its implementation are used in other programs to create promising combat vehicles. In Russia, unified pilot and navigator-operator workstations are implemented in the Mi-28NM combat helicopter based on the experience gained during the creation of the Mi-28UB combat training helicopter. Also for the Mi-28NM, a pilot's helmet is being developed with an image display on the face shield and a helmet-mounted target designation system, which we talked about in the previous article.
The appearance of helmets with the ability to display information, unmanned turrets and remotely controlled weapon modules (DUMV) will unify the workplaces in ground combat vehicles. With a high probability, the workplaces of all crew members, including the driver, can be unified in the future. Modern control systems do not require a mechanical connection between the controls and actuators, therefore, a compact steering wheel or even a low-speed lateral control handle - a high-precision joystick - can be used to drive an armored vehicle.
According to unconfirmed reports, the possibility of using a joystick as a replacement for the steering wheel or control levers has been considered since 2013 when developing the control system for the T-90MS tank. The control panel of the Kurganets infantry fighting vehicle (BMP) is supposedly made in the image of the Sony Playstation game console, but it is not disclosed whether this remote control is intended to control the movement of the BMP, or only to control weapons.
Thus, to control the movement of promising combat vehicles, an option using a lateral low-speed control stick can be considered, and if this option is deemed unacceptable, then the steering wheel retracts in an inactive state. By default, the vehicle's movement controls should be active on the driver's side, but if necessary, any crew member should be able to replace him. The basic rule in the design of control elements for combat vehicles should be the principle - "hands are always on the controls."
Unified workplaces for crew members should be located in an armored capsule isolated from other compartments of a combat vehicle, as implemented in the Armata project.
Armchairs with a variable angle of inclination, mounted on shock absorbers, should provide a reduction in the effects of vibrations and shaking when driving over rough terrain. In the future, active shock absorbers can be used to eliminate vibrations and shaking. The crew seats can be provided with ventilation integrated with multi-zone climate control.
It may seem that such requirements are excessive, since a tank is not a limousine, but a combat vehicle. But the reality is that the days of armies manned by untrained recruits are irrevocably gone. The increasing complexity and cost of combat vehicles requires the involvement of the professionals who correspond to them, who need to provide a comfortable workplace. Taking into account the cost of armored vehicles, which is about five to ten million dollars per unit, the installation of equipment that increases the comfort of the crew will not greatly affect the total amount. In turn, normal working conditions will enhance the efficiency of the crew's actions, which does not need to be distracted by everyday inconveniences.
Orientation and solution
One of the most difficult automation issues is to ensure effective interaction between humans and technology. It is in this area that there can be significant delays in the OODA (Observation, Orientation, Decision, Action) cycle at the “orientation” and “decision” stages. To understand the situation (orientation) and make effective decisions (decision), information for the crew should be displayed in the most accessible and intuitive form. With an increase in the computing power of hardware and the emergence of software (software), including using technologies for analyzing information based on neural networks, part of the tasks for processing intelligence data previously performed by humans can be assigned to software and hardware systems.
For example, when attacking an ATGM, the on-board computer of an armored vehicle can independently analyze the image from a thermal imager and cameras operating in the ultraviolet (UV) range (rocket engine trace), data from the radar, and possibly from acoustic sensors, detect and capture an ATGM launcher, select the required ammunition and notify the crew about this, after which, the defeat of the ATGM crew can be carried out in automatic mode, with one or two commands (turning the weapon, firing).
The on-board electronics of promising armored vehicles should be able to independently determine potential targets by their thermal, UV, optical and radar signatures, calculate the trajectory of movement, rank targets by the degree of threat and display information on the screen or in a helmet in an easy-to-read form. Insufficient or, on the contrary, redundant information can lead to delays in decision making or to making erroneous decisions at the stages of "orientation" and "decision".
Mixing of information coming from various sensors and displayed on one screen / layer can become an important help in the work of crews of armored vehicles. In other words, information from each observation device located on an armored vehicle should be used to form a single image that is most convenient for perception. For example, in the daytime, video images from high-definition color television cameras are used as the basis for building a picture. The image from the thermal imager is used as an auxiliary one for highlighting heat-contrast elements. Also, additional image elements are displayed according to data from radar or UV cameras. At night, the video image from night vision devices becomes the basis for building a picture, which is accordingly supplemented with information from other sensors.
Similar technologies are currently used even in smartphones with multiple cameras, for example, when a black-and-white matrix with a higher light sensitivity is used to improve the image quality of a color camera. The technologies for combining images are also used for industrial purposes. Of course, the ability to view the image from each surveillance device separately should remain an option.
When armored vehicles operate in a group, information can be displayed taking into account the data received by sensors of neighboring armored vehicles according to the principle “one sees - everyone sees”. Information from all sensors located on reconnaissance and combat units on the battlefield should be displayed at the upper level, processed and provided to the higher command in a form optimized for each specific level of decision-making, which will ensure highly effective command and control of troops.
It can be assumed that in promising combat vehicles, the cost of creating software will account for most of the cost of developing a complex. And it is the software that will largely determine the advantages of one combat vehicle over another.
Education
Displaying the image in digital form will allow the training of armored vehicle crews without the use of specialized simulators, directly in the combat vehicle itself. Of course, such training will not replace full-fledged training with the shooting of real weapons, but it will still significantly simplify the training of crews. Training can be carried out both individually, when the crew of an armored vehicle acts against AI (artificial intelligence - bots in a computer program), and by using a large number of combat units of various types within one virtual battlefield. In the case of military exercises, the real battlefield can be supplemented with virtual objects, using augmented reality technology in the software of armored vehicles.
The huge popularity of online simulators of military equipment suggests that the training software of promising armored vehicles, adapted for use on ordinary computers, can be used for preliminary training in a game form of future potential military personnel. Of course, such software must be amended to ensure the concealment of information constituting state and military secrets.
The use of simulators as a means of increasing the attractiveness of military service is gradually becoming a popular tool in the armed forces of the countries of the world. According to some reports, the US Navy used the Harpoon computer game-simulator of naval battles to train naval officers back in the late 20th century. Since then, the possibilities for creating a realistic virtual space have grown many times over, while the use of modern combat vehicles is often becoming more and more like a computer game, especially when it comes to unmanned (remotely controlled) military equipment.
conclusions
The crews of promising armored vehicles will be able to make the right decisions in a complex, dynamically changing environment, and implement them at a significantly higher speed than is possible in existing combat vehicles. This will be facilitated by unified ergonomic workstations of the crew and the use of intelligent systems for processing and displaying information. The use of armored vehicles as a simulator will save financial resources on the development and purchase of specialized training aids, will provide all crews with the opportunity to train at any time in a virtual combat space or during military exercises using augmented reality technologies.
It can be assumed that the implementation of the above solutions in terms of increasing situational awareness, optimizing the ergonomics of the cockpit and the use of high-speed guidance drives will make it possible to abandon one of the crew members without losing combat effectiveness, for example, it is possible to combine the position of commander and gunner. However, the commander of an armored vehicle may be entrusted with some other promising tasks, which we will talk about in the next article.
