WZ551/Type92 IFV seems to be a common sign in Southern Sudan. In addition to serving with the PLA UN Engineering Battalion as part the UNAMID, it is also serving with the Zambians peacekeepers in the same region.

Denel's Mechem division has developed a new air-transportable variant of the Casspir mine-protected armoured personnel carrier (APC) to complement the Mk II variants, which were re-launched in May 2010.

The new vehicle, known as the Casspir Mk IV, is wider than the original vehicle, but at 2.73 m tall, it is slightly lower overall, enabling it to fit through the entrance to a C-130 Hercules transport. The vehicle's 40 cm ride-height remains the same to help manage blast, but the roof has been dropped by 20 cm.


Despite the change in dimensions, Denel claims the vehicle offers the same high levels of mine protection as the earlier vehicles and that add-on armour packages are available to increase protection still further.

It may have been standard operating procedure for engineers at theOrdnance Factory, Medak, near here. But for villagers of Malkapur, itwas an unbelievable sight on Friday when they saw ‘Sarath', an infantrycombat vehicle (ICV), rumble out of the factory's gates and sail in anirrigation tank, about 10 km. away.

The Ordnance Factory has been manufacturing the amphibious Russianmilitary vehicles (BMP-II) for some time now, and supplies 120 of theseICVs to the Army. The rigorous testing in the factory about thevehicle's water resistance apart, the Army too does its own fieldtesting.




The ‘Sarath' has a top speed of 60 km an hour on the ground, and about 7 kmph over water. Thistime, the Army selected two tanks at random and took them out for aspin. They were driven out to Malkapur and tested in water for close totwo hours.

“Every year, we test these in the presence of Army personnel, whoselect the vehicles for field trials. Only after they convincethemselves, will the delivery and handing over take place,” said VipinPrasad, Joint General Manager, Planning, of the Ordnance Factory.

ARLINGTON, Va.: BAE Systems, through its U.S. Combat Systems business, along with partners Navistar Defense and ArvinMeritor, delivered three right hand drive operation configured Joint Light Tactical Vehicle (JLTV) prototypes in a ceremony today in West Point, Mississippi. Each of these prototypes will be sent to Australia for durability testing that mutually supports both U.S. and Australia interests.
The BAE Systems – Navistar – ArvinMeritor team handed over aCategory A General Purpose vehicle, a Category B Command and Control onthe Move and a Category C Utility vehicle. The vehicles are designed tobe highly compatible with the U.S. variants, ensuring interoperabilitybetween forces, yet tailored specifically to meet the needs of theAustralian military.

“Our team has taken a user-centric design approach that provides thefoundation for a future family of vehicles that can be modified to meetthe needs of our military as well as those of our global allies,” saidAnn Hoholick, vice president and general manager of New Vehicles andAmphibious Systems forBAE Systems. “We look forward to continuing to improve and enhance our offerings as we receive feedback from our military customers.”
In January 2009, the U.S. and Australia entered into a Land ForceCapability Modernization Project Arrangement for the TechnologyDemonstrator phase of the JLTV program, enabling tactical vehicleinteroperability and integration between U.S. future forces andAustralian land forces.
“Australia’s participation in the JLTV program will help reduceoverall program risk through the testing and evaluation of additionalprototype vehicles,” said Mark McCoy, the U.S. Army’sproduct manager for JLTV. “As our military prepares for futurecoalition operations, similarity of tactical vehicle solutions acrossallies will enhance global interoperability and reduce the maintenanceand logistical burden.”
The JLTV prototype vehicles will undergo reliability and blast testing in Australia, as well as tropical environment testing.
“Lessons from recent conflicts highlight the importance of protectedmobility in the modern battlefield,” said Australian Army Lt. Col.Robin Petersen, JLTV Cooperative Program Personnel and Australian JLTVProgram Manager. “The requirements of the JLTV program closely alignwith our requirements; we face similar capability gaps and threats.”
BAE Systems is Australia’s largest defense company, employing more than 6,000 people who support customers at 100 locations across Australia. As a global company, BAE Systemsdraws on the resources and strengths of its people around the world tohelp deliver the most efficient, value-for-money solutions to theAustralian Defence Force.
The team builds off the three companies’ current leadership in armored and tactical vehicle development and support. Combined, the BAE Systems - Navistar – ArvinMeritor team maximizes JLTV program value through proven capabilities, lean manufacturing and extensive worldwide logistics support.
BAE Systems is a global defense, security and aerospace company withapproximately 107,000 employees worldwide. The Company delivers a fullrange of products and services for air, land and naval forces, as wellas advanced electronics, security, information technology solutions and customer support services. In 2009 BAE Systems reported sales of £22.4 billion (US$ 36.2 billion).
Navistar Defense is an affiliate of Navistar InternationalCorporation, a holding company whose subsidiaries and affiliatesproduce International brand commercial and military trucks, MaxxForcebrand diesel engines, IC Bus brand school and commercial buses, Monaco RV brands of recreational vehicles, and Workhorse brand chassis for motor homes and step vans.
ArvinMeritor, Inc. is a premier global supplier of a broad range ofintegrated systems, modules and components to original equipmentmanufacturers and the aftermarket for the transportation and industrialsectors. The company serves commercial truck, trailer and specialty original equipment manufacturers and certain aftermarkets, and light vehicle manufacturers

The U.S. Army's chief of staff wants to put the service's Ground Combat Vehicle program on a diet.
Gen. George Casey said he thinks the future replacement for the BradleyFighting Vehicle needs to be much lighter than the estimated 70 tonsprogram officials are projecting that the new GCV will weigh.
"I keep saying, 'Look, man, an MRAP [mine-resistant ambush-protected]is about 23 tons, and you're telling me this is going to be 70 tons,which is the same as an [M1] Abrams. Surely we can get a level ofprotection between that, that is closer to the MRAP than it is the M1,'" Casey said June 7. "It's not going to be a superheavyweight vehicle."

Casey's comments come less than a month after Army Vice Chief ofStaff Gen. Peter Chiarelli said at the Armor Conference at Fort Knox,Ky., that the GCV would weigh 50 to 70 tons.
Critics point outthat a 70-ton GCV would be the world's heaviest infantry fightingvehicle. By contrast, the heaviest vehicle for the Marine Corps is theExpeditionary Fighting Vehicle, an amphibious armored personnelcarrier. Still in development, it is expected to weigh 38 tons.
The Bradley can weigh up to 36 tons.
Defensefirms submitted their proposals for the first phase of the GCV in lateMay. Program officials expect to award up to three contracts for thetechnology development phase in September.
The Army launchedthe GCV program in April 2009 as part of a larger Army Brigade CombatTeam Modernization program, formerly known as Future Combat Systems.
Theeffort stood up quickly after a decision by Defense Secretary RobertGates to kill the Manned Ground Vehicles portion of the Army's FCSprogram in the fiscal 2010 defense budget. Gates spared the high-techcommunications network and the spin-out technologies slated forfielding in 2011, but canceled the program's family of 27-ton MGVs,criticizing the design as ill-suited to survive current battlefieldthreats.
The Army wants the GCV to have the underbelly armor ofthe MRAP, better side protection than the Bradley, some type ofautomatic cannon and an anti-tank missile system.
The V-shapedhull on the MRAP allows the vehicle to withstand blasts from roadsidebombs and protect soldiers inside. The Bradley has side armor that canstop 20mm and other potent calibers. Newer Stryker vehicles can stop14.5mm projectiles.
Officials want the GCV to perform well in open country, on roads and in urban areas.
Armyofficials stress the importance of the GCV since the service continuesto rely on its fleet of 16,000 combat vehicles on a battlefielddominated by powerful improvised explosive devices.
"The GroundCombat Vehicle is going to be the first vehicle designed to operate inthe environments that we're operating in today, particularly in IEDenvironments," Casey said. "None of the vehicles that we have now,except possibly the MRAPs, are designed for that. ... With the Bradleyand the tank, they started back in the late 60s and early 70s, and theyhave been great, but as we built out the Bradley, it's at the limits ofsize, weight and power."
The Bradley can carry up to seven infantrymen in addition to a commander, gunner and driver.
TheGCV is being designed to carry a complete nine-man infantry squad and athree-man crew and provide them with MRAP-like protection - that's atleast 50 tons using today's technology, Chiarelli said at the ArmorConference.
But Casey said that soldiers who have served in Iraqand Afghanistan have told him that big, heavy vehicles just aren'tpractical in urban combat.
"They'll tell you, we stopped usingtanks and Bradleys on the streets of Baghdad just because of the size,"Casey said. "We have to work the tradeoffs between protection and size."
Asfor wheels or tracks, the Army did not specify in its request forproposals, but Chiarelli and other senior Army officials have said theGCV would likely have to be tracked based on the current weightprojection.
For now, the plan is to ensure that the new vehiclecan be transported by C-17 aircraft, rail and ship. An Army "analysisof alternatives" will attempt to provide some type of recommendationsometime this summer.
It is unusual for an analysis ofalternatives to be done in parallel with the request for proposalsprocess, but Army officials have said it's being done that way to savetime.
Army officials have said the five- to seven-yeardevelopment timeline is in place to follow Pentagon acquisition-reformguidelines that call for more testing and competitive prototypes. Thedecision to build a new vehicle or buy a current design will be up tothe Defense Department.
Casey said the Army has the time towork through these issues. The service aims to have a prototype in handby 2015, and field the new infantry fighting vehicle in 2017.
"We're at the beginning of the process," Casey said. "This thing is going to take about seven years to get on the street."

The multitudinous and extremely variable DINGO 2 family from Krauss-Maffei Wegmann (KMW) has welcomed a new arrival. The company presented the armoured DINGO 2 recovery vehicle at the EUROSATORY trade fair in Paris. This vehicle combines high performancecapability with speed. With a hydraulic 10-ton recovery winch – theDINGO 2 is suitable for any incapacitated vehicle up to the weightclass of the DINGO 2 during towing operation.
“Time is of the essence when recovering vehicles that have beeninvolved in accidents, and particularly when rescuing the crew in timeof crisis and conflict”, says Frank Haun, chairman of the KMW board of directors in Paris. “This is why the DINGO 2 recovery vehicle is designed to be able to respond immediately”. Unlike conventional recovery vehicles, the new development can follow patrol and convoy vehicles in deployment areas because of its size and its outstanding mobility.

For the first time, this extremely mobile recovery version of theDINGO 2 has three axles (6x6) but is still based on a UNIMOG chassis,like the entire DINGO 2 family, making operation, maintenance and training easier. The new vehicleweighs 17.5 tons and can therefore be transported by air withoutproblems. Like all of the DINGO 2 vehicles that are already in thefield, the 3-man crew can rely on the high level of protection that isprovided and also keep a close eye on the situation using the extendedrear-view camera system.
Like its sister versions, this new development is also intended to be the vehicle with the best protection in its class for patrols, ambulance operations, reconnaissance, transport,ABC reconnaissance missions, battle damage repair and maintenance. Thevehicle can also be equipped with the standardized KMW FLW 100(remote-controlled light weapon station).
KMW has developed the concept of a modular all-round protection transportvehicle for various tactical deployment variants over the last fewyears. The DINGO 2 recovery is a further addition to this successfulfamily of vehicles. Over 700 DINGOs in various are currently in usewith five European nations.

ARLINGTON, Va.:  The U.S. Army and Marine Corps are using the newly built government prototypes of the Joint Light Tactical Vehicle to refine program requirements through rigorous ballistic, performance and reliability testing.
It's all part of an effort to field a next-generation tactical vehicle that can hit speeds of 70mph, withstand roadside bombs and other threats, drive through off-road terrain and fly through the air beneath a CH-47 Chinook or CH-53 helicopter, service officials said.
"The whole purpose of this TD (technology development) phase is toget the requirements right," said Brett Johnson, JLTV chief engineer.

The three contractor teams for the current 27-month technologydevelopment phase -- BAE-Navistar, Lockheed-BAE and General TacticalVehicles -- each delivered seven prototype vehicles engineered to reach an unprecedented blend of performance, payload and protection.
Following a Milestone C production decision in 2013, the Army plans to buy 55,000 JLTVs and the Marines plan to buy 5,500. Full production is slated for 2015.
"The JLTV Program is implementing the competitive prototyping policy forthe Army. What we have in this technology development phase is threecontractor teams to help us inform our requirements," said Lt. Col.Wolfgang Peterman, JLTV product manager. "As we get results from the testing, we will feed that back into our requirements."
The Army-led program will put the vehicles through blast, mobility and performance testing at AberdeenProving Ground, Md., and reliability testing at Yuma Proving Ground,Ariz., as part of an effort to refine the requirements for the nextphase of the competition, the Engineering and ManufacturingDevelopment, or EMD phase.
Ballistic hulls and armor coupons have already been tested; now thevehicles will undergo additional survivability testing against avariety of known and anticipated threats, program officials said.
A formal request for proposal for the EMD phase is slated for June2011, to be followed by contract awards in December of 2011, Petermansaid.
"When we go to EMD phase, it will be a full and open competitionagain. Our plan is to award two contracts for the EMD phase," he said.
The testing during the TD phase is aimed at lowering risk andproduction costs by finding and solving challenges which may ariseearlier in the developmental process.
"We're developing prototypes and requirements for the next phase sothat when we enter the next phase we will have a low-risk program,"said Dean Johnson, Marine Corps deputy program manager, JLTV.
The vehicles are built with 85-percent common parts. For example,all of the JLTV variants are built with a 2500 series Allison 6-speedautomatic transmission.
There are three different variants or categories of JLTV:

• Category A is a four-person general purpose vehicle with a curbweight of 13,000 pounds and the ability to carry 3,500 pounds ofpayload and 3,500 pounds of add-on armor.
• Category B is six-person infantry carrier with a curb weight of15,000 pounds. It is able to add 4,500 pounds of payload and 4,000pounds of armor.
• Category C vehicle is a two passenger utility vehicle with a short cab/open bed for hauling equipmentor putting on shelters. Category C has a curb weight of 15,000 poundscan carry 5,100 pounds of payload with crew, fuel, gear and a fullcompliment of armor.

In addition, the Army and Marine Corps are preparing to acceptdelivery of a new Enhanced Protection Variant of the JLTV, which is amodified Category A vehicle designed with additional protections. Eachof the vendors will deliver an Enhanced Protection Variant in the nextseveral months, program officials said.
Engineering Challenge
The JLTV is engineeredto push the envelope of technological possibility and build a lighttactical, mobile vehicle which has the ability to thwart IEDs and otherkinds of attacks.
"The basic challenge that we faced was trying to create a totalintegrated prototype, not so much a particular challenge with asubsystem but rather putting all the systems together and still meetingour full payload, full protection and full performance envelope," saidBrett Johnson.
The vehicles are built with variable ride height suspension designedto give the chassis the ability to raise and lower off the grounddepending on road conditions. The suspension can raise and lower thevehicles from five inches off the ground to fit on some of the MarineCorps ships all the way up to up to 22 inches off the ground formaximum protection from under blast attacks and IEDs, Brett Johnsonsaid.
"Two of the vendors chose an air-bag style suspension to raise andlower the vehicle which you see on commercial tucks. The third onechose a hydropnuematic strut with a compressible fluid to raise and lower the vehicle," he said.
Each one of the prototype vehicles has four-wheel independentsuspension which uses a double-wishbone racecar-like suspension -- twowishbone-shaped structures that work to keep the vehicle's wheels in aperpendicular position to the ground, Brett Johnson said.
Also, all the vendors employed a central tire inflation system whichis an on-the-fly system that can regulate tire pressure; the system canadjust tire pressure from higher pressures for higher speed conditionson flatter roads to much lower pressures in soft soil such as sand ormud, said Brett Johnson.
Instead of having a belt-driven alternator, the vehicles are builtwith an integrated generating system that is sandwiched between theengine and transmission.
"A flat alternator is more efficient. These are very efficient machines for generating power, much more than a belt-driven machine," said Brett Johnson.
The JLTV has a requirement to generate 30 kilowatts of exportable power -- to include 10 kilowatts of on-board 28-volt DC power.
"There's a point at which alternators reach their maximum. We haveas big as 500 amp alternators out there; the problem is they take a lotof RPMs in the engine to keep the speed high enough on a belt-drivensystem to get the power out of them. Once you get past about 1500 RPMs-- you are racing the engine. These systems can generate steady streamof three to four times as much power at 1300 RPMs," said Brett Johnson.
There is a requirement for a general range of 400 miles in thisphase, but that will likely lower to 325 after looking at how much fuelthe vehicles can carry, he said.
International Efforts
The U.S. and Australia have entered into a Land Force CapabilityModernization Project Arrangement for the TD phase of the JLTV,effective as of January of last year.
The Australian vehicles will feature right-hand operation, but thevehicles will maintain 90-percent commonality with the left-handedprototypes. In addition, the Australian vehicles will not exceed a 20kg weight difference. Australia has contributed $30 million to the JLTVeffort.
"We want transportability and reliability as well. We decided to invest in theU.S. program because their program meets a lot of our requirements. Weare fighting the same fight and facing the same threats that the U.S.Army faces," said Australian Army Lt. Col. Robin Peterson, JLTV programmanager.
The U.S.-Australian collaboration is aimed at reducing risk,lowering costs and enhancing testing and simulation for both countries.

VIENNA: General Dynamics European Land Systems will display the next generation EAGLE light tactical vehicle during the EUROSATORY show in Paris from 14-18 June 2010. The new generation EAGLE will display advanced survivability and payload capacity while retaining its characteristic size and mobility advantages. It also provides greater levels of lethality with a Bofors Lemur remote weapon station.
The new EAGLE addresses the demands of today, while providing for growth and flexibility to meet future threats.

Next-Generation EAGLE
Today’s combat operations demand higher levels of survivability and capacity then previously provided by light tactical vehicles. Armies had to use overweight vehicles in the 12-20,000 kg weight class, resulting in significant compromises in mobility and tactical flexibility.
General Dynamics European Land Systems is leading the response to new requirements fora lighterweight tactical vehicle with increased protection and capacityand lower logistical costs with the launch of the next-generation EAGLEat the EUROSATORY on 14 June at the GDELS booth.
This next-generation EAGLE retains the key features of the existing in-service EAGLE that has made it the preferred light tacticalvehicle of Europe’s most demanding customers. These features includelow signature and mass, high reliability in all environments and outstanding off-road. The new EAGLE retains its capability to be air transportable via helicopters such as the CH-47 Chinook.
Next-Generation EAGLE - The New Survivability Standard
The new EAGLE sets a new survivability standard for the light tactical vehicle class and provides proven mine, improvised explosive device(IED) and ballistic protection previously only provided by vehicles upto twice its weight. The survivability systems of the new EAGLE aremodular and completely integrated with the new high survivabilitycabin. These kits allow the tactical commander to adapt the vehicle tonew threats in theatre, thus securing the utility of the EAGLE acrossthe complete spectrum of combat operations. The new EAGLE is beinglaunched with validated survivability kits meeting a range of threats.
It includes a system developed specifically to cope with the mostaggressive IEDs that this class of vehicle commonly faces in today’shostile environments. The vehicle will be shown with the RUAG LASSO RPGmitigation system integrated to demonstrate one of the manysurvivability enhancement kits thatGeneral Dynamics European LandSystems and its partners have developed for the vehicle. In addition tothese modular systems, substantial advances have been made in crewergonomics, energy-absorbing seating and occupant-restraint systemsthat will further improve the survivability of the new EAGLE whenfacing the threats of today and tomorrow.
Next-Generation EAGLE – Capacity and Flexibility for the Future
Network-centric operations, integrated force-protection countermeasuresand the need for remote weapon stations with greater levels oflethality has seen the demand for payload and internal volume in thelight protected vehiclecategory increase in recent years. The new EAGLE addresses theserequirements and provides over 3,000 kg payload, an internal protectedvolume of more than 6 m3 and a flexible rear load space that ensuresthe vehicle can meet today’s demands while providing growth andflexibility for tomorrow.
The new EAGLE has a flexible internal seating arrangement that canaccommodate four, five or six crew while retaining space for acomprehensive communications and electronic architecture system insidethe vehicle. In addition, the new EAGLE can be provided in a utilityvariant capable of carrying NATO pallets or a system of standardisedmodules that allow the vehicle to be quickly adapted at unit level tofulfil a range of battlefield logistic roles.
Next-Generation EAGLE – Unrivalled Mobility and Proven Reliability
The advances in survivability and capacity provided by the new EAGLEhave been accomplished without compromising the combat provenmobilityand reliability of the vehicle or increasing the vehicle dimensions.EAGLE has now seen extensive operational service in the demandingAfghan theatre where it has shown that it is capable of accessingterrain that no other wheeled vehicle can while demonstratingoutstanding reliability and availability in all conditions.
The vehicle’s class-leading offroad mobility comes from its combination of extraordinary wheel travel and ground clearance provided by the unique de-dion suspension system in combination with the self-locking drive train and central tire-inflation system. The new EAGLE improves in several key mobility areas including the ability to fit a wider 365/80R20 tire that decreases ground pressure and a new higher torque Cummins engine that further enhances the vehicle’s unique mobility.The new EAGLE also retains extensive commonality with existing EAGLEand DURO fleets, which substantially reduces the logistics burden andcost of ownership to existing customers.
General Dynamics European Land Systems, headquartered in Vienna, Austria, is a business unit of General Dynamicsand conducts its business through four European operating units locatedin Spain, Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. With more than 3,200highly skilled technical employees, GDELS companies design, manufactureand deliver land combat systems to global customers, including wheeled,tracked and amphibious vehicles, armaments and munitions.
General Dynamics, headquartered in Falls Church, Va., employsapproximately 91,200 people worldwide. The company is a market leaderin business aviation; land and expeditionary combat systems, armamentsand munitions; shipbuilding and marine systems; and information systems and technologies.

Russia and the United Arab Emirates are holding negotiations onmodernizing a large number of BMP-3 infantry fighting vehicles, adefense industry official said on Wednesday.

Vyacheslav Dzirkaln, deputy head of the Federal Service for Militaryand Technical Cooperation, is heading the Russian delegation at ameeting of the Russia-UAE intergovernmental committee for military andtechnical cooperation.
The talks in Abu Dhabi are to focus on the "full modernization of alarge number of BMP-3s in an effort to seriously increase their combatcapability," the Russian official said.
"We have succeeded in this direction," Dzirkaln said.
The infantry fighting vehicles had been earlier supplied to the UAEby Kurganmashzavod, a Russian machine building company based in Kurgan,western Siberia.
The official said that the military officials in the United ArabEmirates have "a good attitude for cooperating with Russia." "ThereforeI make the conclusion that our cooperation has a future."
Dzirkaln also confirmed that Russia will finish deliveringPantsir-S1 short-range air defense systems to the United Arab Emiratesby late 2010.
"This year the delivery will be completed. Two more shipments ofthese vehicles will be delivered and the contract on the delivery willbe fulfilled," he said.
Russian media reports said Moscow had signed a $734-million contractwith the United Arab Emirates in 2000 on purchasing 50 Pantsir-S1s.
Pantsir-S1 is a short-to-medium range combined surface-to-airmissile and antiaircraft artillery system manufactured by theTula-based Instrument Making Design Bureau (KPB).
It is designed to protect point and area targets and carries up to12 two-stage solid-fuel surface-to-air missiles in sealedready-to-launch containers.
The system also has two dual 30 mm automatic cannons that can engage targets at a range of up to 4 km.
The Russian official said it was too early to speak about the prospects of further delivery of Pantsir-S1s to the UAE.
"Further development will consist of providing service maintenanceand continuing training UAE specialists in the aspects of operation,repair and service maintenance," he said.
ABU DHABI, June 2 (RIA Novosti)

ASIAN DEFENCE