Posted on 03/27/2009 5:49:23 PM PDT by SandRat
WASHINGTON, March 27, 2009 – The Marine Corps’ first expeditionary fighting vehicles –- 17-passenger armored vehicles -- are slated to be delivered to the Marine Corps for testing in May 2010, the vehicle’s program manager said.
The Marine Corps’ EFV program successfully released a critical design review in the first quarter of this fiscal year, allowing it to go into a second system development and demonstration phase.
“We’re currently building seven new prototypes to that new design. Those vehicles are currently going through fabrication and machining the hulls at Joint Systems Manufacturing Center in Lima, Ohio. They’ll begin assembly this summer,” Marine Corps Col. Keith Moore said in a “DoDLive” bloggers roundtable March 25.
“The Marine Corps Operational Test and Evaluation Activity will run the vehicle through 10 to 12 mission-profile scenarios to assess the overall performance, as well as the reliability of the vehicle,” Moore added.
An analysis of the system reliability was conducted in December 2008 and it projected a 61 hours mean time between operational mission failures, which is significantly above what the requirements were to continue the program forward, Moore explained.
The reliability testing conducted in December involved an overall reassessing of the total ground vehicle structure for the Marine Corps and a critical design review for the redesigned vehicle.
“We’ll go back through a reliability growth program of testing those, identifying additional failure modes, and redesigning components to get them up to the required reliability,” Moore said.
A result of limited testing and redesign, the failure of the initial SDD phase prototypes to demonstrate acceptable reliability during the 2006 operational assessment was a significant concern driving the 2007 certification and restructure of the program, officials said. This restructure allowed a second SDD-2 phase to be conducted with an updated series of newly manufactured prototypes.
Moore added that the EFV is a critical element of the national security capability.
“There is no other alternative to providing that capability for less or equal cost,” Moore said.
During prototype testing in May next year, the Marine Corps will determine if the vehicle meets their expectations.
“We just need the time to get to when we had planned this next demonstration of capability, and then we can revisit, ‘Did it meet the expectations?’ If it doesn't meet the expectations, is it because of something that's fixable, or is it because this is just too hard to do?” Moore said.
In response to a question about the need for an amphibious capability, Moore said that from 1982 to 2006, the Marine Corps had been involved in 102 amphibious operations.
“This capability is oftentimes more effective, and serves a larger strategic and operational purpose in the employment of it, but you have to have the credible threat of being able to do it,” Moore said.
(Navy Lt. Jennifer Cragg serves in the Defense Media Activity’s Emerging Media directorate.)
I understand physical laws require a certain shape but this things looks don’t inspire much confidence from me.
Looks like it is made of cardboard boxes.
But it’s got the radar cross section of a marble!
Looks like an upgraded LVT to me.
I understand your point. If you were to paint it black with the words "Eat Me" on the side, it well could play a part in "Animal House II", if that movie were ever to be made.
The ceramic armor probably plays a large role in why it is shaped so, well...unshapely. We hope it performs better than it looks. Although, the first round of tests weren't all that impressive from what I hear. There were quite a few mechanical problems.
Yeah, but is it green? I hear one of the military experts in the house (Pelosi?) is demanding that all military vehicles run on ethanol and have solar panels. That would make it really useful.
Runs on DNC Bloviating Gases.
looks can be deceiving... that front plate is a splash plate that extends when moving though water and six foot ocean surf.
It is an odd looking sucker.
But, Marines don’t care as much about looks as they do functionality.
similar to an Israeli Namer , with a gun turret
Just go with the Namer , give Israel some business for a change
see above
Only if they stop selling weapons systems to China.
1. It's an armored amphibian designed to hydroplane on the surface. Takes a 2,500HP turbine to do it - no room for anything inside except engine and fuel
2. Huge signatures on the water of water spray and heat from the engine - just in case the enemy can't see you coming otherwise
3. For the poor slobs inside, imagine how combat-ready they'll be after pounding along on the surface in tight spaces, no visibility, and JP-8 fumes to breathe
4. It can't open the rear hatch unless the engine's running and there are no top escape hatches.
5. The 30mm cannon can't traverse if the driver or the commander's hatches are open
6. Any version of the RPG will eat its lunch.
Doesn't make much difference: some genius General let the Navy eliminate the sterngate and well deck of the latest LHAs, so there's noplace to launch them anyway. Luckily General Dynamics has made a ton of money on the thing, and that's all that counts.
We need to get somebody other than Physical Education Majors running the Corps!
And people here that believe every single military procurement program should be fully funded to eternity will still cry crocodile tears and rage agains our military being destroyed when Gates finally puts this thing out of its misery.
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