EFSS Concept
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Posted on 03/11/2007 8:05:23 PM PDT by 68skylark
The V-22 Osprey has attracted both praise and criticism during its long journey through development toward front-line deployment. Its characteristics have also had an impact on other weapons programs being developed for use with the aircraft.
The United States Marine Corps says testing on American Growler, Inc.'s $74 million Internally Transported Vehicle (ITV) program is on track. The ITV - often incorrectly identified as the "Growler" - fits in the narrow belly of the V-22 Osprey tilt-rotor aircraft. The Marine Corps eventually expects to field about 600 to 700 of the two-ton, $120,000-a-copy tow trucks if they are accepted for fielding. ITVs will be delivered in two basic configurations: a Light Strike Variant (LSV), designed for Marine Corps infantry and reconnaissance battalions; and, the Expeditionary Fire Support System (EFSS) Prime Mover (PM), designed to tow the EFSS 120mm rifled mortar and the EFSS ammunition trailer. A decision to field them should be made by October 2007, a Marine Corps spokesman said.
EFSS commenced spiral acquisition with the award of the program to GD-OTS in October 2004. On November 10, 2004, General Dynamics Ordnance and Tactical Systems (GD-OTS) was awarded a contract for the development of a weapons system transportable to the field within the V-22 Osprey. The contract had an initial value of $18 million and a total value of approximately $300 million (including ammunition) if all options are exercised.
General Dynamics Ordnance and Tactical Systems will play the prime contractor role for the EFSS program. They are cooperating with General Dynamics Canada for the EFSS ballistic fire control computers, Tec-Masters for integrated and contractor logistics support, and the Thales-EADS Deutschland joint venture TDA Armaments SAS for their RT 120 Rifled Mortar System and ammunition. The November 2004 contract includes options for initial production and fielding that potentially could raise its value to approximately $300 million.
The EFSS weapon system will consist of 2 tow vehicles, the RT 120 "Dragon Fire" rifled mortar, and an ammunition trailer. One vehicle will tow the RT 120 mortar, and the second vehicle will tow an ammunition trailer which holds up 36 mortar rounds in factory-recyclable steel containers. The RT 120 is a French-designed 120 mm mortar that can fire smoothbore or rifled ammunition. It has a range of 8.2 km/ 5 miles, or 17 km/ 10 miles with rocket assisted projectiles currently under development. The MO 120 RT is currently in service with the French Army and other 23 armies worldwide, including 3 NATO countries.
The vehicles are manufactured by American Growler, Inc. of Robbins, North Carolina. The company moved its 40-employee facility from Ocala, Florida to North Carolina in early 2007 to begin building test vehicles for the program. Currently the Marine Corps is in the final stages of testing 16 ITVs already purchased, Marine Corps spokesman Capt. Jeff Landis said.
EFSS represents the short-range leg of a "triad" of weapons that comprise the Marine Corps land-based fire support capability.
The medium-range leg is the BAE M777A1 air transportable 155mm howitzer. The lightweight 155mm howitzer is a joint British/US effort that uses titanium to bring its weight in at just 3,745 kg/ 8,240 pounds - 7,000 pounds less than the 155mm M198 howitzer it replaces. Maximum firing range is 25 km/ 15 miles with unassisted rounds, and 30 km/ 18 miles with rocket-assisted rounds, about the same as the M198.
In July 2004, the M777A1 successfully completed a series of tests with the V-22, where it was carried as an external load for a distance of 69 nautical miles.
On March 24, 2005 BAE Systems was awarded a $834 million contract for the full rate production of the M777A1 light weight 155mm howitzer. Under this contract, BAE will manufacture 495 howitzers to be delivered to the US Marine Corps Air Ground Task Forces and the US Army Stryker Interim Brigades from 2005 until 2009.
M777s will eventually replace all USMC cannon systems; ultimately, the USMC expects to procure 380 tubes and the US Army 273. Britain will also deploy the weapon, and a small number of M777A1s are currently serving with Canadian Forces in Afghanistan.
The long-range leg of the triad is the Highly Mobile Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS), a smaller, truck mounted version of the M270 MLRS. Its launcher can mount a 6-pack of 227mm GPS-guided M30 rockets with a 70 km/ 42 mile reach, new P44 four-mode guided rockets that can hit moving targets from similar ranges, or 1 ATACMS missile with a 300 km/ 180 mile range.
In other words, the system provides enhanced firepower and range to satisfy General Support, General Support Reinforcing, and Reinforcing artillery roles. HIMARS is intended to provide the MAGTF commander a very mobile set of medium to long range artillery support throughout the battlefield, restricting the enemy's options while offering flexibility for the commander, and adding weight to the main attack or other points of emphasis. HIMARS can be employed as a battalion or battery, depending on the tactical situation.
At 12 tons, the HIMARS exceeds the V-22's cargo hook capacity limit of 15,000 pound/ 6,804 kg limit for external cargo. Movement into theater will be by aircraft, including C-130 Hercules tactical transports, and by amphibious shipping. Movement in theater will be by road. HIMARS is being produced by Lockheed Martin Missiles & Fire Control and mounted on Armor Holdings' 5-ton capacity FMTV trucks. The US Marines plan to field 38 HIMARS, with 24 already under contract; total US procurement is expected to reach 900, and HIMARS has also been purchased by the UAE.
(Story effort by Nat Helms)
Additional Readings & Sources
If it works well, it's going to be a great leap forward for the U.S. military.
I think I know what you mean. I gotta give credit to the guys who are the engineers, pilots, maintainers, etc. -- they've got quite an unusual aircraft, and even if it proves to be not as good as its proponents hope, I suspect it will serve as the basis for new aircraft in the coming decades that will just get better and better.
They fly training missions over my area every day and night.
I believe the F-111 was klugey when it came out, lots of problems. The enemy called it "Whispering Death" so it must have been fairly good with the kinks worked out.
Even tech failures are major breakthroughs. The Valkyrie crashed and was not pursued, but it spawned a new type of craft.
I am no expert, so I am open to correction.
Every deployment of a new system has it's teething problems. The turbines in the Abrahms, the guidance system for the Apache's and the rotor failures, the F-14 crashes during testing all come to mind.
The Osprey is impressive in a lot of ways. I know that it can still fly if one of the engines goes out, but I've never been able to understand how it could survive a serious hit on one of the rotors when it is hover mode (or transitioning). I suppose most 2-rotor helicopters have a similar weakness.
I recall the moron press lords mocking the Abrams tank when it came out. Blah, blah, treads fall off. Blah, blah, too heavy. Russian tanks the gold standard, blah, blah. I cannot recall any tank competing with an Abrams.
Ditto on the skepticism.
Since it's unarmed (at least the last time I checked--a year ago maybe), I don't like how it's so vulnerable in hover mode. Especially, if the Iranians do have proximity fused RPGs (I think I read this on another thread), or even regular HEAT RPG rounds it seems like other aircraft will have to support the landing (like helicopters). And now that I hear it's noisy (unsurprising, I suppose), I don't see how it's all that viable. Sure it's able to carry more than a helicopter, but I don't know about the tradeoffs.
Good to see it isn't crashing anymore, though.
Film at 11:00.
http://youtube.com/watch?v=THZkfGbN37k
The F-111 had two major problems in the early versions: 1) the weak wing spar that caused several crashes in low-level flight and 2) the engine inlet design that caused serious compressor stalls. Fortunately, redesigning the wing spar corrected the first problem, and the F-111D/E/F models introduced a new engine inlet design that eliminated the compressor stall problem. By 1972, the F-111 was devestatingly effective in low-level strikes in North Vietnam and during Operation Desert Storm, F-111D/E/F models equipped with the Pave Tack laser designator pod destroyed many Iraqi ground installations.
That's got to be one heck of a pilot to fly that thing.
Hey, I'm no engineer, but I am all in favor of huge defense expenditures. I think it's in the Constitution or the Bible or Shakespeare.
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