Imagine an armored truck that can drive itself, is invisible to enemies and can travel at extreme speeds. Thats the type of truck the Pentagon is hoping to develop through its new ground X-vehicle (GXV-T) program. The basic formula for building better bulletproof trucks, it seems, is simply adding more armor. But DARPA researchers say this decades-old approach isnt cutting it anymore. Piling on armor makes vehicles heavier and more expensive, and offers little extra protection for soldiers, the agency said. To make ground vehicles both safer and better suited for the battlefield, these machines need to take advantage of other technologies, such as those that can help troops avoid detection by enemy forces, DARPA said. GXV-Ts goal is not just to improve or replace one particular vehicle — its about breaking the more armor paradigm and revolutionizing protection for all armored fighting vehicles, Kevin Massey, a program manager for DARPA, said in a statement. Successful proposals for the armored vehicle of the future must achieve the following goals, as outlined by DARPA: • Reduce vehicle size and weight by 50 percent • Reduce onboard crew needed to operate the vehicle by 50 percent • Increase vehicle speed by 100 percent • Access 95 percent of terrain • Reduce signatures (like noise and infrared) that enable enemies to detect and engage vehicles DARPA also outlined four areas in which the X-vehicle program presents an opportunity for the development of new technologies. These areas include: Better mobility, Greater agility, Crew assistance & Evading radar
Posted on: Thu, 21 Aug 2014 14:33:01 +0000
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