Faster, harder, stonger
A Dstl team has supported MOD in seeking approval for the first phase
of development of the Future Rapid Effect System (FRES) - a family of
vehicles that will become the backbone of the British Army after 2010
and introduce radical new technologies to the battlefield. In outlining
and submitting what is required of FRES, Dstl has also taken a fresh
approach to combining the various inputs and skills required.
Imagine a force of fighting vehicles light enough to be delivered
to a war zone swiftly by air.
They are armoured to take serious punishment, but punch hard themselves.
They can be customised to fulfil various roles and are fuel efficient,
reliable, and easy to repair and support.
It may sound like a forces holy grail, but this is the objective for
one of the biggest ever Army projects, the Future Rapid Effect System
(FRES) - proposals and technology now being defined by a Dstl team.
Since the Cold War the British Army has recognised the need to evolve
lighter and more flexible forces, as highlighted by recent conflicts
in Sierra Leone, Afghanistan and Iraq.
This has been partly met by the creation of the Joint Rapid Deployment
Force - essentially the Parachute Regiment and the Royal Marines. Unfortunately,
while the JRDF is easy to deploy, it does not have the weaponry or protection
of armoured brigades using Challenger Two and Warrior which weigh in
at nearly 70 and 30 tonnes respectively.
"Both our heavy and light forces have proven themselves, but
the future calls for a new force somewhere between the two; easy to
deploy, agile with wide utility, yet able to punch as hard as the heavyweight
options," explains Dstl FRES project leader, who is also Group
Leader Mounted Systems. "The shorthand for this is 'Force Projection'."
The other term high on the FRES wish list is 'Rapid Effect' - deploying
capable forces into the area of tension quickly and at a high state
of readiness, using air transport and the lowest possible logistic needs.
It has been decided that, where possible, FRES vehicles must be compatible
in weight and size with Britain's current workhorse transport, the C130
Hercules, although the RAF currently operates some C17 heavy transports
and may eventually order the large Airbus A400M.
"Whilst FRES needs to be compatible with larger aircraft such
as C17 and A400M, C130 is likely to be the mainstay of the NATO air
transport fleet for some time. Traditionally, the size and weight of
armoured vehicles tends to grow during the project lifecycle so C130
does provide a clearly defined weight and size restriction on this family
of vehicles”.
The FRES weight and size conundrum prompts a radical solution, in
the proposed use of two leading edge technologies - electric armour
and electric drive.
The Dstl-developed electric armour can deliver high levels of protection
far beyond conventional armour and with lower weight penalty. In fact,
electric drive is not only compatible with energising the new armour,
but also allows a much lighter and more fuel-efficient and reliable
vehicle.
- On top of this, the FRES team aims to ensure that the air portable
force needs the least amount of weighty 'baggage' possible, so it
is also building in a number of measures to reduce the logistic Interoperability
between its own forces and NATO allies to share information, save
weight and simplify logistics.
- Commonality of components - to cut down the range and weight of
spares needed to sustain the FRES force in the field.
- Ease of repair with emphasis on prognostics - to reduce battlefield
'down time'.
The project leader explains: "What many people don't realise
is that a tenth of the Army forces in the field tend to be REME (Royal
Electrical and Mechanical Engineers). If you can reduce their numbers
in the front line by speeding repair time and streamlining the breadth
of training required, that brings further dividends in air portability
and, therefore, increases the punch of the FRES force."
In all, there are 16 roles identified for the new family of FRES vehicles,
but the highest priority are:
- Protected mobility - the infantry's 'battlefield taxi' replacement
for the Saxon in Mechanised Infantry Battalions and a general utility
platform
- Command and control
- Communication
- Medical - battlefield ambulance.
Since being posted on the internet pages work has continued and progressed
so areas of this article may be inaccurate.
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