David Pugliese
What might come next for the light armoured vehicle, the mainstay of the U.S. Marines, Canadian Forces and U.S. Army?
The U.S. Marines have outlined what they don’t want – that is more of the same.
“What we certainly don’t want to do is buy new, old stuff,” Lt. Gen. Robert Walsh, of Marine Corps combat development, told the audience at the recent Marine military expo. “We need to look at something like the F-35. You can clearly see a generational change when you go from AV-8 Harriers and F/A-18 Hornets to the F-35.”
So, what are the Marines looking for? Here is a partial list courtesy of the Marine Times and other publications:
-Active protection
-Ability to launch UAVs
– information fusion between vehicles – i.e. sharing information and having a common operating picture on the battlefield
– hostile fire detector
– advanced electronic warfare capabilities/signals intelligence collection
– increased armour protection
-improved sensors
Last year the Marine Times reported the service is planning to upgrade half its 800-vehicle fleet and keep them in service until 2035 while it searches for a next-generation replacement.
http://ottawacitizen.com/news/national/defence-watch/wanted-a-light-armoured-vehicle-equivalent-of-the-f-35
