tacticaldefensemedia.com | May 2015

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ULCV COMPETITION

HEATS UP

tacticaldefensemedia.com6 | Armor & Mobility May 2015

Vehicle Spotlight ULCV Competition

On 10 April, the Army released a

request for information for vendors

interested in producing the Ultra

Light Combat Vehicle (ULCV). Platform

requirements are for the ULCV to carry a

nine-man infantry squad with equipment

(3,200 pounds), weigh a maximum of

4,500 pounds, travel 250 to 300 miles on

one tank of gas, and fit inside a CH-47

Chinook, transportable by sling load on a

UH-60 Blackhawk, and be air-droppable

by a C-130 Hercules or C-17 Globemaster.

The following industry manufacturers

provided concept vehicles for a technology

demonstrator initial phase: General

Dynamics’ Flyer, awarded a contract in

April 2014 by USSOCOM for its Ground

Mobility Vehicle (GMV) 1.1, a concept

similar in form and function to that being

addressed by Army ULCV requirements;

Boeing-MSI Defense Phantom Badger;

Polaris Defense’s deployable advanced

ground off-road DAGOR ; Hendrick

Dynamics’ Commando Jeep; Vyper

Adamas’ V3x Python; and Lockheed

Martin’s High Versatility Tactical Vehicle.

“We had requirements that are hard,

but that’s what we need the vehicle to

do,” said Lieutenant Colonel Kevin

Parker, Light Systems Branch Chief in the

Mounted Requirements Division, Fort

Benning, GA. “Nobody had ever asked

industry for a 4,500-pound vehicle that can

carry nine guys and still be highly mobile,

and have a long range. The demonstration

showed the Army that it could find an

affordable solution to its requirements

among existing vehicles, enabling it to skip

an expensive tech development stage that

might have doomed it in the current budget

environment.”

Officials from the Army’s Maneuver

Center of Excellence (MCoE ) said the

ULCV supports the Army’s divestiture

of the Humvee and is separate from

the Army’s procurement of joint light

tactical vehicles, which are armored.

Parker acknowledges that the Light

Reconnaissance Vehicle (LRV), which is

the subject of a platform demonstration

in August, will take longer to field than

the ULCV because the LRV will require

a modest development effort to integrate

sensors and weaponry into the vehicle.

Protection Via SpeedThe high-performance ULCV has a similar

look to the Special Operations Command’s

Ground Mobility Vehicle, and is designed

to move a squad of paratroopers from

drop zone to objective. With the ULCV,

speed will replace armor. As a 2014

MCoE presentation explained: “Base

level of protection is provided by high

mobility to avoid enemy contact.” The

ULCV will not have organic armament,

and mounts for organic infantry platoon

weapons will be integral. To improve

speed, communications and electronic

equipment will not be mounted. Instead,

they’ll be supplied by the infantry squad.

Procurement of an armed LRV will follow.

2014 MCoE conference documents

indicate that five ULCV will transport an

infantry (airborne) platoon, nominally

39 personnel plus at least three habitual

attachments (medics, fire support officers).

Three vehicles support an equal number of

Next-Gen Airlift Compatible,

COMBAT ADAPTABLEThe Army Searches for a Lightweight, Highly Mobile Ground VehicleBy Kevin Hunter, A&M Editor, and Josh Cohen, A&M Correspondent

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From the off-road vehicle experts.

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tacticaldefensemedia.com8 | Armor & Mobility May 2015

rifle squads, a fourth for heavy weapons,

and a fifth for the platoon leader and

enablers. The first vehicle could be in

service by the end of 2016, particularly if an

existing design is chosen. Combat infantry

brigades of the 18th Airborne Corps should

begin using these new vehicles within 24-

30 months, provided funding is allocated.

Last June, a vendor-funded Platform

Performance Demonstration (PPD)

was held at Fort Bragg, N.C., to help the

MCoE assess if industry can deliver a

ULCV candidate that meets threshold

requirements as written. Six commercially

available vehicles meeting initial screening

thresholds participated in the PPD. As a

baseline, candidate vehicles were compared

to the 1097A1 Humvee.

Competition SpotlightPolaris Defense “The DAGOR ultra-light, off-road

combat vehicle was designed to meet the

demanding needs of the Special Forces

customer,” said Jed Leonard, Manager

of Advanced Mobility Platforms, Polaris

Defense. “The result is a vehicle from

Polaris that balances rapid tactical air

transportability, payload and extreme

off-road mobility while maintaining a curb

weight of less than 4,500 lbs.”

DAGOR’s design offers a light-weight

vehicle to support varying missions in

extreme terrain at full 3,250-lbs. payload,

according to Polaris. The open layout

maximizes loading space, flexibility, access

to equipment, and multiple configuration

options. The vehicle is configurable to

carry a nine-person infantry squad over

extreme terrain. Polaris said that DAGOR

allows Special Operations Forces (SOF) to

move quickly to objectives with mission-

critical equipment and personnel. DAGOR

also has a 500-mile range and is heavy

weapons capable.

DAGOR’s overall size and weight

maximizes transportability via SOF’s

frequently used tactical aircraft, according

to the manufacturer. DAGOR has

completed government durability testing

and is certified for CH-47 internal air

transport, air drop, and UH-60 Black

Hawk sling load.

Hendrick Dynamics The Hendrick Dynamics Commando

ULCV entrant was the second and final

candidate to “meet every threshold

requirement for the ULCV,” according

to a company press release. The ULCV

is a heavily ruggedized and performance

enhanced modified Jeep Wrangler,

with 2+3+4 seating configurations and

rollover protective structure (ROPS) that

covers all vehicle occupants. The vehicle

bodywork is slightly extended, but the

wheelbase is not modified according to

information provided to A&M.

Marshall Carlson, Hendrick

Dynamics General Manager noted,

“When the Army issued their ULCV RFI

‘to screen potential commercial-off-the-

shelf (COTS) solutions’ it showed their

new direction.” Through deployments,

Hendrick Dynamics Commando vehicles

supported combat operations in the most

austere locations. A patented process for

modifying commercial vehicles to meet

tie-down requirements is used, enabling

air transport, according to Carlson.

The Jeeps were initially deployed

in Afghanistan for a science and

technology program supporting Army

Special Operations Forces; meeting low-

cost COTS vehicle requirements with

better range and payload than an LT-

ATV, and improved mobility compared

to small pickups. Hendrick said their

$75,000 ULCV prototype took just six

weeks to build and includes ABS and

FMVSS roll mitigation.

Vyper AdamasOf the six demonstrated vehicles, the

Vyper Adamas Python V3x was reported

to have met or exceeded all MCoE ULCV

draft requirements without modification,

according to Shane Sterling, President

of Vyper Adamas. His firm is an active

competitor for both the Army’s ULCV and

LRV acquisitions.

“Last summer at the PPD, we were

informed the V3x held the record time for

passenger loading and egress,” Sterling

said. “Our ULCV candidate demonstrated

it could meet or exceed all the draft

requirements without modification. Troops

have enough room to store their equipment

in the vehicle, negating the need to hang

equipment off the sides. This is especially

important when you are rapidly loading or

unloading on a CH-47.”

The V3x has a modular pod design that

adapts to changing mission parameters. A

medical pod can be used for triage, then

the vehicle can switch back to being a troop

transport once back at base. “The military

gets a cost-effective vehicle that is designed

from the ground up, not a rehash of current

a design,” said Sterling.

BoeingThe Boeing Phantom Badger is a high-

performance tactical vehicle with

interchangeable mission modules certified

for internal transport aboard the V-22,

CH-47, and other aircraft. It is approved for

sling-load operations from single or dual

points with rotary-wing aircraft, as well as

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Vehicle Spotlight ULCV Competition

tacticaldefensemedia.com Armor & Mobility May 2015 | 9

air-drop missions from a C-17 or C-130.

Currently in production for elements of U.S. Special

Operations Command, Phantom Badger enables a wide range of

sustained medium-to-long special operations missions not possible

with existing vehicles. The combination of transportability and

exceptional all-terrain performance provides maximum mission

flexibility with a highly survivable vehicle. The customizable rear

module can support a range of critical mission profiles including

special reconnaissance, combat search and rescue, casualty

transport or direct action with weapons mounts.

Four-wheel steering enables precision maneuverability and

a tight turning radius, while Phantom Badger’s independent

suspension system provides optimal ride quality for its operators.

The adjustable ground clearance provides the best ride height,

whether traveling at highway speeds or in rugged off-road

conditions.

GD-OTS / Flyer Defense General Dynamics’ Ordnance and Tactical Systems (GD-OTS)

Advanced Light Strike Vehicle (ALSV) was also present. The

vehicle can be configured to carry nine troops. Able to ford up to

30 inches without preparation, the GD-OTS/Flyer Defense ALSV

can reach speeds of over 100 mph.

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Vehicle Spotlight ULCV Competition