GPS World, June 2016
DEFENSEUPDATE of tactical vehicles has been effective in reducing casualties the warfighter remains at risk to the ever increasing net explosive weights By fielding UGVs militaries will be able to remove personnel from TWVs and mitigate the danger of armor overmatch To increase efficiency of a reduced force structure UGVs will serve as force multipliers enabling a warfighter in a protected vehicle to supervise the coordinated operation of multiple UGVs from a safe standoff distance These UGVs will be able to operate for extended periods of time during day and night and through dust and adverse weather conditions without fatigue or loss of awareness UGVs will precisely maintain vehicle separation enabling greater security improved efficiency and fewer collisions Environment Drives Design To be sustainable in theater unmanned TWVs must equal their manned counterparts in performance reliability and mobility in austere tactical environments For the purposes of overcoming complex terrain prevailing TWVs are engineered to be capable of feats such as fording 15 meters of water and traversing 60 gradients and 30 side slopes In addition these vehicles are expected to operate across broad temperature extremes in dusty sandy or muddy environments enduring all manner of precipitation vegetation and weather conditions The stringent operational requirements of expeditionary forces influence both individual component selection and overall system design for manned vehicles the same is true for an unmanned appliqué complement which must be capable of interpreting and operating in these harsh and complex environments ENABLING FULL MOBILITY TerraMax UGVs are actuated by a tightly integrated drive by wire system enabling precise vehicle control using MIL STD system components to ensure reliability and durability in a tactical environment It is a safety critical system that integrates with relevant vehicle components including steering engine brakes transmission and auxiliary driving functions such as the central tire inflation system drive line locks and engine braking preserving the broad mobility characteristics of the host platform The drive by wire system both enables higher level robotic control functionality and provides JUNE 2016 WWW GPSWORLD COM GPS WORLD 53
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