Infantry Support Vehicles

Infantry Support Vehicles

Infantry Assault Vehicle, Scout Reconnaissance Vehicle, Armored Escort Vehicle

The Distributed Firepower Concept

One of the greatest challenges in modern warfare has been preventing direct engagement combat assets from extending beyond the coverage of supporting assets like artillery and air defense. Most efforts have focused on improving the mobility of the supporting assets while primary assets such as tanks and infantry continue to move forward at ever-faster rates. To make matters worse, modern combat has taken on an urbanized, asymmetrical nature where supporting assets have smaller and smaller areas from which to operate. To solve this problem requires adopting a modern application for a classic infantry system and adding a new, revolutionary system to the assets of the infantry.

Historically, mortar fire has been one of the strongest assets available to the infantry. It offers heavy firepower at decent ranges and is readily available. The primary drawbacks to mortar use have been weight and accuracy. Many soldiers are required to keep more than a very limited supply of ammunition available. Modern computers and GPS have dramatically improved accuracy, as have precision-guided rounds, but there is still much room for improvement. A solution to these problems lies in the concept of the gun mortar.

Gun mortars take the traditional mortar system and apply a recoil system not dissimilar from that used on artillery. Gun mortars can be fired at trajectories that traditional mortars cannot attain. With this technique, the traditional mortar can be used as a direct fire system as well as in the typical mortar role. By mounting this system in a lightweight armored vehicle, such as a modified M113A3, we can also overcome the weight concerns while still remaining mobile enough to keep from weighing down the infantry.

Vehicle mounted gun mortars can directly engage most targets while also functioning as traditional mortars. Their low velocity rounds are safe to use in close operations with infantry (the muzzle blast of standard tank rounds can easily be fatal). In addition, they can achieve the higher trajectories required in urban and heavy terrains needed to properly engage an enemy. Basing these systems on the M113A3 platform offers the potential for these systems to be not only survivable but also airmobile and amphibious.

Another system recently was developed by Bofors that offers tremendous potential to the infantry and other combat forces. This system uses the 40mm cannon in an air defense turret allowing the gun to be elevated considerably. Bofors offers two cartridges for use with this system. A high velocity armor-penetrating round is available for taking on armor targets, but of more use to the infantry is the multi-fused round. Options for this round include penetration, air burst, proximity burst, and contact. Fusing options are handled digitally without any handling of the rounds. The current turret holds well over 200 of these flexible rounds. The turret also includes integrated radar for air defense.

These systems open the door for three platforms that need to be provided to the infantry as soon as possible. An appropriate chassis needs to be developed around the M113 that uses the M113 powertrain and chassis with a rear-engine configuration and more slope of the armor. For now, I’ll dub this platform the M213.

Infantry Assault Vehicle.

The Infantry Assault Vehicle (IAV) is based upon designs proposed by Phil West and Carlton Meyer. In this particular model, the gun mortar used would be a 155mm heavy mortar. This will limit the number of rounds carried to a degree but the capabilities of those rounds will be greatly improved over existing systems. The entire existing family of 155mm ammunition would be readily available to the Infantry. To keep the weight down and allow for greater ammunition storage and heavier armor, the gun mortar would be chassis-mounted with no turret. Being a tracked vehicle, it can easily pivot to traverse the gun. While not practical for extensive anti-tank operations, this should not impact other operations. This also allows for heavier armor so the vehicle can function as a rolling shield or pillbox.

By employing this gun mortar in a motorized platform, these rounds can be used in a variety of ways. Essentially, the infantry would have supporting artillery organic to the unit, eliminating the need for going through a myriad of command processes to call for fire support in an emergency. The infantry could also use these same munitions in a direct fire mode giving the unit greater anti-tank, anti-personnel, and demolition options. Ammunition could be off-loaded and employed in defensive and ambush roles using manually detonated fuses. Thermobaric rounds could be used for mine clearing and anti-personnel situations. The platform could also be used by engineers to deploy bangalore torpedoes while under armor.

The IAV should have a secondary armament mounted on a ring mount towards the rear with a full coverage cupola. The mount should be capable of remote control operation using the system employed on the current commander’s mount of the M1 but it should also have room for a human gunner if desired (useful for urban operations). This mount would carry either a 7.62mm MMG with lots of ammunition or an ASP-30 with less ammo depending on the tactical situation.

All of this capability would come in a platform that would be truly airmobile and should weigh less than 16 tons. This would allow for transport by CH-53E and would also allow for airdrop from all current airdrop-capable aircraft. While not truly amphibious, a kit could easily be adapted to allow the IAV to be amphibious.

Scout Reconnaissance Vehicle

The Scout Reconnaissance Vehicle (SRV) would be based around a turret-mounted 81mm gun mortar with a coaxial 7.62mm MMG. A ring mount in the turret will carry an additional 7.62mm GPMG as well as the IFS system with a laser designator and either Stinger II or Javelin. The turret weapons would be fully stabilized to enable firing on the move. To keep this platform versatile and stealthy, it will be powered by a diesel-electric hybrid powertrain. External jump seats for a 4-man fire team will be included. A dismount 81mm gun mortar will be carried externally as will 2 additional ready rounds of Javelin.

This platform offers a number of different options. First it provides the services of the 81mm mortar that are currently deployed within infantry units and as a gun mortar, it adds the direct fire option. With the turret mounting and stabilization, the SRV should also be a potent anti-tank platform as well. The internal laser designator gives the infantry effective options for directing and guiding attacks from laser guided artillery as well as strike aircraft. But perhaps its most potent capabilities are in the scout and recon roles.

Being based on the M213 chassis, the SRV will be airmobile and helo transportable as well. With the hull configuration being larger and lighter than the IAV, this platform should also be amphibious. These abilities make the SRV an ideal vehicle for scouting and patrolling. It can operate as a support platform for forward recon assets providing direct and indirect fire support. It can be used for probing actions to test an enemy’s response to indirect fires as well as direct. It has sufficient armor and firepower for scouting in areas where enemy tanks may also be operating. It can also be used to send small teams forward to designate targets for aerial strikes.

Armored Escort Vehicle

Perhaps the greatest impact that can be made upon the infantry will come from multi-fused ammunition. While the Pentagon is working on a horrendously misguided version of this technology in a round that is too light to be of any effect and likely won’t be available for years, it is already available and proven in a far more useful package from Bofors.

Already available is a 40mm air defense turret that carries over 200 rounds of ammunition with a total of 6 fusing options. In this caliber, a multi-fused round can be highly effective in a variety of applications. In a direct fire mode, this round would devastate most military vehicles and equipment. Using an air burst option, the round is effective in air defense but would be equally effective against personnel both in the open and behind cover. With a penetrating option, the burst can be delayed for use against bunkers and targets within buildings, the round penetrating and bursting with tremendous effect. An armor-piercing round is also available for use against tanks that will defeat virtually all side and rear armor and some frontal armor. Placing the cannon in an air defense turret enables significant elevation for urban operations. Ideally, a mount should be added for Stinger II or Hellfire missiles and the turret should include a coaxial 7.62mm MMG.

Not just an infantry support weapon, the AEV would be the ideal weapon for escort operations. Used properly it could protect transport assets from nearly all threats in virtually any battlefield environment. Mounted on the M213 chassis, the AEV would have excellent mobility and survivability and would be air and helo mobile.

Proposed Unit Configuration

Because of the light weight and mobility of the ISV series of vehicles, all infantry units should have them. Infantry need the added capabilities of these systems and there really isn’t anything to prevent their deploying with all units since they weigh no more than a fully loaded 5-ton cargo truck. Their use would also lessen the need for deploying tube artillery assets while extending our air defense coverage to where it is needed most – the front.

These systems should form the basis of firepower within the infantry battalion:

4 x IAV that would remain at the battalion level replacing the current battalion mortar

18 x SRV that would go with infantry companies to fill the current 6 Javelin TO&E slots per company

6 x AEV at the battalion level as an addition to current TO&E

12 x M113A3 for logistical support

AEVs should also be fielded to other units that protect rear assets in the Forward Support Battalions. These would also be used to replace all Bradley Linebacker, Avenger, and 20mm ADA Gatling gun systems.