Summary of Articles
Arguably the greatest challenge to modern military forces is the logistics necessary to keep high tech forces rolling and armed. Logistics in a modern Army can be a nightmare on the modern battlefield. Luckily, technology has also advanced in ways that can greatly simplify the logistical situation to enhance our ability to project and sustain military power.
Perhaps the greatest of these advances has been the palletized loading system or PLS. PLS incorporates a hydraulic system into the transport vehicle allowing the driver to rapidly load and unload the vehicle without assistance from material handling equipment (MHE). By basing the PLS system on standard ISO transport containers and dimensions used by commercial shipping and aviation transports, loads can be packed in CONUS, loaded onto a ship, transported to a theater, off-loaded, and delivered to forward units without ever being handled by MHE. The problem with the US version of PLS is that its size is not practical for providing material to the forward units that ultimately are the users of the material.
While PLS has greatly improved logistics in the rear, it has done nothing to improve the logistical situation at the front, where logistics become far more critical. Rear units no longer require a multitude of MHE but this is of little advantage militarily as MHE can be operated and maintained safely in the rear. At the front, the vast majority of logistics still requires MHE and this can greatly hinder supply operations at their most critical point. Moreover, current PLS systems are mostly incompatible with aerial resupply systems (airdrop) because of weight and dimensional issues. We have identified the correct answer but it has been to the wrong question.
Most attempts to fix the logistical system have focused around an idealized weight/size container that is used across the board. The problem here is that military goods tend to fall into one of two categories, either bulky and lightweight (log packs, camouflage, repair parts), or compact and very heavy (bulk liquids and ammunition). Combine this with trying to field a common system across a wide spectrum of transport vehicles and methods, and a single ideal container is not realistically possible.
To keep costs at a minimum and flexibility at a maximum, we should focus our efforts on three weight/size systems that are compatible with all existing transport assets and methods. To make the most of existing COTS palletized systems, our heavy container should be of 15 tons, the medium of 7.5 tons, and a new lightweight size of 1 ton. Current PLS equipment is compatible with the 15-ton pallet. The 7.5-ton pallet is an existing product from Boughton Trailers of the UK and minor adjustments to the pallet design should allow two of these pallets to be interlocked to form a single 15-ton pallet. The 1-ton pallet would be new but would also require the least technological challenge, as it won’t be PLS compatible (the pallets can be interlocked for helo transport and will use MHE where required, but most loads of this size won’t require it).
These weight limits are highly compatible with existing shipping and aircraft systems. The 15-ton system can be transported using current PLS vehicles. The 7.5-ton pallet will be carried on modified HEMTT trucks that will combine PLS with an onboard MHE crane. A new tactical prime mover should be developed based on a tracked supply vehicle (TSV) with a compatible trailer as with the current PLS for carriage of 2 of the 7.5-ton pallets. The 1-ton pallet will be sized to fit between the wheel wells of existing HMMWV or inside existing M113s. The 1-ton will also be compatible with a new delivery system, the Fast-rope Delivery System, which will allow internal carriage of the pallet in existing helicopters and rapid off-loading without sling loading.
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