US Army: The Land Warrior Integrated Modular Fighting System

Rage

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Land Warrior Integrated Modular Fighting System, USA


The US Army Land Warrior is an
integrated fighting system for
individual infantry soldiers that gives
the soldier enhanced tactical awareness,
lethality and survivability.

Key Data

HELMET

Weight 4.5lb

Wireless local area network antenna 1

Helmet mounted display 1

Radio microphone and earpiece 1

SOLDIER CONTROL SYSTEM

Joystick 1
Mouse buttons 2
Programmable buttons 3

SIM Card Reader 1

FIGHTING LOAD VEST

GPS 1

Dead reckoning system 1

Batteries, rechargeable, weight 2.5lb

Batteries, disposable, weight 2.5lb

Ports in Hub 10

Computer operating system: Windows 2000

Radio: Multi-band intra and inter team

WEAPON
M4 Carbine
caliber .223

Magazine
30 rounds

Daylight scope 1
Day video scope zoom 1.5x to 6x

Thermal weapon Scope 1
Laser 1
Programmable buttons 3




The US Land Warrior is an integrated fighting system for individual infantry soldiers which gives the soldier enhanced tactical awareness, lethality and survivability. The systems integrated into Land Warrior are the weapon system, helmet, computer, digital and voice communications, positional and navigation system, protective clothing and individual equipment. The Land Warrior system will be deployed by infantry, and combat support soldiers, including rangers, airborne, air assault, light and mechanised infantry soldiers.

The US Army launched the Land Warrior programme in 1994. An engineering and manufacturing development contract was awarded to Raytheon Systems, then Hughes Aircraft Company. Plans were drafted to build an initial capability (formerly Land Warrior Block 1) and then a Land Warrior Stryker Interoperable (formerly Land Warrior Block 2).


The US Army completed
developmental testing of
the Land Warrior 1.0 system
in February 2003.


In February 2003, a contract was awarded to General Dynamics Decision Systems (now General Dynamics C4 Systems) to enhance the Land Warrior system with integration to the US Army digital communications, interoperability with the Stryker Brigade Combat Vehicle and a system weight reduction.

The industrial team led by General Dynamics C4 Systems includes General Dynamics Land Systems, Computer Sciences Corporation, Kaiser Electro-Optics Inc, Omega Training Group, PEMSTAR, PEMSTAR Pacific Consultants and Thales Communications.

The first Land Warrior Stryker Interoperable systems (Mounted Warrior) were delivered in 2005 for testing and assessment.

The US Army began operational assessment of the Land Warrior and Mounted Warrior systems in May 2006 with the 4th Stryker Brigade Combat Team (SBCT) at Fort Lewis, Washington. 440 Land Warrior systems and 147 Mounted Warrior systems were used in the assessment. The assessment concluded in September 2006 and was followed by limited user test.

In February 2007, the US Department of Defense announced the proposed cancellation of the Land Warrior programme. However, in June 2007, the 4th SBCT equipped with Land Warrior and Mounted Warrior systems were deployed to Iraq.

In July 2007, the Senate Armed Services Committee published a report recommending that the US Army review its decision to terminate the programme and funding may be restored. Funding issues have not been resolved, however Congress has made some appropriations for the program.

In October 2007, the US Army announced that the Land Warrior system was being upgraded to make it up to 3lb lighter. The system will also include a Boomerang sniper detection system from BBN Technologies. In May 2008, the US Army reported that the weight of the Land Warrior systems deployed in Iraq had been reduced from 17lb to 10lb.

In May 2008, the US Army approved an operational needs to statement to equip an entire brigade combat team, the 5th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, with the Land Warrior system in 2009.

From October 2008, a number of Land Warrior systems are being assessed by the army evaluation task Force (AETF). AETF is tasked with the evaluation of technologies for the US Army's future combat systems (FCS) programme.

In February 2005, the US Army decided to merge the Land Warrior Advanced Technology Demonstration (ATD) programme with the Future Force Warrior (FFW) ATD, to enable spiral development of new technologies more efficiently. The merged programme is managed by the US Army Natick Soldier Center with General Dynamics C4 Systems as prime integrator.

The FFW ATD is to develop the Ground Soldier System (GSS), the next generation of Land Warrior. It will transition mature technologies for insertion into Land Warrior programmes before the end of the ATD. The FFW ATD is set to continue, despite the proposed cancellation of Land Warrior.


When the Land Warrior soldiers
are in the Stryker vehicle, a Vehicle
Integration Kit allows voice, data
and power communication via an
umbilical connection.

Versions

The system is modular and tailored for the soldier's task and mission. The unit commander decides the components of Land Warrior that will be deployed for a mission.

The two main Land Warrior configurations are for the soldier and the squad leader. The soldier LW version includes a radio with short range inter-squad voice and data communications. A squad leader's LW system includes a multi-band inter- and intra-team SINCGARS compatible radio, a keyboard and handheld flat panel display.
Fighting load vest

The soldier wears a fighting load vest for carrying and interfacing with the sensors and the computer. The soldier is able to adjust the load distribution from shoulders to hips while on the move. The electronic systems are connected and integrated via the ten-port hub installed on the body.


Fighting load vest

The soldier wears a fighting load vest for carrying and interfacing with the sensors and the computer. The soldier is able to adjust the load distribution from shoulders to hips while on the move. The electronic systems are connected and integrated via the ten-port hub installed on the body.

The soldier's navigation system comprises a Global Positioning System (GPS) and a pedometer dead reckoning system that tracks the soldier's position and is used when the GPS is unavailable, e.g. inside buildings.

The GPS uses five satellites and defines the soldier's position to an accuracy of 10m.

The power system, either disposable or rechargeable batteries weighing 1.1kg (2.5lb), is installed on the body. The system provides between eight and 24 operating hours of power for the sensors and computer. The disposable batteries have longevity of four to 12 hours and the rechargeable batteries eight to ten hours. The US Army Communications-Electronics Command awarded Vitronics a contract in 2002 for the integration of power aware technologies into Land Warrior.

The Land Warrior computer is also installed on the body. The computer operates on Windows 2000 operating system and uses a 500MHz Intel Strong Arm processor. The battlefield software is installed on the computer. The sensor data is downloaded onto the computer.


The Land Warrior soldiers in the Stryker
can communicate through the vehicle's
Force XXI Battle Command Brigade and
Below (FBCB2) Appliqué, with the Army
Battle Command System.


A Multi-Band Intra and Inter Team Radio (MBITR), integrated into the vest allows voice communications between the infantry soldiers. The Land Warrior Squad Radio, supplied by Thales, is a SINCGARS compatible, eight-channel radio operating over 30MHz to 88MHz and the design is based on a repackaged commercially available radio, the PRC-6745 Leprechaun radio by Thales Communications. The soldier radio for the Land Warrior first spiral is the Raytheon MicroLight.


Helmet

The 2kg (4.5lb) Land Warrior helmet provides ballistic protection and carries the main components of the soldier's communications systems.

The Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) antenna is installed in the helmet and connects via the hub to the MBITR radio carried in the soldier's fighting load vest. The range of the radio is 1km within line-of-sight.

The helmet carries a Head-Mounted Display (HMD), which is positioned over the soldier's dominant eye and provides command and control information and situational awareness.

The display shows the video from the daylight video scope or the infrared thermal weapon scope mounted on the soldier's weapon. It also shows satellite and topographical maps with friendly positions, updated every 30 seconds.

The soldier can switch screens using the select button on the stock of the rifle. The helmet-mounted display is used for zeroing the daylight video scope, capturing battlefield images and for sending and receiving data.

Rockwell Collins received a contract in January 2009 for 1,500 HMDs for Land Warrior systems. Rockwell Collins ProView S035 monocular has a colour super video graphics array with a 35° diagonal field of view.


Soldier control system

The Land Warrior control system is carried on the soldier's body. This enables the soldier to interact with the menus in the helmet-mounted display. The control unit has a joystick for moving the cursor, and mouse buttons for menu selection on the helmet-mounted display. Three programmable buttons can be set to push-to-talk and for zeroing weapons.

A SIM (subscriber identity module) card reader identifies the soldier and controls access.


Weapons

The Land Warrior infantry soldier is armed with an M4 Carbine, .223 caliber, with a 30-round magazine. The M4 Carbine operates in semi-automatic or three shot burst. The rifle is fitted with a Picatinny rail for mounting sights and a grenade launcher.

The daylight video scope (DVS) has a zoom with magnification 1.5x to 6x. The Land Warrior thermal weapon sight (TWS) from DRS Electro-Optical Systems Group, operating in the eight to 12 micron band, can be fitted on top of the M4.


Programmable control buttons on
the weapon allow the soldier to carry
out procedures without lowering the
weapon. A quick disconnect weapon
cable connects the weapon electronics
to the hub.


In June 2005, DRS was awarded a contract by the US Army to produce a family of next-generation TWS, based on uncooled thermal imaging technology, for the M4 and other weapons. In November 2006, the US Army placed an order with DRS for 1,600 light, 3,900 medium and 2,000 heavy TWS II sights.

A multifunction laser measures the azimuth and range to the target and designates the target with a red dot.

Programmable control buttons on the weapon for push to talk, switch screens and take a picture commands, allow the soldier to carry out procedures without lowering the weapon. A quick disconnect weapon cable connects the weapon electronics to the hub.

The laser rangefinder and digital compass gives the soldier the range and direction of the hostile target. The data, coupled with the soldier's own location (defined by his global positioning system), provide the soldier with accurate target location when he calls for indirect or support fire and for combat identification.

In October 2007, a contract was awarded to General Dynamics for the integration of the BBN Technologies Boomerang sniper-detection system. The Boomerang system consists of a number of small microphones which detect muzzle blast and a display giving precise distance and direction of the sniper.


The Land Warrior infantry soldier is
armed with an M4 Carbine, .223 caliber,
fitted with a Daylight Video Scope (DVS)
and Thermal Weapon Sight (TWS).


LAND WARRIOR software

The Land Warrior software suite contains six main software packages for weapon sights and for data. The mapping software package controls the display of satellite generated and topographical maps. The satellite image technology allows maps to be generated and viewed by the infantry soldier within ten minutes, compared to the six to eight-hour time delay currently experienced by front line soldiers. Friendly positions on maps are updated every 30 seconds.

The echelon selection control software allows the soldier to control the amount of data received, for example the positions of team members, squad or company. The software ensures that the soldier is not overloaded with data but receives the information needed for his mission and situation. The send image programme allows the soldier to capture and send battlefield images.


Mounted Warrior (Stryker vehicle integration kit)

In June 2005, General Dynamics C4 Systems was awarded a contract to provide up to 500 Land Warrior Stryker integration kits. Delivery of the assessment versions began in 2005.

When the Land Warrior soldiers are in the Stryker vehicle, the Vehicle Integration Kit allows voice, data and power communication via an umbilical connection.

The Land Warrior soldiers in the Stryker vehicle can then communicate by voice and data to soldiers inside and outside the vehicle, to soldiers in other Stryker vehicles and, through the Stryker vehicle's Force XXI battle command brigade and below (FBCB2) Appliqué, to the Army battle command system.


Land Warrior Integrated Modular Fighting System - Army Technology
 

Rage

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Dated, but relevant....


New, Improved Military Equipment Showcased at Capitol Hill Exhibit


(Source: US Department of Defense; issued June 6, 2007)


WASHINGTON --- America’s service-members are the best-equipped in the world, and people could see and touch an array of all-new or improved military equipment on exhibit on Capitol Hill here today.

Attendees examined a revamped Land Warrior ground-soldier system, inspected improved body armor, tasted the latest field rations and viewed a new aerial cargo delivery system along with more equipment on display at the one-day exhibit held inside the Rayburn House Office Building. The exhibit is co-sponsored by the U.S. Army’s Natick Soldier Research, Development and Engineering Center, Natick, Mass., and Program Executive Office Soldier based at Fort Belvoir, Va.

The Army’s Land Warrior individual combat system was a popular exhibit. Land Warrior is a prototype system that harnesses computer technology and earth-orbiting satellites to boost an infantryman’s survivability on the battlefield, while providing senior leaders with real-time information about the situation on the ground, said Army Sgt. Philip Morici, an infantryman who demonstrates the Land Warrior system.

In development since the early 1990s, the current version of Land Warrior is “a great system, but it’s obviously not the end-result of what we want,” Morici said as he hefted a specially-equipped M-4 carbine that is integrated with the Land Warrior system.

Land Warrior is now being tested by an Army unit in Iraq, the sergeant noted. “We’re slowly getting the info back and we’re making the changes we need to,” Morici said.

Recent improvements to Land Warrior resulted in an 8-pound weight loss compared to the previous edition, Morici said. Future versions of Land Warrior will likely be smaller, lighter, and be wireless and voice-activated, he predicted.

The improved armored tactical vest now being fielded provides servicemembers with the best protection available, said Francis Hayden, a soldier survivability expert with Program Executive Office Soldier at Fort Belvoir.

The improved vest now weighs 29 pounds for a size medium, a 4-pound weight reduction, Hayden said. It features a new, tailored fit, he noted, that in tandem with expanded sizes for longer torsos, provides increased area of protection coverage.

The vest also has a weight re-distributing internal waistband that makes it more comfortable to wear. The vest still incorporates ceramic-plate inserts that will stop a variety of small-arms projectiles, Hayden noted.

“It provides full, 360-degrees protection on the torso,” Hayden said of the new vest, noting it includes detachable protection for the upper arms and groin. The new vest also features a pull-release device for quick removal in case of emergencies, he noted.

“The Interceptor body armor is the best body armor, right now, that we have out on the street for our soldiers,” Hayden emphasized.

And, thanks to the new Unitized Group Ration Express, also called “Kitchen in a Carton,” U.S. servicemembers deployed to austere locales will soon be able to enjoy hot meals even though there’s no dining facility in sight, said Gerald Darsch, director for DoD Combat Feeding at the Natick facility.

The Kitchen in a Carton system is self-heating and features menu items such as turkey dinner with gravy, Darsch said.

“It requires no cook, no fuel, no equipment and no power,” he explained, noting each self-contained system is designed to be air-dropped, weighs 40 pounds and feeds 18 servicemembers.

Kitchen in a Carton, Darsch said, is one of two newly developed military field rations. The other new field food is called the “First-Strike Ration,” he said, and it’s designed for troops on the move.

The all-in-one ration is designed to replace multi-component meals-ready-to-eat, Darsch said, noting they contain about 3,000 calories, enough to feed a warfighter for one day.

“Everything contained in that First-Strike Ration is designed to be consumed on the move,” Darsch explained. “Even the beverages come in an ergonomically designed pouch, where you don’t have to fumble with the canteen or the canteen cup.” Officials hope to field this new ration soon, he said.

And, through the new Joint Precision Airdrop System, the U.S. military has developed a novel method to aerially deliver rations, fuel, ammunition and other vital supplies to troops in the field.

After exiting a cargo plane flying as high as 25,000 feet above the ground, the computer-controlled JPADS parachute system “self-maneuvers using Global Positioning System coordinates to a drop zone as small as 100 meters,” Ed Doucette, Natick’s director of air delivery and warfighter protection, explained. Computer-controlled twisting or warping of the system’s wing-shaped parachute causes the airborne payload to turn left or right, he noted.

A 2,000-pound payload version of the JPADS system has been used in Afghanistan, Doucette said, noting another system with a 10,000-pound capacity also has been developed.

“There are further plans to deploy more of those (2,000-pound systems) over the next six months, and then rapidly field the 10,000-pound systems, as well,” Doucette noted.

-ends-











New, Improved Military Equipment Showcased

x-x-x-x


Thoughts and opinions.
 

Vladimir79

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I do believe Obama said FCS funding was cut, that should include land warrior and associated development.
 

Rage

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I do believe Obama said FCS funding was cut, that should include land warrior and associated development.

Land Warrior funding was zeroed out in 2008, but officials were hoping to get some wartime supplemental dollars outside the yearly budget (they previously deployed them with 4th Bat./9th Inf. in Iraq with funds allocated from the 2007 fiscal) to outfit the 5th Brigade, 2nd Infantry division set to deploy with the "next gen" Land Warrior system. The new system's improvements supposedly include a "Blackberry" style control unit, instead of mouse-like toggle switches on today's Land Warrior system, and designers planned on taking bulky helmet-mounted-display components off the actual helmet and putting them on the body to ease vertebral strain from all those night-vision optics.
 

Vladimir79

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Seems like they are spending more on protection systems than worrying about Blackberrys. A wise decision.
 

Rage

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Here we go, here's the latest buzz on that spec from the ANS:


Army testing XM-25 ’smart’ high-explosive weapon for Soldiers

Army News — By Army News Service on November 13, 2009 at 5:30 am



FORT BELVOIR, Va. (Army News Service, Nov. 10, 2009) -- A Soldier successfully shoulder-fired a "smart" High Explosive Airburst, or HEAB, round for the first time Aug. 11 from the XM-25weapon system at Aberdeen Test Center, Md.

The Army plans on purchasing more than 12,500 XM-25 systems starting in 2012, which will be enough to put one in each Infantry squad and Special Forces team, according to officials at Program Executive Office-Soldier.

At first glance, the XM-25 looks like something out of a Sci-Fi movie. It features an array of sights, sensors and lasers housed in a Target Acquisition Fire Control unit on top, an oversized magazine behind the trigger mechanism, and a short, ominous barrel wrapped by a recoil dampening sleeve.

Unlike a Hollywood prop, however, this weapon is very real and designed to accurately deliver an explosive round that neutralizes targets at distances of up to 700 meters - well past the range of the rifles and carbines that most Soldiers carry today.

"What makes this weapon system truly revolutionary is the ability to target the enemy, pass on this information to the sensors and microchips of its 25mm HEAB round, and have that round detonate over the target," explained Maj. Shawn Murray, a Soldier Weapons assistant product manager in PEO Soldier, the organization responsible for developing the XM-25.

"When the HEAB round explodes, the target is peppered with fragmentation," Murray said. "Our studies indicate that the XM-25 with HEAB is 300 percent more effective at incapacitatingthe enemy than current weapons at the squad level."

Because of the XM-25's unique TAFC and HEAB round, Soldiers will be able to engage enemy forces located in the open and "in defilade" -behind cover, such as walls, rocks, trenches, or inside buildings. The semi-automaticweapon 's magazine holds four 25mm rounds and can be employed at night or during inclement weather thanks to the XM25's built-in thermal sight.

After only five minutes of instruction at the Aberdeen Test Center, Sgt. Logan E. Diveley from the 180th Infantry Regiment was able to put his first HEAB round through a building's window and take out an enemy mannequin at 200meters.

When asked what he thought of the weapon, Diveley responded, "I've been in over nine contacts with the enemy during my two tours in Iraq. Their ambushes were usually initiated with an IED and followed up with small arms fire from behind walls and buildings, places where it was hard for us to get at them. The XM-25 would have taken care of things and made our jobs much easier."

Once downrange and in the building where the defeated enemy mannequin lay, Maj. Murray noted the limited collateral damage associated with the XM-25.

"Because of its pinpoint accuracy and relatively small warheads, the XM25 can neutralize an enemy without the need to destroy a whole building," Murray said. "For our counter-insurgency operations to be successful, it is important to keep collateral damage to a minimum and to protect the civilian population. I think the XM-25 will prove itself many times over in Afghanistan," Murray said.

The XM-25 is being developed by PEO Soldier, the Army acquisition organization responsible for nearly every piece of equipment worn or carried by Soldiers. This includes items ranging from socks, to weapons, to advanced sensor and communication devices. PEO Soldier bases much of its work on the feedback from individualSoldiers, developing or procuring solutions to meet those needs.

The development of the XM-25 is one such a program, designed to provide Soldiers a solution for dealing with enemies in the open and behind cover that is more precise, quicker to employ, and more cost effective than mortar, artillery, or airstrikes.


A Battlefield Scenario for the XM-25

An American patrol nears a walled, Afghan village when an enemy combatant looks over the wall and fires his AK-47 rifle at the oncoming U.S.Soldiers. The Americans return fire with their rifles and maneuver, but find it difficult to neutralize the enemy rifleman who repeatedly exposes himself for only a second, shoots, then ducks behind the thick wall. At this time, the patrol leader calls for the XM-25 gunner to take action.

Immediately, the XM-25 gunner aims the laser range-finder at the top of the wall where the enemy last ducked down. The gunner presses the laser range finder button on the front of the XM-25's trigger guard and records a distance to the wall of 451 meters. The distance is displayed on the TAFC's optical lens along with an adjusted aim point, or "cross hair," to help the soldier better aim the XM-25.

The adjusted aim point takes into account air pressure, temperature, and the ballistics of the 25mm round for the given range of 451meters. The soldier then uses the increment button on the trigger guard and adds one more meter to the firing solution since the enemy combatant is about one meter behind the wall.

Upon pulling the trigger, the TAFC programs the HEAB round in the chamber of the weapon, telling the round to explode at 452 meters from launch point. The HEAB round departs the rifled barrel, arms at 30 meters, clears the top of the wall at 451 meters and explodes its two warheads at 452 meters, right above the enemy. The entire firing sequence takes the gunner less than five seconds to aim and fire and another 2.5 seconds for the round to fly and explode over the target, thereby clearing the way for the patrol to resume its mission.

(Lt. Col. Christopher Lehner writes for PEO Soldier - Soldier Weapons)


Army testing XM-25 ’smart’ high-explosive weapon for Soldiers | Army News at DefenceTalk
 

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Here's the Wikipedia


XM25 Individual Airburst Weapon System



The XM25 is an airburst grenade launcher derived from the XM29 OICW.

It fires 25 mm grenades that are set to explode in mid-air at or near the target. A laser rangefinder in the gun is used to determine the distance to the target. The user can manually adjust the detonating distance by up to three meters shorter or longer. The gun automatically transmits the detonating distance to the grenade in the firing chamber. The grenade tracks the distance it has traveled by the number of spiral rotations after it is fired. [1] These features make the XM25 more effective than traditional grenade launchers at the task of hitting targets that are behind cover or dug into the ground.

The system is under development by Heckler & Koch and Alliant Techsystems The target acquisition/fire control is developed by L-3 IOS Brashear.


Specifications

* Caliber: Low-velocity 25 x 40 mm grenade.
o Thermobaric
o Flechette
o Training
o High-explosive airbursting.
o Non-lethal
* Range: 500 m point, 1000 m area.
* Operation: Gas operated semi-automatic.
* System weight: 14 lbs (6.35 kg).
* Target acquisition/fire control (XM104).
o Weight: 2.54 lbs
o 4x thermal sight with zoom.
o 2x direct view optical sight.
o Ballistic computer.
o Digital compass.
o Laser rangefinder.
o Ammunition fuze setter.
o Environmental sensors.
 

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