Survival in combat zones requires 'layers' of protection.

• Author: Erwin, Sandra I.
• Position: Upfront - Development of better armored combat vehicles

An armored combat vehicle two-thirds lighter than an Abrams tank but just as durable is viewed by many as a pipe dream. But Army scientists believe they are inching closer to that goal, even though they recognize that it may take many years and considerable investment to make it a reality.

Army laboratories have for decades been pushing the limits of combat survivability technology, but the pressure to produce results rose when the service launched the Future Combat Systems in 1999, a program to develop a family of high-tech vehicles by 2012.

During the past two years, however, the Army realized it could not wait that long to field improved hardware to protect vehicles, particularly "soft-skinned" trucks. The service needed to respond immediately to the situation troops face in Iraq, where U.S. combat vehicles and supply convoys routinely take hits from roadside bombs, mines and rocket-propelled grenades.

The Army has shipped hundreds of armor kits to harden trucks, but that only is a temporary fix and not the ideal solution, officials said, because armor adds thousands of pounds of weight to vehicles, which causes engine failures and uses up valuable payload.

Searching for alternatives to old-fashioned steel armor is a team of scientists at the Tank-Automotive Research, Development and Engineering Center, or TARDEC.

Although they were asked to focus specifically on the Future Combat Systems, TARDEC researchers said some technologies could be fielded in the near term.

No substitute for steel armor has yet been found that can do the job without breaking the bank, according to Army engineers. TARDEC's approach is to develop a "suite" of technologies that can be mixed and matched, depending on the vehicle.

"Our intent is to provide the same protection in an 18-ton vehicle that soldiers would get from a 70-ton tank," said Steve Schehr, associate director for survivability technologies at TARDEC.

The only way to accomplish that, he explained, is to apply "layers of technology," ranging from lightweight ceramic armor to active defenses, electronic countermeasures and stealth coatings.

Armor has been the primary mechanism for protecting vehicles, but when weight becomes an issue, the preferred materials are ceramic composites, which are far more expensive than steel.

While military-grade steel is about $1 dollar a pound, aluminum is about $2 per pound. Titanium is $7 to $8 a pound. Kevlar is at least $25 per pound and higher for more exotic...