Army wants trucks that 'survive' combat: competition under way for $42 million concept technology demonstration.

• Author: Erwin, Sandra I.

Repeated attacks on truck convoys in Iraq have prompted the Army to revisit its requirements for future logistics vehicles. Notably, the conflict challenged the traditional notions of tracks as support vehicles that stay out of the line of fire. Many U.S. casualties in Iraq were drivers or occupants whose vehicles were struck by rocket-propelled grenades, road mines or other forms of explosive devices.

The fundamental question that Army vehicle developers are trying to answer is whether the next generation of battlefield trucks will be "just tracks" hauling supplies in the rear, or whether they should be enhanced with protective armor, weapons, advanced electronics and communications systems, so they can serve in combat roles on the front lines.

The next question the Army faces is whether it can afford all these high-tech features, which would make a truck almost as pricey as a combat vehicle.

The Army finds itself in a bind today, because it has to assign expensive fighting vehicles, such as Bradleys and Abrams tanks, to protect the trucks and secure the supply lines from Kuwait into Iraq. The reason is that trucks never were designed for survivability--they have no ballistic protection (except for up-armored Humvees), no self-defense weapons and limited situational awareness. They lack the advanced electronics needed to connect with the combat force, and become part of an over-all command and control network.

"Our trucks can't handle what they are being asked to do," said Nance Halle, who runs an Army program called Future Tactical Truck System. The FTTS is a five-year $42 million project to develop a replacement for the current light, medium and heavy trucks.

While fuel efficiency and mobility remain high priorities in the FTTS, survivability has moved to the top of the list, in light of what's happening in Iraq, Halle told air industry conference in Dearborn, Mich., sponsored by the Army Tank-Automotive and Armaments Command.

"The Army is sucking combat vehicles away from the fight to protect these convoys," Halle said. "It's the reason the Bradleys are going through tons of track over them. They are running up and down the roads protecting supply convoys, instead of being in the front lines, like they are supposed to."

If the Army doesn't do something soon to make trucks more survivable, the price will be paid in human lives, she ,'said. "Truck drivers are getting killed more than the combat force."

Although the Army is accelerating...