And the 'but' is in regards to the Ocelot concept. What is it to actually be? The British forces already have the Panther...they have the Jackal....the have a range of light weight MRAP type vehicles.
How would this vehicle fit into the US structure? We have the JLTV...we're considering uparmoring and resetting the HUMVEE...where does this vehicle fit?
In my opinion this appears to be a 'rapid fielding initiative' that took too long and is no longer applicable.
Sol, I think you are a bit off the mark there
ReplyDeleteWe have suffered, as have most forces deployed in Iraq and Afghanistan, with a proliferation of vehicles designed to counter IED's. Foxhound is designed to replace the Snatch Land Rover and will combine the maneuverability and off road performance of Snatch with the protection of the Ridgeback.
Mastiff and Ridgeback are UOR purchases that might not be incorporated into the main equipment programme post 2015. we also have a programme running called OUVS which this might dovetail into.
The WMIK and cargo variants might replace the Land Rover WMIK, Jackal, Pinzgauer and MXT Husky
The patrol variant may also replace the Ridgeback, Vector and Panther (which is a pile of sh*t by the way)
So the point of Ocelot is to both meet a short term need (Snatch replacement) and consolidate the wide variety of other types in service that have been obtained under UOR purchasing.
This consolidation will deliver massive logistics, training and maintenance savings. A common base platform for many roles.
The interchangeable nature of the pods, extensibility of the basic design and survivability (advertised as the best for its size) all combined with a relatively modest cost I think make it a bit of a winner.
I honestly think this is the first vehicle that has really looked at the issues and come out with a solution that is sensible yet innovative but without the huge price tag.
Time will tell of course
Would it be useful for the US, not so sure. I suspect upgrading the HUMVEE would be the pragmatic solution.
Interesting if you look at the design specs, it is designed for the urban environment, tight turning circles for example. this has always been the Achilles heel of the HUMVEE, its just too big for many urban situations which is why the UK never went for something that big, experience in Northern Ireland for example demonstrated the value of small vehicles that could tun on a sixpence.
I was going to point out what TD did but he did it much better! With the replacement for HUMVEEs now being touted being a HUGE tall & heavy vehicle, one has to wonder IF that is what the USMC needs? Our Marines are already bemoaning the growth it tactical equipment size and weight.
ReplyDeleteAn Ocelot could fill in the lower end for multiple missions. We just should NOT lose sight of the fact that was designed as a light protected patrol vehicle (unlike the HUMVEE designed for utility and ending up as warwagon).
TD is correct again in that while the current wars may require huge MRAPs and big M-ATVs, the Marines should be thinking about smaller ops in urban conflicts.
It would be nice to pots some photos of the latest modified HUMVEEs for comparison?
P.S. we should not knock the Brtis when it comes to fielding tacticl vehicles quickly - look how long it took DOD to get MRAPs into Iraq!