The UK Ministry of Defence’s (MoD) SCOUT SV armoured platform will satisfy capability gaps identified on recent operations to conduct both combat and peacekeeping missions, a senior army official has stated.
According to Maj.Gen. Robert Talbot-Rice, head of armoured vehicle programmes at Defence Equipment & Support (DE&S), the SCOUT vehicle programme is actively responding to these capability gaps identified from operations in Afghanistan and Iraq.
“We found a requirement to operate against different threats through a vehicle’s lifetime and Scout aims to significantly improve on what we’ve been able to achieve until today with our medium weight tracked vehicles,” Talbot-Rice explained while referring to CV90 and WARRIOR platforms, amongst others.
In September, the UK MoD awarded General Dynamics UK a contract to supply 589 SCOUT vehicles, comprising 6 base platforms performing 9 different roles. This includes 245 reconnaissance; 50 equipment repair; 93 reconnaissance support; 38 equipment recovery; 112 command and control; and 51 engineering reconnaissance variants, all due to be delivered between 2017 and 2024.
It is envisaged that SCOUT SV will be capable of supporting Major Combat Operations (MCO) as well as Peace Support Operations (PSO) with the former comprising a baseline primary sight and CT40 cannon and armour fit while the latter includes a self-defence weapon, reduced armour fit and integrated electronic countermeasure equipment.
“Where possible, software configurations have been minimised so the vehicles can be switched between MCO and PSO roles,” Talbot-Rice explained.
“GVA is an evolving standard and has changed overtime,” he continued while explaining how the Foxhound protected patrol vehicle- the first UK MoD vehicle to be dubbed as GVA-compliant- not longer met current electronic architecture standards. “There are certain aspects of GVA that haven't yet be defined. Scout’s electronic architecture may well be the predecessor to a fully-compliant GVA because in some respects, it goes beyond GVA standards. Scout is as compliant as it can be so we get the benefits so we strongly believe in GVA and believe that GDUK does as well.”
Considering the wider impact of the SCOUT vehicle on the British Army, Talbot-Rice described how it would make a “significant contribution” to transformations due to be delivered by the Army’s Future Force 2020 concept.
“The [SCOUT] programme is on track and the MoD now has a firm price contract for delivery of 589 vehicles and the award of a production contract that has allowed the supply chain to commit to long lead items early and take long term investment decisions in plant, machinery and people, derisking our plans for delivery,” he continued.
Looking ahead to potential future development options, Talbot-Rice expressed his interest in a long-range missile capability, similar to those deployed by France’s VBCI platform. “There are terrific opportunities and this is an exciting prospect but not currently funded for the Scout programme,” he said.
The SCOUT programme is currently continuing its demonstration phase with the first Reconnaissance Support variant having been displayed at the NATO Summit in Wales last September. The first turreted SCOUT platforms are due to be delivered to the Army early in 2017 when reliability growth and qualification trials will begin.
Beyond these trials, the first 55 vehicles will be delivered to the army for the commencement of training in 2019 with a first armoured cavalry squadron expected to reach an initial operating capability by Q2 2020.
Talbot-Rice highlighted SCOUT’s surveillance and survivability capabilities, praising the platform’s ability to identify targets at range, record, process and transmit large quantities of information. Regarding survivability efforts, he highlighted the vehicle’s low signature and “high levels of protection against IED, blast and chemical threats,” as well as highly capable CT40 cannon with armour piercing and air burst rounds.
The baseline SCOUT vehicle has a gross vehicle weight of 42 tons and maximum range of 500km. A total of 10,000km of accelerated life testing was recently completed in December, GDUK confirmed.
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| SCOUT SV (Graphic: GDUK) |
According to Maj.Gen. Robert Talbot-Rice, head of armoured vehicle programmes at Defence Equipment & Support (DE&S), the SCOUT vehicle programme is actively responding to these capability gaps identified from operations in Afghanistan and Iraq.
“We found a requirement to operate against different threats through a vehicle’s lifetime and Scout aims to significantly improve on what we’ve been able to achieve until today with our medium weight tracked vehicles,” Talbot-Rice explained while referring to CV90 and WARRIOR platforms, amongst others.
In September, the UK MoD awarded General Dynamics UK a contract to supply 589 SCOUT vehicles, comprising 6 base platforms performing 9 different roles. This includes 245 reconnaissance; 50 equipment repair; 93 reconnaissance support; 38 equipment recovery; 112 command and control; and 51 engineering reconnaissance variants, all due to be delivered between 2017 and 2024.
It is envisaged that SCOUT SV will be capable of supporting Major Combat Operations (MCO) as well as Peace Support Operations (PSO) with the former comprising a baseline primary sight and CT40 cannon and armour fit while the latter includes a self-defence weapon, reduced armour fit and integrated electronic countermeasure equipment.
“Where possible, software configurations have been minimised so the vehicles can be switched between MCO and PSO roles,” Talbot-Rice explained.
“GVA is an evolving standard and has changed overtime,” he continued while explaining how the Foxhound protected patrol vehicle- the first UK MoD vehicle to be dubbed as GVA-compliant- not longer met current electronic architecture standards. “There are certain aspects of GVA that haven't yet be defined. Scout’s electronic architecture may well be the predecessor to a fully-compliant GVA because in some respects, it goes beyond GVA standards. Scout is as compliant as it can be so we get the benefits so we strongly believe in GVA and believe that GDUK does as well.”
Considering the wider impact of the SCOUT vehicle on the British Army, Talbot-Rice described how it would make a “significant contribution” to transformations due to be delivered by the Army’s Future Force 2020 concept.
“The [SCOUT] programme is on track and the MoD now has a firm price contract for delivery of 589 vehicles and the award of a production contract that has allowed the supply chain to commit to long lead items early and take long term investment decisions in plant, machinery and people, derisking our plans for delivery,” he continued.
Looking ahead to potential future development options, Talbot-Rice expressed his interest in a long-range missile capability, similar to those deployed by France’s VBCI platform. “There are terrific opportunities and this is an exciting prospect but not currently funded for the Scout programme,” he said.
The SCOUT programme is currently continuing its demonstration phase with the first Reconnaissance Support variant having been displayed at the NATO Summit in Wales last September. The first turreted SCOUT platforms are due to be delivered to the Army early in 2017 when reliability growth and qualification trials will begin.
Beyond these trials, the first 55 vehicles will be delivered to the army for the commencement of training in 2019 with a first armoured cavalry squadron expected to reach an initial operating capability by Q2 2020.
Talbot-Rice highlighted SCOUT’s surveillance and survivability capabilities, praising the platform’s ability to identify targets at range, record, process and transmit large quantities of information. Regarding survivability efforts, he highlighted the vehicle’s low signature and “high levels of protection against IED, blast and chemical threats,” as well as highly capable CT40 cannon with armour piercing and air burst rounds.
The baseline SCOUT vehicle has a gross vehicle weight of 42 tons and maximum range of 500km. A total of 10,000km of accelerated life testing was recently completed in December, GDUK confirmed.
Andrew White
For more information on the JLTV, its contenders, and the programme, please see issue #1/2015 of MILITARY TECHNOLOGY available at the show.