SubscribeWhen the first Challenger 2 MBT rolls out of the Bowman integration sheds in Jan 04, General Dynamics UK Ltd (GD UK) the Bowman Communications Systems and Infrastructure Prime contractor and Alvis Vickers Ltd (AVL) the tank's Platform Design Authority will together have created a 'first' for an armoured vehicle.
DRS Tactical Systems (DRS TS) with manufacturing facilities at Palm Bay, Florida USA and Farnham, near London in the UK is the Bowman vehicle computer hardware sub-contractor to both GD (UK) and AVL. This specialist rugged hardware manufacturer will provide four 'digitization’ hardware components for Challenger 2.
The ‘roll out’ comes at a time when focus is intense on the design and configuration of future armoured vehicles, in particular FCS and FRES. This Challenger 2 configuration fuses digital radio technology with on board ‘real time’ platform systems. This will no doubt become the baseline for development of a digital turret design for these new vehicle requirements.
The GD (UK) core Bowman programme brings not only new secure High Capacity Data Radios but also the vehicle mounted rugged computers and displays to all radio equipped UK Army (and some Air Force and Navy) vehicles and many of the dismounted troops. The system (radios and computers) will be ‘overlaid’ over existing equipment, vehicles and dismounted soldiers.
UK combat brigades will be taken out of service in turn for over six months to achieve ‘digitization’. This new Army (and Joint) digital command and control system (C2) will show friendly vehicle and dismounted forces locations and confirmed enemy locations in near real time in each vehicle and hand held computer display.
This displayed Situational Awareness (SA) will replace the paper map in nearly all respects. It will also enable the rapid and secure passage of all types of C2 information up and down the chain of command.
The implications of ‘digitization’ for an army are great particularly in the tempo of operations now possible. At the lower levels there is far less need for rigid tactical control measures, lengthy orders and late night map marking sessions at HQs. The US Army FBCB2 system software and the DRS TS vehicle computer hardware (RVS330) are deployed in several US Army brigades and divisions including those in the Gulf. Reports state that the high tempo of operations of 3rd US Infantry Division was enabled by ‘digitization’.
The $3B Bowman programme enhancement to the British Army will make field formation commanders far more effective on the battlefield through the timeliness, accuracy and volume of data to hand regarding the state and location of own forces, at a glance. This is the ‘top down’ and perhaps highest priority aspect of digitization.
In addition to the core UK Bowman programme there are seventeen Battlefield Information System Applications (BISAs) each individually funded. One of these being fielded simultaneously with the radio systems is that for the battle management system software (ComBat) and the black box Platform BISA Processor Unit.
The PBPU processes and provides SA and C2 data to armoured vehicle commanders displays - including in each Challenger tank where PBPU will be fitted alongside the radios.
Through the BISAs, Bowman will also address the unique and ‘bottom up' digitization requirements of all Arms and Branches. Challenger 2 has it‚s own funded BISA (CR2 Platform BISA) which will be fielded at the same time as the Bowman radios and computers. Integrated by Alvis Vickers Ltd, this is the tank platform level systems digitization programme unique to Challenger 2.
In this programme each Challenger 2 will be provided with an additional computer the Platform Digitization Processor Unit (PDPU) will be mounted in the hull of the vehicle and a display known as the Commanders Crew Station (CCS) display beside the commander's gunnery and observation sight.
The PDPU is the firewall between the ‘real time’ high-speed weapon system environment of Challenger 2 and the non or near-real time world of Bowman. Working with a new Inertial Navigation System (Smiths Aerospace) and Drivers Display Panel, the PDPU allows accurate positional and heading data to be fused with weapon system sensor information and passed electronically over an embedded MilCAN bus.
The combination of GPS and inertial navigation provides unprecedented systems accuracy. The CCS will display information from both the PBPU and PDPU battle management data and vehicle level systems data. It is this fusion of ‘top down’ with ‘bottom up’ that is a ‘first’. This level of integration has yet to be in general service elsewhere including the US Army.
Though in separate boxes the fusion of these systems will allow tactical commanders and logisticians automatic and real time access to the detail available in any Challenger with minimum crew involvement (ammunition state, BIT etc). At the vehicle command level, this fusion will give tank commanders a similar collective fire direction and control capability (through secure digital radio) as the WAH64 UK Apache.
Tank commanders will be able to use the LRF as a ‘finger’ to indicate targets, initiate Contact/Spot Reports, indicate a point on the ground or as an aid to orders to other tanks. The indicated location will appear as an icon on the CCS map display in all or selected tanks. The commander’s sight is directed to the received location (assisted lay). Route planning and following can now be carried out digitally and waypoints automatically passed to the new Drivers Display, without need for continual instructions from the commander.
This collective gunnery and tactical use of the system will require training. There will be a need to upgrade the tank gunnery simulators, particularly those used for troop/platoon gunnery early in the Bowman delivery. As units become fielded the British Army Force on Force(DFWES/AWES) and CAT virtual training systems will also need similar attention.
The only Challenger lost in the Gulf was to fratricide. The Situational Awareness (SA) feature of the Bowman system, though not specifically designed to answer this real world wartime problem will greatly help to reduce the likelihood of it happening again. The CR2 Platform BISA programme will further reduce this tragic but easy mistake in combat. P BISA will display the gun and panoramic sight direction on the icon.
Thus when a tank commander looks away from his gunnery sight and into the CCS display he will see a small line extending from his own icon. This is his direction of view/gun and a quick check in that direction will determine if a ‘friendly’ is in line of sight. Even a ‘quick check’ is a long time in combat and commanders are loathe to take eyes away from the gunnery sight in combat so automated solutions to IFF are still needed and fusion of gun sight and digital map display may be a future ambition of FCS and FRES.
DRS Tactical Systems under contract to Alvis Vickers Ltd has developed the Challenger 2 PDPU and CCS. The first production quality units will be fitted with other new devices procured under the P BISA programme for trials at the Armoured Trials and Development Unit (ATDU) at Bovington in Dorset UK this July.
DRS TS is also under contract to supply GD UK and the UK Army with over 13,000 Bowman vehicle User Data Terminals (UDTs). One or more will be fitted to nearly all UK combat vehicles by 2008. There are four types of UDT and all are based on the DRS TS Scorpion computer much reducing the logistic overhead.
The PBPU is a shrunk ‘black box’ version of Scorpion without the keyboard and display. Its role (discussed earlier) is to bring Bowman data management and display facilities to armoured vehicles. About 1100 will be delivered, each with detachable keyboard. They will be fitted to all armoured vehicles including one per Challenger 2.
The Bowman Management Data Terminal (BMDT) is the Signals and Staff Officers network management tool, there will be over 4000 of these rugged and sealed laptops with a high resolution 13 inch diagonal, non touch screen, transmissive display.
The Dismountable User Data Terminals (DUDT) is identical in size and outline shape to the BMDT but will have internal heaters to enable low temperature operation and a 12 inch transflective (sunlight readable) touch screen display. The quick release shock mount allows for rapid dismounting from the vehicle. It can operate from vehicle or battery power and has a ‘hot swappable’ battery capability. Nearly 4000 are required.
The Vehicle User Data Terminal (VUDT) is a tablet version of the DUDT but will be fixed inside many types of vehicles. It has a detachable keyboard. Approximately 4000 are required.
In addition to PDPU, CCS and PBPU, Challenger 2 will be provided with a VUDT on the loaders side of the turret. Thus the tanks rolling out from Bowman modification sheds will have four major computer components designed and manufactured by DRS TS. These will make Challenger 2 a ‘first’ for this level of ‘digitization’ and provide an unprecedented leap in capability and effectiveness for future formation and tank commanders in future conflicts.
