AV Technology Dragoon Engineer/Maintenance Vehicle

     Notes:  This vehicle is based on the LFV-90 Dragoon light combat vehicle chassis. Several were used by US forces temporarily by the nascent 9th Light Motorized Infantry Division, and there are rumors of some use by Stryker Brigades, the Air Force, and light divisions.  Kuwait also employs it as their prime recovery and repair vehicle for light vehicles, using 70 of them. Other users include Canada (since replaced), Thailand, Turkey, and Venezuela.

      In the EMV vehicle, the turret is removed and replaced by a raised superstructure and a crane.  The crane can lift 4.54 tons, enough to lift the engine or turret of a Dragoon or similar-sized vehicle, such as an ASFV; a secondary crane can lift 2.98 tons, and can work together with the main crane; while either can rotate 360 degrees, but working together, they can only pivot 190 degrees.  The winch is in the front and has limited capacity at 14.62 tons, or double that with snatch blocks. Four boom legs are lowered at the center and rear corners of the vehicle when the crane is in operations.  The EMV is equipped with tools required for field maintenance, and the rear cargo doors are large to allow standard cargo pallets to be carried internally.  The EMV normally carries a small (2kW) generator at the right corner of the roof.  A weakness of the Dragoon EMV is that it is normally unarmed.  The Dragoon EMV retains the firing ports of the LFV-90 (two on each side, and one in the rear). A normal tool set is basic tools, wheeled vehicle tools, small arms tools, large weapon tools, a 10-ton capacity jack, an air compressor, power tools, fuel and fluid pumps, a slave cable, a towbar, a snatch block, and a fold-out tent at the rear where a folding workbench and tarp can be set up. A flat area at the lowered rear deck can carry a Dragoon, Stryker, V-150 or 300, or M1117 powerpack. A spare tire is also normally carried on the roof, where it blocks several hatches, or the rear (where it blocks other hatches), or one each side. There are numerous boxes, drawers, bins, and under-sear stowage for tools and spare parts.  The Dragoon EMV has a central tire pressure system, run-flat tires, and puncture resistant tires. This increases the suspension rating beyond what you would expect from a 4x4 vehicle. The crew has two firing ports in each side and one in the rear door. In addition, there are six other vision blocks in each side.  The crew is protected by an automatic fire detection and suppression and a vehicular NBC pack for the crew to plug their NBC masks into.  Appliqué armor cannot normally be fitted due to the large amounts of projections, the cranes and winch, and ancillary projections; there are not many flat places to put appliqué. The engine is a Detroit Diesel 6V-53T (a modification of the powerpack used on the M113A3 and MTVL, as well as several armored vehicles and trucks) developing 300 horsepower and turbocharged.  The transmission is an Allison MT-653 automatic with a torque convertor.  The Dragoon EMV is propelled when swimming by a pair of small propellers; alternately, the propellers and their mechanisms can be left off to save weight. (Stats below are with propellers.) The commander normally sits beside the driver in behind the bullet resistant windshield.

     Dragoon EMVs are often accompanied by Dragoon ALSVs, with the latter carrying spare parts for the EMVs.

Cadillac Gage LAV-150S/LAV-300 Commando Recovery Vehicle

     Notes:  Built on the LAV-150 and LAV-300 chassis, the two vehicles differ from each other primarily in size; the LAV-300 hull is about one-and-a-half times the LAV-150S's hull.  Both have a variety of users in South America, Africa, Central America, and Southeast Asia, as well as Mexico and Turkey, though the LAV-300 version is more used by countries already using the LAV-300 or 600. Though in both cases the base LAVs were used as early as the Vietnam War, the CRV variants were not developed until the 1980s.

     In both cases, the vehicles are armed with a MAG machinegun or equivalent on a commander's cupola; the LAV-300 carries more ammunition.  They both have a driver and co-driver with vision blocks to the front and side, and equivalent controls.  The co-driver also has controls to the APU and auxiliary controls for the winch, and is otherwise a mechanic like the rest of the crew.  The remaining crewman is seated to the rear of the commander's in the hull, and normally monitors the radios or acts as the crane operator.  On each side of the hull just to the rear of the commander's position is a large door with a firing port in it, and the rear also has a large door with a firing port in it.  In both cases, turrets have been replaced with a raised superstructure.  The rear of the deck can carry an entire LAV-150 (or LAV-300) or ASV engine (or similar-sized engine/powerpack); under the tie-downs is a double hatchway.  Both have A-frame cranes which can lift 4.54 tons, from the rear to over the front of the vehicle.  When the crane is in use, two jacks are lowered to steady the vehicle.

     Special equipment carried includes an air compressor, basic and wheeled vehicle tools, a fuel transfer pump, two jacks that can lift up to 15 tons, a workbench, and slave cables.  Small arms and an abbreviated set of large-caliber tools are carried.  Of course, a large amount of spare parts are carried, in drawers, lockers, and underseat storage.  Both carry a tent which can be extended to a length of 3 meters to the rear and as wide as the vehicle; they also carry a folding workbench.  The winch on both can pull 11.25 tons with 61 meters of cable; the LAV-300 CRV's winch has 100 meters of cable.  The LAV-150S can tow 17 tons; the LAV-300 CRV can tow 22.5 tons.  The LAV-300 CRW has an additional hatch on the roof on the left side, normally used by the crane operator.  On the hull front, on each side, are a cluster of three smoke grenade launchers.  Both have a 2.5kW APU.  Both have a small computer with tech manuals for most vehicles in the Army of the country using them.

     The LAV-150S CRV has a Cummins 6 CTA 8.3 turbocharged diesel with a capacity of 206 horsepower.  The LAV-300S has an uprated version of this engine, developing 276 horsepower.  Both have automatic transmission.  The LAV-300 CRV does have a more powerful engine, but is also much heavier, due to extra equipment, larger size, and heavier armor. The LAV-300 also has fuel tankage only two-thirds the size of the LAV-150S, and range is correspondingly short.

*Floor AV is 4.

FMC M56 Coyote

    Notes:  This is a US vehicle based on the M1113 HMMWV chassis.  It is a smoke generation vehicle designed for light units, and may be sling-loaded or airdropped. It was sold to many of the US's allies, and used extensively in the Middle East, Central America and Europe.  It carries a tactical smoke generator of the 1994-2000 type. The vehicle was type-standardized in 1994, and first issue was March 1995.  Most are used by the US Army’s 82^nd Airborne Division and the US Army Chemical School, for training new troops.  The 82^nd has 259, and the Chemical School eight.  A bonus of this system is at Ft Irwin and the JRGF, the smoke completely blocks lasers, including the MILES system lasers, for about 10 minutes.

     There is a control panel added within the HMMWV's cab, which is the two-man type, the rest of the vehicle being given over to the smoke generator. The Coyote often pulls a HMMWV-optimized trailer that carries extra fuel and obscurement chemicals, or sometimes a second smoke generation unit to create an especially dense cloud.  Coyotes are also often deployed in pairs, towing obscurating chemicals.  Some of the chemical obscurements include diesel fuel, standard motor oil and graphite (produces the dense smoke screen); other ingredients are classified.  The smoke module weight about 1.46 tons, with 470 liters of fogging compound. Visual range fogging lasts about 100 minutes, while IR and UV fogging lasts for about 30 minutes.  Other obscurement duration is on the order of about 15-20 minutes.

     The standard 190-horsepower M1113 engine is used, along with the same transmission and driver controls.  The driver is in a cab on the right, while the commander, with controls for the smoke, is on the left.  It is not armed other than whatever weapons the crew is carrying, usually M4 assault carbines and a few grenades.  There is no armor on the Coyote.  The Coyote is essentially an M1113 HMMWV with the rear area filled up by the SGS and tank, and more often than not towing a trailer. The Coyote has a GPS system with a mapping module.

     Twilight 2000 Notes: Though small number were used in the Middle East and smaller number used in Europe, most overseas deployments of the Coyote went to Korea, to deal with its rugged terrain.  The lion's share, however, stayed in CONUS, used both by MilGov and CivGov.

GDLS/Rheinmetall M93 Fox NBCRV

     Notes: This vehicle is an updated version of the German Spahpanzer Fuchs, which is the German’s NBCRV.  The first batch was procured during Desert Shield directly from Rheinmetall as an emergency issue due to the possibility of Saddam Hussein using chemical weapons in Desert Storm. They were essentially German vehicles with American electronics, and sent directly to Saudi Arabia from Germany without testing. Originally equipped with advanced sensors (though not as advanced as the sensors on the M1135 Stryker NBCRV), successive upgrades have made it a vehicle as good as the Stryker-based NBCRV. Nonetheless, in the interests of vehicle commonality, the US Army and Marines have decided to replace the Fox with the M1135; these replacements are taking place slowly and have only just begun, so most US Army and Marine units are still equipped with the M93, including many Stryker Brigades.

     The mission of the Fox, as other NBCRVs, is to conduct route and area reconnaissance to determine the levels of CBRN contamination, and relay this information to higher HQ so the commanders can determine if entering the area with regular troops is prudent.  As such, they carry a very specialist crew, equipment, computers, and sensors, as well as a more general sensor suite able to perform detections in a wide area around the vehicle.  Persons in charge of a Fox team often have the equivalent of Master’s Degrees in Biology and Chemistry, in all but name; their crews are sometimes educated by the military up to the equivalent of Bachelor’s Degrees, again in all but name.

     The Fox has automatic sampling gear that constantly checks the air around the vehicle for chemical, biological, and radiological contamination.  This includes smallpox, anthrax, botulinum toxin, and other common weaponized biological agents, virtually all gasses and other chemical agents used by both enemy and friendly forces; and radiological contamination, fallout, and alpha, beta, and gamma radiation.  This can be checked as far down as 20 parts per billion, but this generally produces false positives and the sensitivity is dialed back quite a bit. Automatic alarms sound inside the vehicle when contamination is detected, with readouts telling what has been found and at what strength. This detection can also be of noxious chemicals such as those resulting from fires with accelerants, tires, oil fires of various sizes, and other more mundane chemicals that might affect troop performance.  The Fox can then use sensors with a wider field of view, up to three kilometers around the vehicle (one grid square on a standard NATO/US military map). Individual samples may be taken by the use of three remote arms on each side, which can bring in ground, vegetation, and rock samples to a special chamber to be tested. (The sensor box is automatically sterilized upon releasing the sample.)  These arms may reach 4 feet down, 4 feet up, and six feet out from the vehicle.  The Fox may detect as little as ten parts of contaminants per billion; using the automatic sensors at this level of sensitivity will normally produce a lot of false positives.  Most crews set the threshold much higher.  The Radiac meters can detect presence and strength of alpha, beta, and gamma radiation; as there is a certain amount of this radiation in nature, thresholds are normally set high. The Fox’s external sensors are set on a retractable mast.

     A part of the mission is to provide meteorological information, so that clouds of contamination can be told their movement.  This consists of an anemometer, temperature, and humidity. This may also be taken out to four kilometers, using optical measurements.  NBC positions may be photographed by the crew and automatically sent to higher HQ.  A separate CCTV with Image Intensification is linked to a data-capable radio, able to focus on and transmit pictures within 4 kilometers, or take a wider-angle shot to show general conditions.

     Though the crew of the Fox carries two sets of MOPP4 suits and four sets of filters for their masks, their primary protection from CBRN hazards is by staying in the vehicle and performing their tasks remotely, under the NBC Overpressure and special air conditioning system of the vehicle.  Most work will be done in MOPP 0. The vehicle is part of a command’s BMS, and has a GPS set with a mapping system, with inertial navigation backup.

     The crew has a small laptop containing NBC field manuals, tech manuals, and bulletins, as well as the tech and field manuals on their vehicle.  The driver is in a cab on the front left, with the commander to his right, surrounded on the right and front with information about contamination, computer results, meteorological results, and the results of reconnaissance scans, and a large-capacity hard drive to record them.  There are two clusters of four smoke grenade launchers, similar to those of M1132 ESV, on either side of the glacis.  On the roof, six flare launchers with a specific color are mounted to provide an immediate alert to other friendly forces. Though the use of only two crewmembers in the back might seem to make the rear rather spacious for the crewmembers, in practice the interior is filled over much of its volume with various sorts of equipment.

     The Fox uses a Mercedes-Benz OM 402A engine developing 320 horsepower, with an automatic transmission and a 6x6 suspension.  There are shock absorbers on each wheel, and the wheels are independently suspended.

     The crew and troop compartments have air conditioning and heating, as well as an automatic fire detection and suppression system.  The engine compartment and fuel tanks also have an automatic fire detection and suppression system.  Boxes are mounted on the rear third of the sides and the roof of the Fox to store vehicle, crew, and troop equipment; nonetheless, most crew and personal equipment is carried inside the vehicle to prevent contamination.  The Driver and Commander are also full crewmembers, and may add their expertise to the crew.  The Fox has a small 20kW APU to power instruments when the engine is off. The third crewmember (or fourth crewmember, when carried) mans a light machinegun which can be aimed and fired (but not reloaded) from under armor and hatches closed.  The commander may give contamination warning over the radio, or if friendly troops are close, via a bullhorn on the roof.

     The M93A1 adds an MM1 mass spectrometer to measure the composition of clouds and smoke that the Fox encounters.  The M93A1 has angled steel appliqué plates on the sides and front to increase survivability; lugs for ERA are also added, and MEXAS appliqué composite can be layered on top of the steel plates.  The extra crew member of the M93 is no longer carried, as the vehicle’s updated computers make this unnecessary.  Most sensors are automated, and require little more than button pushes to actuate. Distance sensing is increased to a four-kilometer radius.

     The M93A1P1 adds the updates of the M93A1, plus bar/slat armor and a CROWS RWS.  The weapons may be aimed, fired, and reloaded from inside the vehicle.  Belly armor is improved, and the tires are run-flat and puncture-resistant.  They also have central tire pressure regulation.  The engine is replaced with a more powerful one, developing 500 horsepower. The sensor suite has been judged by defense analysts to be better than that of the Stryker NBCRV, and many of its sensors are the same as on the M1135. M93A1P1 procurement has been slowed by the introduction of the M1135 Stryker NBCRV, and in all probability few will actually be deployed; however, many defense analysts say the M93A1P1 is a better system than the Stryker NBCRV.

*Roof AV is 3; Floor AV is 4Sp.

**Roof AV is 3, Floor AV is 4Sp.

***Roof AV is 4, Floor AV is 5Sp.  Hits from certain angles (front and sides) will have a “composite-spaced” armor effect – divide incoming hits by two for HE-type warhead hits, then subtract 2D6.

****Roof AV is 6, Floor AV is 7Sp.

*****Roof AV is 6, Floor AV is 7Sp.  Hits from certain angles (front and sides) will have a “composite-spaced” armor effect – divide incoming hits by two for HE-type warhead hits, then subtract 2D6.

GDLS M1132 Stryker ESV

     The Stryker ESV (Engineer Squad Vehicle (often mis-called the “Engineer Support Vehicle” or “Engineer Service Vehicle”) is a variant of the M1026 ICV often referred to as a light CEV. 

     It carries a squad of combat engineers and has at the front a dozer blade which may be pulled straight, angled, into a V-shape, or separated into two sections for transport.  The ESV carries some 30 kg of C4 and some other types of explosive, and the equivalent of three engineer demo chests, usually contained in lockers and underseat compartments. It normally tows a trailer designed for the Stryker carrying more equipment, or even a MICLIC launcher. The ESV’s primary job is to clear a lane through minefields for following Stryker and other wheeled vehicles. (The mine plough is too narrow to clear a lane for tanks, though an APC or IFV such as the M113 series or Bradley series may follow and use ESV-cleared lanes.)  The Combat Engineers may create or clear tank traps, obstacles, and fill trenches.  They can also dig up large IEDs and disable them, or blow them in place. The mine plow can be replaced by specialist tools, such as a bucket, an auger, a mine flail, or a mine roller.  The ESV is not capable of performing an Engineer Breakthrough mission, and cannot, for example, assault enemy positions and suppress their defenses, unless the Sappers dismount and assault them directly.  Hard tanks/vehicle obstacles, such as concrete tank traps, but be blown by the Sapper squad.

     The ESV is designed with special controls to control unmanned ground vehicles (UGVs), including the XM1216 Small Unmanned Ground Vehicle, the XM1218 Countermine Mule (Mule-CM), and the XM1219 Armed Robotic Vehicle-Assault-Light (ARV-A-L) (which has actually been defunded for budgetary reasons, though the controls remain in the ESV).  The controllers can also be used to control any future robots that may come into the Army inventory. The ESV carries a small, folding robot that can be used to detect, and if necessary, lay explosives to blow the IED or mine in place, with a video-game type controller used to control the robot. Other major electronic include a BMS with GPS and an inertial navigation backup, a small computer with Combat Engineer tech manuals and other literature, and a downlink from the gunner’s station to the squad leader. There are six manpack radios for the Sappers to communicate with each other.

     A major problem with the Strykers is the RWS; while the cupola can rotate in as little as 10 seconds, the camera takes 60 seconds to fully rotate. The gunner may use the reticles printed on each vision block, but this only allows a Fire Control modifier of +1. The ESV is equipped with a 350-horsepower turbocharged diesel engine coupled to an automatic transmission.  Some of the automotive components have redundancies.  The engine used is unusually quiet, and when burning JP8 fuel, also has a reduced exhaust plume.  The Stryker has ABS and traction control for more positive braking and traction, especially off-road, and it has a locking differential.  The ABS is on the last three axles, and those wheels also have power brakes. The tires are run-flat and puncture-resistant.   The ESV is normally 8x8, but can be switched to 8x4 for road use; in this case, the four rear wheels become the drive wheels.  The Stryker has central tire pressure regulation.  The crew and troop compartments have air conditioning and heating, as well as an automatic fire detection and suppression system.  The engine compartment and fuel tanks also have an automatic fire detection and suppression system.  Boxes are mounted on the rear third of the sides of the Stryker to store vehicle, crew, and troop equipment; nonetheless, like virtually all military vehicles in the field or combat, crew and troop equipment is often carried strapped to the top, sides, or glacis.  (Incidentally, this strapped-on equipment can provide some minor “armor.”)

     The base armor of the Stryker is a steel/ceramic sandwich, giving it the equivalent of spaced armor over much of its hull. The floor and suspension are also reinforced to give it enhanced mine and IED protection.  However, the Stryker is almost never seen in combat with its cage of bar/slat armor, which surrounds the vehicle except for the area of the rear where the ramp opens and closes (shots at the rear of the Stryker are 20% likely to hit the cage before they hit the vehicle).  This protection extends to about 30 centimeters above the deck of the vehicle.  The Stryker can also take a MEXAS composite appliqué armor kit, which can be applied to every face of the vehicle, to varying degrees.  The bar/slat armor and the MEXAS appliqué armor can be used in conjunction with each other to provide superior protection to the vehicle, but this does substantially increase the weight and mobility of the Stryker. IR suppression is also employed on the Stryker; detection by IR devices, thermal imagers, and FLIRs is one level more difficult, as is targeting with IR-guided missiles.  The mine plow/tools/trailer negates the radar-absorbent feature of the Stryker, and this does not apply to the ESV.

 (1) Roof AV is 3; Floor AV is 4Sp.  The mine plow can protect the front depending on how it is situated – it has an AV of 10Sp.

(2) The bar/slat armor provides a sort of “double spaced armor” effect depending upon the face it hits – if the front or sides are hit, 4D6 damage is removed from the hit’s penetration if the Stryker is hit by HE-type rounds.  The rear face’s bar/slat armor protects the rear face only on 20% of hits – the rest of rear face hits have only an AV of 6.  The front of the ESV does not have bar/slat armor – the plow or tools prevent this. Roof AV is 3, Floor AV is 4Sp. The mine plow can protect the front depending on how it is situated – it has an AV of 10Sp.

(3) Roof AV is 4, Floor AV is 5Sp.  Hits from certain angles (front and sides) will have a “composite-spaced” armor effect – divide incoming hits by two for HE-type warhead hits, then subtract 2D6. The mine plow can protect the front depending on how it is situated – it has an AV of 10Sp.

(4) Roof AV is 4, Floor AV is 5Sp.  Hits from certain angles (front and sides) will have a “spaced-composite-spaced” effect – divide incoming hits by two for HE-type warhead hits, then subtract 4D6. The front of the ESV does not have bar/slat armor – the plow or tools prevent this. The mine plow can protect the front depending on how it is situated – it has an AV of 10Sp.

GDLS M1135 Stryker NBCRV

     Notes: The M1135 was designed to replace the M93 Fox NBCRV, first in Stryker Brigades, and later in the general US Army and Marines.  As of this writing (10 Nov 16), the M1135 is just being fielded in numbers in Stryker Brigades.  The New Iraqi Army has also ordered some 50 M1135s, and about a third of their batch has been built so far, but problems with the ISIS occupation of their country have prevented them from being delivered.  (The US Army has downsized their order from 417 to 307 to keep in line with budget cuts.) The job of the M1135, as other NBCRVs, is to conduct route and area reconnaissance to determine the levels of CBRN contamination, and relay this information to higher HQ so the commanders can determine if entering the area with regular troops is prudent.  As such, they carry a very specialist crew, equipment, computers, and sensors, as well as a more general sensor suite able to perform detections in a wide area around the vehicle.  Persons in charge of an M1135 team often have the equivalent of Masters Degrees in Biology and Chemistry, in all but name; their crews are sometimes educated by the military up to the equivalent of Bachelors Degrees, again in all but name.

     Reconnaissance by the M1135 usually starts by the collection of air samples of an area while the vehicle moves throughout the terrain. These air samples can be automatically checked for radioactivity, fallout, preliminary chemical contamination results, and some types of biological contamination. Internal alarms sound when something is found, with readouts telling what has been found and at what strength. This is done through the use of a CBMS (Chemical Biological Mass Spectrometer) and a Radiac Meter.  These instruments can be intensified in sensitivity is a finding is reached, to determine exact types of contamination.  This detection can also be of noxious chemicals such as those resulting from fires with accelerants, tires, oil fires of various sizes, and other more mundane chemicals that might affect troop performance.  The M1135 can then use sensors with a wider field of view, up to four kilometers around the vehicle (one grid square on a standard NATO/US military map).  This is the JSLSCAD stand-off detector. Biological detections are augmented by the JBPDS (Joint Biological Point Detection System), allowing the specific disease or biological contamination to be determined (especially smallpox, anthrax, and botulinum toxins, though some 20 total microorganisms can be detected and identified. Individual samples may be taken by the use of three remote arms on each side, which can bring in ground, vegetation, and rock samples to a special chamber to be tested. (The sensor box is automatically sterilized upon releasing the sample.)  These arms may reach 4 feet down, 4 feet up, and six feet out from the vehicle.  The M1135 may detect as little as five parts of contaminants per billion; using the automatic sensors at this level of sensitivity will normally produce a lot of false positives.  Most crews set the threshold much higher.  The Radiac meters can detect presence and strength of alpha, beta, and gamma radiation; as there is a certain amount of this radiation in nature, thresholds are normally set high.

     A part of the mission is to provide meteorological information, so that clouds of contamination can be told their movement.  This consists of an anemometer, temperature, and humidity. This may also be taken out to four kilometers, using optical measurements.  NBC positions may be photographed by the crew and automatically sent to higher HQ.  A separate CCTV with Image Intensification is linked to a data-capable radio, able to focus on and transmit pictures within 4 kilometers, of take a wider-angle shot to show general conditions.

     Though the crew of the M1135 carries two sets of MOPP4 suits and four sets of filters for their masks, their primary protection from CBRN hazards is by staying in the vehicle and performing their tasks remotely, under the NBC Overpressure and special air conditioning system of the vehicle.  Most work will be done in MOPP 0. The vehicle is part of a command’s BMS, and has a GPS set with a mapping system, with inertial navigation backup. A major problem with the Strykers is the RWS; though the cupola can rotate can rotate in as little as 10 seconds, the camera takes 60 seconds to fully rotate. The Gunner may use the reticles printed on each vision block, but this only allows a Fire Control modifier of +2 (by slewing the laser rangefinder with the weapon).

     The ESV is equipped with a Caterpillar 3126 350-horsepower turbocharged diesel engine coupled to an Allison MD-3066P automatic transmission.  Some of the automotive components have redundancies.  The engine used is unusually quiet, and when burning JP8 fuel, also has a reduced exhaust plume.  The Stryker has ABS and traction control for more positive braking and traction, especially off-road, and it has a locking differential.  The ABS is on the last three axles, and those wheels also have power brakes. The tires are run-flat and puncture-resistant.   The ESV is normally 8x8, but can be switched to 8x4 for road use; in this case, the four rear wheels become the drive wheels.  The Stryker has central tire pressure regulation.  The crew and troop compartments have air conditioning and heating, as well as an automatic fire detection and suppression system.  The engine compartment and fuel tanks also have an automatic fire detection and suppression system.  Boxes are mounted on the rear third of the sides of the Stryker to store vehicle, crew, and troop equipment; nonetheless, most crew and personal equipment is carried inside the vehicle to prevent contamination.  The Driver and Commander are also full crewmembers, and may add their expertise to the crew.  The M1135 has a small 20kW APU to power instruments when the engine is off.

     The crew has a small laptop containing NBC field manuals, tech manuals, and bulletins, as well as the tech and field manuals on their vehicle.  The driver is in a cab on the front left, with the commander to his right, surrounded on the right and front with information about contamination, computer results, meteorological results, and the results of reconnaissance scans, and a large-capacity hard drive to record them.  The gunner’s role is filled by one of the two rear crewmembers, with a downlinked screen for firing the RWS-mounted machinegun.  This gun may be aimed, fired, and loaded without opening a hatch.  There are two clusters of four smoke grenade launchers, similar to those of M1132 ESV, on either side of the RWS.  On the roof, six flare launchers with a specific color are mounted to provide an immediate alert to other friendly forces.  The RWS has the same shortcomings as that of the ESV’s RWS, though it does not carry Javelin ATGMs.  Though the use of only two crewmembers in the back might seem to make the rear rather spacious for the crewmembers, in practice the interior is filled over much of its volume with various sorts of equipment.

(1) Roof AV is 3; Floor AV is 4Sp.  The mine plow can protect the front depending on how it is situated – it has an AV of 10Sp.

(2) The bar/slat armor provides a sort of “double spaced armor” effect depending upon the face it hits – if the front or sides are hit, 4D6 damage is removed from the hit’s penetration if the Stryker is hit by HE-type rounds.  The rear face’s bar/slat armor protects the rear face only on 20% of hits – the rest of rear face hits have only an AV of 6.  The front of the ESV does not have bar/slat armor – the plow or tools prevent this. Roof AV is 3, Floor AV is 4Sp. The mine plow can protect the front depending on how it is situated – it has an AV of 10Sp.

(3) Roof AV is 4, Floor AV is 5Sp.  Hits from certain angles (front and sides) will have a “composite-spaced” armor effect – divide incoming hits by two for HE-type warhead hits, then subtract 2D6. The mine plow can protect the front depending on how it is situated – it has an AV of 10Sp.

(4) Roof AV is 4, Floor AV is 5Sp.  Hits from certain angles (front and sides) will have a “spaced-composite-spaced” effect – divide incoming hits by two for HE-type warhead hits, then subtract 4D6. The front of the ESV does not have bar/slat armor – the plow or tools prevent this. The mine plow can protect the front depending on how it is situated – it has an AV of 10Sp.

Oshkosh MATV Engineer

     Notes: This MRAP-type vehicle is based on the standard MATV (Mine-protected All-Terrain Vehicle) APC.  Instead of infantry, it is modified to carry a combat engineer squad and its equipment.  As such, it carries six passengers plus crew (who are also combat engineers, copious amounts of C-4 and sometimes other explosives, and the equivalent of several engineer demo chests, as well as several mines of various types, a handheld mine detector, and ancillary equipment the squad may need such as rope, metal banding, plastic ties, wire rope and hemp rope, 2x4 boards of several lengths, two blast blankets and suchlike.  It also carries an engineer robot, and special electrical interfaces such as a power station for the robot, and a BMS with GPS.  The MATC Engineer is in use by the US Army, Marines, and Navy, and by the New Iraqi Army, the Kurdish separatists, and Afghanistan.  There is also hot interest from several other countries, but the MATV is in stiff competition from South African designs.

     The rear hatch is extra wide, not only for quick ingress and egress, but for the rapid equipment of the robot and other supplies needed. If necessary, the Engineer vehicle can mount a mine roller as the front; the controls for the mine roller are already installed in the driver’s station as standard.  The vehicle is an MRAP, with V-shaped lower hull, spaced armor for the hull, and blast-resistant seats.  The tires are of the run-flat type and puncture resistant, and the suspension is independent for all four wheels (Oshkosh calls the suspension the TAK-4 suspension).  The MATV engineer has a compact 20kW APU partially under armor.  The MATV has a turbocharged 370 horsepower intercooled engine with direct fuel injection.  The transmission is a 6-speed automatic transmission.  The MATV Engineer has on each fender a cluster of four smoke grenade launchers.

     The crew consists of the driver and commander, who are in the forward cab, and the engineer crew.  One of the engineer squad functions as a gunner; normally, he mans a machinegun in an Oshkosh Gunner Protection Kit, consisting of all around gun shields on a rotating cupola; the gun shields have bullet-resistant windshields on them for observation.  For the most part, MATV Engineers without RWSs have no vehicle-equipped night vision, but the commander, driver, and gunner normally wear NODs.  Inside the vehicle with the hatches closed, the MATV has NBC Overpressure; this is backed by a vehicular NBC system and an air evacuator to remove contamination present inside the cabin and cab. Air conditioning and heating are also present. Present in the vehicle is a small computer with combat engineer manuals and documents to aid the engineers in difficult operations; this includes tech manuals of the vehicle itself. An RWS is an option, and used on some Engineer vehicles.  On the right rear is a spare tire of the same type as on the wheels.

     Oshkosh says the MATV Engineer may have in the back nine engineers, but troops say that is ridiculous and terribly cramped.  Normally, six passengers if the largest recommended size for engineer use; most units will only carry four troops in the back.  I have used the six-passenger figure below.