Assault kitchen offers faster field feeding.

The assault kitchen (AK) developed by the Food Service Equipment Team at the Army Soldier Systems Center in Natick, Massachusetts, offers a way to provide hot meals quickly to forward-deployed units. Beginning in 2007, the Army will use the AK to feed company-sized units in the field instead of the current kitchen, company-level field feeding (KCLFF).

The AK consists of a high-mobility, multipurpose wheeled vehicle (HMMWV) and trailer packed with equipment that either eliminates, transfers, or replaces the separate KCLFF components with a mobile platform that holds all of its components. Because of the lengthy setup time involved, frontline troops often elect to take only certain components of the KCLFF when they deploy. Included in the AK are six insulated beverage containers, three pan carriers to keep food trays warm, five insulated food containers, a 5-gallon fuel can, a fire extinguisher, a utensil box, a tray-ration heater to prepare unitized group ration heat-and-serve tray packs or number 10 food-service cans, and a maintenance kit for the tray-ration heater.

The towed trailer carries eight water cans, an ice chest, three tables, cargo netting to hold tray-pack boxes, stock pots, a cradle for preparing hot beverages, and an awning to cover the serving area during bad weather.

The AK's tray-ration heater operates on common battlefield fuels and draws electricity generated from the HMMWV through a mounted power inverter. Its portable, stainless steel water tank heats up to 18 tray packs, 15 number 10 food service cans, or a combination of the two in 30 to 45 minutes. Unlike the KCLFF's open-flame burners, which cannot be moved while in operation, the AK can offers a heat-on-the-move capability. Setup by two cooks takes as little as 10 minutes, and packing up is equally fast.

The Food Service Equipment Team plans to refine the system and complete additional testing during the next 2 years. Current plans call for the Army, the Marine Corps, and, potentially, the Air Force to combine their requirements for the AK and tray-ration heater into one economical production contract.