Changes all round - the future of the AFV: following the dreadful events of September 11th 2001, media declarations that `the world has changed' soon became over-used journalistic cliches.

Changes all round - the future of the AFV: following the dreadful events of September 11th 2001, media declarations that `the world has changed' soon became over-used journalistic cliches. Yet it seems that no facet of human activity will ever be the same again, from impositions on previously enjoyed personal freedoms to the very nature of military activities at all levels, as well as much else. It could even be proposed that the former actively pursued levels of military might have suddenly been negated in the face of an elusive enemy that cannot be fought in conventional ways. (Complete Guide)

Time alone will reveal exactly how the fight against international terrorism will alter the way future armed forces can expect to be organised and operate. One thing is for sure. The way old adversaries have managed to put aside past differences and combine against a common foe has finally emphasised there is no longer a desperate need for the massive standing armed forces that have dominated military philosophies since the 1940s. Those standing forces still contain tanks. For some time after 1940 the tank dominated the battlefield and, in their protagonists' view, it still does, but those protagonists are now having to think again.

The tank is only one form of armoured fighting vehicle (AFV). It is a powerful mobile combat platform, yet it is also something that has developed over the years to fight a type of battle that is increasingly unlikely to happen again. In certain parts of the world, tank battles might be expected to occur during future conflicts but the military is concentrating its thoughts against more unconventional, civilian-populated adversaries more and more. The resultant operations will lack the attention-hogging highlights of massed armoured attacks, stand-up battles and dashing manoeuvres normally associated with land warfare. Instead, future conflicts will increasingly assume a pattern of routine patrolling, check points, surveillance, information gathering and all the many other unspectacular drudgeries that low intensity warfare brings in its train.

From time to time there will no doubt be a role for the heavy main battle tank, apart from always acting as a protected transport or fire support vehicle should things get sticky. They could assist in imposing impressions of authority and force on local populations while making potential opponents think twice before attempting anything aggressive, even though such passive roles could equally well be carried out by lighter vehicles.

Changes

A partial but not complete solution to such strategic and tactical challenges is to leave behind many of the previously well-established concepts of AFV design and combat criteria. It takes no great depth of thought to appreciate that future AFVs are to be smaller, lighter and more agile, whatever their combat function. Transporting smaller and lighter AFVs will thus be more painless, especially during airborne moves, while once on the ground such vehicles will be that much easier and handier to manoeuvre in tight situations.

Yet size and weight are not the only considerations in AFV design. The power and capabilities of current anti-armour weapons are such that even the heaviest MBT remains vulnerable to hand-held anti-armour weapons. AFV occupants will still need as high a level of protection, active and passive, against such hazards as can be devised.

The old tank criteria of balanced firepower, movement and protection will still apply. Firepower is one area where technology seems to be keeping pace with protection, especially when gun performance can be supplemented by guided, long range missiles, although the mobility provided by ever more healthy power packs and drive trains seems to require little future emphasis. Smaller and smaller gun calibres are now required to achieve the armour penetration performances of only a few years ago, while the protection provided by novel forms of armour, including shaped charge disruption systems based on explosives, can mean that carapaces can become less massive. Protection factors can expect to be amplified by the incorporation of stealth techniques enhanced by ever more sophisticated methods of concealment against electronic and optical detection. At all times agility and speed will remain highly desirable.

Reducing overall dimensions is one thing, but AFVs still have many functions to fulfil. Until recently, MBTs and armoured personnel carriers (APC), the two base elements of armoured warfare, called for differing vehicle designs. That again can be expected to change. The former gap between heavily armed and armoured tanks and the less well-endowed armoured personnel carrier is already narrowing fast. Armoured personnel carriers evolved into infantry fighting vehicles, with their gun armament enhanced by the addition of anti-tank missiles to the extent that their lethality is fast approaching the level once expected only from main battle tanks. Vehicles combining both combat functions on one platform will emerge. Some are already with us, the Israeli Merkava being but one early indication.

On the Merkava the spare space available can house little more than an infantry weapon team, but future designs can be expected to provide accommodation for at least half an infantry squad. As electronics, along with power packs, become smaller and mechanised ammunition handling is increasingly introduced there will be a corresponding decrease in vehicle crew strength, theoretically leaving more space for passengers.

Such combined function platforms will never entirely replace the foot soldier's armoured carrier. Not only will they be able to carry more troops but the armoured personnel carrier's versatile hull can be adapted for all manner of battlefield tasks, from weapon carrier to ambulance.

More to come

None of the forecasts made above have come about directly as a result of September 11th. They were all apparent well before then but the resultant change of military emphasis from armoured warfare to dealing with terror-based organisations has suddenly altered the picture to an unforeseen extent and imposed a new perspective. It seems the importance of the AFV as a major combat platform will gradually decrease but it will never go away.

One further restraint against sudden change is that there are currently thousands of AFVs of all types in service all over the world. Just because their value has recently been demonstrated to be in partial decline, those armoured fighting vehicles still have long anticipated service life expectancies ahead. They cannot, and will not, be phased out overnight. New ways of using them will be found, and their very form will no doubt be altered to suit those requirements. There will always be the possibility that somewhere, somehow, the old spectre of full-scale conflict of the size of past AFV battles will still arise - volatile sectors of the Middle East and sub-continental Asia come to mind. For this latter reason alone, the heavy AFV will continue to be developed and procured, although on what overall scale is still difficult to determine.

Riding Light on Tread

Predictions made by a number of observers some ten years ago were hardly taken seriously, particularly by armed forces decision makers, but are now proving to materialise. Yes, the medium-weight wheeled armoured vehicle can indeed be as useful as its tracked counterpart.

Many innovations require a user to adapt and this rule is also true of the wheeled vehicle, bearing in mind that today the selection of an armoured vehicle represents a 40-year commitment. While new materials and techniques have enabled the wheeled vehicle to make a quantum leap in off-road performance and weapon carrying capabilities, there remains that in extreme conditions certain habits or approaches nevertheless still have to be adapted to circumstances. In fact, most present-day conflicts have little in common with the constraints imposed by the feared massive east-west confrontation. This being said, there are now very few instances where the wheel would not be able to follow the track (see Riding on Track section). Certainly, some may argue that in appalling conditions, wheeled vehicles would find it difficult to move in a terrain totally broken up by main battle tanks. But in modern warfare, does one really need (or want, for this matter) an armoured personnel carrier to follow a main battle tank strictly on its heels?

Recent Stars Are Wheels

All-new armoured fighting vehicle announcements are generally few and far between, but in 2001 only no less than four have made the headlines and all are wheeled: the Mowag Piranha IV, the Singapore Technologies Kinetics Terrex, the VBCI and the Steyr-Daimler-Puch Pandur II. Of these select four, and at time of writing, two already existed in the flesh and were proudly displayed at the recent DSEi exhibition in London.

Typical markets, other than "home", are Belgium (which wants to replace all its different tracked vehicles with a single-family wheeled type), Poland, Germany, Turkey, Brazil, Greece, Cyprus, Denmark, South Africa and eventually Spain to name but a few.

Piranha IV

Noblesse (or rather finish) oblige, this section dedicated to wheeled vehicles opens on the Swiss development because of all the 2001-vintage prototypes seen to date, the Piranha IV's level of finish is the most advanced. As a matter of fact, the standard of finish of the vehicle seen at DSEi made the prototype look like a production unit. This is all the more remarkable that metal cutting had started only a few months before the English event.

This being said, the Piranha IV owes its name more to the fact that it is a new design from Kreuzlingen than to the fact that it is the new heir of a long established family. New from the ground up, it is a much larger vehicle to the extent that it is not C-130 roll-on roll-off (ro-ro) capable (although it can be transported by Hercules with preparation). Every thing around and inside the vehicle oozes safety.

A quick look inside the 12.5 cubic metre cabin reveals a clever passenger seat configuration reminiscent of the Merkava. Supplied by Armatec in Canada, these are bolted onto the ... roof! Of course this subterfuge is not aimed at facilitating floor sweeping, but at minimising the vertical acceleration in the event of a mine explosion. For the same reason, the seats are equipped with footrests to isolate the occupants from the floor. This being said, the three-plate compartmented floor throughout the length of the vehicle is protected against eight kilograms of trinitrotoluene (the lower plate is V-shaped).

The Piranha IV features a totally digitally controlled electrical system. In the model exhibited at DSEi, the front bulkhead carried a multi-function display connected to a Cots computer, a similar display would also be fitted to the driver position. This multiple function, open architecture facility developed by Mowag itself enables the entire vehicle's `health' to be monitored and the crew to exploit a battlefield management system, control CCD or thermal cameras and even enable the driver to use a night vision device. The ability of a commander or a driver to control external cameras is a clear example of the efforts being indulged in to increase environmental awareness and therefore safety in this category of vehicle.

To finish with the safety and comfort aspects, overhead adjustable vents carry central conditioned air to each occupant, as in an aircraft.

The Piranha IV is made of welded steel plate (with facilities for add-on armour) resting on eight wheels, the struts of which are identical all round. The suspension, which affords a 320 mm stroke, is of the semi-active type, which enables the vehicle to adapt ride to terrain condition. As said above, the level of finish of the vehicle is astonishing for a prototype, but a company official nevertheless told Armada that more testing was required, particularly to assess the life cycles.

Turning to armament capability, the vehicle is designed to take a 105 mm turret, "perhaps even a 120 mm". E3emission compliant horses are typically supplied by a 400 kW MTU diesel which, through a ZF seven-speed auto-box, gives a top road speed of 100 km/hour, although a Caterpillar C9 engine could be had as an alterative.

Mowag has a licensing agreement with Vickers, and is having discussions with Germany as well as other potential customers.

Terrex AV81

When announcing the development of the Terrex at the 2001 Idex show in Abu Dhabi (see issue 3/2001, page 60), a Singapore Technologies Kinetics official told Armada's Editor-in-Chief that the vehicle would feature a removable roof, and better still, that this roof would be field-interchangeable. This was of course the very first thing the Editor checked when the actual Terrex made its public d6but at DSEi. Indeed, this must be one of the main aspects of modularity about the Terrex, not only enabling it to be fitted with various kind of overhead turrets when the vehicle is not used for plain troop transport, but also allows it to be converted into a mobile mortar system with swing roof doors. As it so happened, the Singaporean company was also unveiling said mortar in London. Maximum turret size would be 105 mm.

At 17.5 tonnes, the Terrex is somehow lighter than its Swiss counterpart, although its absolute maximum operational weight could be increased to 25 tonnes (basic empty weight is thirteen tonnes), probably to enable it to cope with the demands of a planned ... 155 mm howitzer version. Asked how the company could produce so many new designs in such a short time, a company official said that one of their strategies was to use as many known but proven components rather than try to reinvent the wheel. For instance, the entire rolling suite was designed by Timoney, providing a total suspension stroke of 400 mm (250 down and 150 up from normal resting position).

Made of welded steel plate, the Terrex design draws on experience gained with the development of the Bronco when it comes to mine protection. It has a double floor, the lower V-shaped, that protects it from a mighty 12 kg of TNT blast, a feature that was apparently demonstrated with the Bronco. The vehicle, featured as our title picture, looks massive for its size - and it is: with its removable roof, the entire hull has to rely on absolute stiffness of the floor pan for overall rigidity. While Singapore Technologies did its utmost to display its prototype at DSEi, the vehicle is obviously still a long way from being frozen as far as design is concerned (for instance the 12.2 [m.sup.3] rear compartment was absolutely bare). The manufacturer obviously wants to be able to input as many desiderata from potential customers regarding armouring, for example. As the company says, "it has tremendous potential for technology insertion - for instance, hydro-pneumatic suspension, hydraulic or hybrid drive systems" and so forth.

C-130 ro-ro capable, it is presently powered by a Caterpillar C9 engine with 400 kW on tap, but an MTU Europack could also be used. As for road speed, the Terrex would be a greyhound, being able to reach 120 km/hour.

And Now a Pandur II

It was bound to happen. A successful vehicle like the Pandur had to see a new generation if it were to stay on an even keel with the rest of the pack being thrown on the market. Recently announced by Steyr-Daimler-Puch, the Pandur II also introduces an 8 x 8 version. Although it draws on experience gained with the first series, particularly the ambulance type with its mid-axle brought closer to the front one to provide more internal space, the Pandur II is also new from footprint up.

In designing this new generation, the Austrian manufacturer told Armada that great attention was given to reports from users in Kosovo, particularly insofar as internal space and external volume are concerned: "The advantage is that it is not too big" a company official told Armada. Total redesign, whilst retaining the double-floor pan concept that sandwiches the drive and steering trains, also allowed improving adaptability for amphibious operations. The steel hull is safe against 7.62 armour piercing rounds, although provisions for add-on armour enables customers to meet their own requirement, but typically this would protect the frontal arc against 14.5 mm and the sides against 12.5 mm. Suspension components appear to have been carried over from the earlier series and provide for a +120 mm and - 158 mm stroke. Steered axles (the two front ones on both vehicle types) rest on a coil spring and twin arm layout while the rear axle(s) use a torsion bar and trailing arm. It goes without saying (at least with present generation vehicles) that a central inflation system is fitted to vary tyre pressure according to needs while rims are equipped with Hutchinson run-flat inserts.

The 8 x 8 has a 90 per cent commonality with the 6 x 6, but sees its combat weight soar from 15/16 tonnes to 19/20 tonnes, enabling it to carry a 105mm turret, whereas its smaller brother would be limited to a 90 mm weapon - typically a Cockerill turret. However, one of the reasons commanding the development of the 8 x 8 would stem from a call for tenders in Poland that requires a family of both 6 x 6 and 8 x 8 vehicles.

Nevertheless, the Pandur II is also succumbing to the mortar call and a concept study is underway with Sto Ravne in Slovenia to adapt the Israeli Soltam 120 mm mortar.

A first couple of prototype 6 x 6s are being put through their paces (one of which in amphibious guise), while an 8 x 8 prototype is expected to start chasing them up on the Austrian proving grounds in February 2002.

VBCI

Closing the march of this quartet, the Satory MV VBCI has the uncommon peculiarity of not yet existing in the flesh and yet of being the only one of the four to be the object of a firm production order.

Satory MV is an equal-share partnership company set up by Giat Industries and Renault VI to manage the VBCI programme, and is therefore the industrial prime contractor. To cut a long story short, the VBCI (vehicule blind6 de combat d'infanterie) saga started as the 1990s French VBM project, subsequently to become bi-national with Germany's GTK requirement to finally get overthrown by the new tri-nation tender launched when the British Mrav programme entered the scene, to have in fine been rejected by France on the grounds that it no longer met this nation's needs.

In November 2000, the French government placed a package contract that included the design, development, industrialisation and production (involving a firm order for 65 vehicles) and several production options covering the order of up to 700 vehicles. The VBCI will come in two versions, the VCI (infantry combat vehicle) and VPC (command post). The first prototypes are expected to run in 2004, followed by initial production in early 2005 and delivery of the 65th vehicle in mid-2006.

In the Satory MV deal, Giat is in charge of hull, armour, visionics, communications, armament (25 mm Dragar turret), Sit information system terminal in the VCI and Sir regimental information system in the VPC, and final integration. Renault, for its part, handles the entire dynamic suite - from engine to wheel - electrics and driving station. Of the 700 hundred vehicles mentioned above, 550 will be VCI and 150 VPC.

Unlike its counterparts, the VBCI hull is made of welded aluminium plate. This allows for a lightweight structure that can then be loaded a la carte with add-on armour. Typically though, the basic vehicle, empty, tips the scales at 17.7 tonnes to reach a maximum combat weight of 25.6 tonnes for the VCI and 23.3 tonnes for the VPC, which would receive more protection on the frontal arc, while all-round RPG7-proof armour can be fitted.

Suspension on twin wishbones is oleo-pneumatically dampened, while the 405 kW dispensed by the Renault engines propels the vehicle at over 100 km/h on road - the claimed maximum unrefuelled range of 750 km would be achieved at a more senatorial pace.

Metal cutting is to start in 2002, but before moving to prototype stage modules will undergo a number of tests to prove protection against 14.5 mm rounds and mines. Mine protection specification is currently against a TNT equivalent of five kilograms, but according to Giat this could grow to seven kilos.

Contrary to a widespread belief, the VCI is not intended to replace the Vab in France but rather more the AMX10. Outside, the largest and closest identified market is Belgium which has plans to buy 800 new wheeled vehicles. These would include heavy armament - up to 105 mm. An immediate advantage for a neighbouring country is ease of logistic support, an argument that also plays in favour of the competing GTK.

Al Fahd & BTR-90

First seen at Idex in 1999, the A1 Fahd is worthy of a few words due to its unusual configuration compared with most vehicles seen here. The vehicle was developed to specifically meet the Saudi Arabian Armed Forces requirements and is built by the Abdallah Al-Faris company. The later model, designated AF-40-80-2 ARFV, has a hull made of steel and lined with Kevlar, but its front-mounted air-cooled 400 hp Deutz tencylinder engine has been replaced by a similarly cooled but rear-mounted, 550 hp twelve-cylinder diesel. This armoured fighting and reconnaissance vehicle can receive a 105 mm turret. As could be expected the vehicle is fitted with a powerful air-conditioning system, and its differential steering enables it to turn over a circle of 7.5 metres. Its 550 litres of fuel afford it a range of 600 km (against 800 for the -1) while maximum speed through its ZF 6WG-200 gearbox is 90 km/hour.

A relatively newcomer is the Arzamas BTR-90, primary missions of which are transportation, surveillance, reconnaissance, patrolling, artillery gun towing and evacuation/recovery of damaged combat vehicles. An amphibious vehicle, its hull is made of all-welded armoured steel plate. Placing the engine in the rear, the combat compartment in the front and the assault team compartment in the middle is said to provide an even weight distribution on the tires and to facilitate the use of the assault team's weaponry in the front hemisphere. The high-angle-of-fire turret ensures more effective engagement of fast-approaching aerial targets.

The commander and gunner are situated in the turret, and the driver and seven troopers in the front and middle parts of the vehicle. Also, accommodated as they are in the central section - the least rolling and pitching zone - troops get less tired and are able to endure lengthy off-road marches. Two-side doors facilitate rapid dismounting/boarding. Side portholes plus two others in the roof enable the occupants to fire their individual weapons. In addition, two hatches installed on the roof allow crew members to toss out hand grenades, fire a light grenade launcher or man-portable `Strela'/`Igla' air defence missiles.

Powered by a four-stroke, multi-fuel, turbo-charged, liquid-cooled diesel engine and eight-wheel full drive, the BTR-90 vehicle can cross 2.1-metre trenches, climb 30 per cent slopes and overcome 0.8-metre vertical walls. The four front wheels steer, but differential steering enables the vehicle to turn on a twelve-metre circle.

The BTR-90 is equipped with a fully stabilised KBP turret mounting a 30 mm automatic gun, a 7.62 mm coaxial machine gun and a 30 mm grenade launcher. Targets, including helicopters, can be engaged at ranges of 2.5 km, however anti-tank guided missiles can be installed to increase range against armour to four kilometres.

The fire control system consists of a BPKZ-42 combined day/night gunner's sight and a 1P-13 day sight for the commander. On request, the BPK-M-type gunner sight with a thermal imager made by Sat in France can be installed. The communications suite includes an R-163-50U UHF radio set with an R163UP UHF receiver and an R-174 intercom. Collective NBC protection, automatic fire fighting and remote smoke screen laying systems round up the equipment.

Riding On Track

While the Wheeled vehicle is now being glorified by many nations, there are certain regions, due to prevailing weather or the very nature of their terrain, that require tracked vehicles, namely those that are affected by heavy snow falls and marshy land. Some in the Scandinavian region (particularly in the north) fill both conditions.

Again, Singapore Technologies Kinetics is the firm that is amongst the developers of the latest vehicles in this category, having recently introduced the Bronco and the Bionix. However, an even more recent tracked vehicle has emerged from Belarus, the Stalker

Stalker

Incredibly sleek - it is only 2.50 metres high - the Stalker 2T was a head turner at the Idex exhibition in early 2001. Primarily intended as a reconnaissance vehicle, the Stalker 2T was developed by Minotor-Service UE in Minsk on private company funds, but the Belorussian Army is said to have an initial requirement for 30 units. Fuel capacity was not given, but its 620 kW engine is said to give it a comfortable top speed of 95 km/hour and a range of 1000 km. It tips the scales at 27.4 tonnes and is said to have a special anti-radar and infrared paint. According to Minotor, all vetronics are of local origin and include multichannel (day/night) surveillance and sighting systems for the gunner and the commander (one each) while the driver benefits from a rear-looking TV camera in addition to three classic forward-view periscopes. The day and night sights are used to operate the weapons while gathered information is radio transmitted to a command post. The weapons of the Stalker are discussed in the armament section of this survey.

Bronco

The Bronco was until recently known as the ATTC and while more regarded as an armoured troop transport, it is now undergoing interesting developments for other applications. The vehicle is in mass production for the Singaporean armed forces (the figure, as always with this nation, is classified, but is believed to hover above the 500 mark).

The Bronco is currently being looked at as a mortar carrier, for which an open roof would be installed on the rear module, but more interestingly, an air-defence version is being envisaged. Due to balance constraints, such a turret, able to fire both guns and short-range missiles, would have to be installed on the front module, meaning that the engine would have to be moved to the rear module. According to a Singapore Technologies official, this would not pose a major problem due to the nature of the vehicle design. It must be remembered that, like the smaller Hagglunds BV206, the Bronco is not made up of a main vehicle and a trailer and that if it were to be deprived of its rear module, it would not be able to go anywhere. Indeed both modules are powered (linked by an articulated prop-shaft) but steering is effected by two powerful hydraulic actuators placed between the two modules that force them to adopt a > or < pattern when seen from above. Since both modules are also free to shift planes with respect to one another, ground contact - and therefore traction - is always present. Should one car loose grip the other is always ready to pull or push and thus lock the differential.

Made of 7.62 mm ball-proof welded steel, the Bronco accommodates a total of 16 troops (six in front and ten in the rear car) and runs at a maximum speed of 60 km/hour on seamless rubber tracks. The same tracks also propel it on water since the vehicle is fully amphibious. In addition to troop transports armed with a roof-mounted 7.62 mm machine gun and smoke grenade launchers, the Singaporean armed forces have ordered ambulance and logistic support versions complete with palletised load handling equipment. Singapore Technologies Kinetics told Armada that the Bronco had been tested against mines (twelve kilos of trinitrotoluene).

Bionix

Unveiled at the DSEi exhibition in 1999 (then held at Chertsey), the Singapore Technologies Bionix was born out of a requirement issued by the Singapore armed forces in the early 1990s and was rolled out on 5 September 1999.

Powered by a 475 hp Detroit Diesel 6V-92TA, it is produced in five different versions:

* Bionix 25 equipped with a two-man turret, itself fitted with a stabilised 25 mm Bushmaster cannon, day/night sight and three 7.62 mm guns (coax, anti-aircraft, rear mounted). It seats ten soldiers

* Bionix 40/50 equipped with a one-man 40 mm grenade launcher cupola. This version seats eleven soldiers

* Bionix ICV infantry carrier vehicle

* Bionix AVLB bridge launcher unveiled at Eurosatory in 2000

* Bionix Recovery Vehicle unveiled in February 2000.

The Bionix, with its steel hull, inner spall lining and ceramic armour, has an all-round protection against 14.5mm rounds fired from a range of 100 metres and features a hydro-pneumatic suspension. Transmission is via an automatic General Dynamics Land Systems HMPT-500-3C gearbox. It can undertake amphibious operations with preparation.

Importance of Strategic Mobility

No matter what the future may bring, one thing is certain. Mobility will prevail. Events such as the 1990-91 Gulf War gave time for Coalition forces to assemble equipment and organise before launching into what history may mark as the last of the old full-scale modern campaigns. Assembling forces to impose a political will on nations such as Afghanistan is quite another matter, as are the UN and Nato policing operations in the Balkans. More such operations can be expected in future.

The heavy AFV has always been unsuitable for such operations and may even have become a liability that requires more care and protection that its immediate military worth deserves. It has a further drawback in that it usually has to be transported, often over great distances, to where it is needed. That needs time and resources. At all levels of military activity, time is the one commodity that cannot be controlled or altered. It has become increasingly noticeable during many recent low intensity operations, such as in the Balkans, that the intervals from early disturbances to uncontrollable upheavals have become increasingly short.

Thus strategic mobility is becoming more and more important. While large cargo aircraft can carry AFVs over great distances rapidly, the number of heavy AFVs they can carry on each journey is usually limited, by weight restrictions, to but one at a time. Assembling a useful AFV fleet at some far-flung point will therefore need time, with a further necessity for considerable local ground resources at the eventual destination. Quite apart from the fact that few armed forces can normally expect access to such an air fleet, moving heavy AFVs is always a considerable task.

When the local balloon does go up it seems that it is now always in some unexpected spot far from anywhere and with a terrain unsuitable for heavy AFVs. Yet troops operating in such regions, once they get there, will still need some sort of fire support and protected transport, preferably with the two combined in one vehicle.