Land Mobility for Special Operations Forces

摘要

The return to national and alliance defence in the Western Hemisphere has consequences for training, personnel, materiel and tactics and this is not just limited to any one troop category. As a result, many countries are currently reviewing the capabilities that their Special Operations Forces (SOF) require in order for them to be ready for national and alliance defence in the future.. Overall, a shift in the focus of SOF can be expected, with counter-terrorism an additional component in the matrix. SOF will again have to conduct conventional warfare against peer opponents, but will need to do so in a flexible and unconventional manner. The focus will be on the tasks of Military Assistance (MA), Direct Action (DA) and Special Reconnaissance (SR). SOF units must be fast and highly mobile on land, as well as airmobile, and the SOF community therefore needs highly mobile vehicles with reduced visual, noise and electro-magnetic signatures. Additional needs include connection to a Battle Management System (BMS) at higher command levels, as well as an appropriately integrated power supply to accommodate the necessary radio equipment, sensors and effectors. Future motorisation also plays an important role in the current development of land vehicles. For example, test vehicles are being developed and built that use classic combustion engines, but also incorporate a hybrid-electric or a purely electric drive. In the case of hybrid and purely electric drives, care will have to be taken to ensure that they can still be transported as internal and external loads in aircraft, including helicopters, despite the potential hazards posed by batteries. In this regard, US Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) is developing a number of concept vehicles, including the Purpose-Built Non-Standard Commercial Vehicle (PB-NSCV), a hybrid-elec- tric ground mobility vehicle (GMV) 1.1, a hybrid-electric version of the Light Tactical All-Terrain Vehicle (LTATV), the LTATV MRZR X military hybrid vehicle, and an autonomous LTATV. All are expected to feature lower weight and more payload. The NSCVs will include current models found in Asia and around the world, including pick-ups and sport utility vehicles (SUVs) such as the Toyota Hilux, Toyota Land Cruiser, Mercedes-Benz G or Volkswagen Touareg.