ULTRA Safe?

Navy researchers tap new survivability technologies for an armored vehicle concept of the future

By MATT HILBURN, Associate Editor

Humvees, the family of armored cars widely used in Iraq and elsewhere, have proven to be vulnerable. In Iraq, hundreds of U.S. soldiers and Marines have been killed or wounded in Humvee-related incidents.

It’s no secret the Marine Corps wants a new vehicle, despite improvements to the armor of the current fleet of Humvees, or High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicles. The planned replacement has a working name, the Joint Light Tactical Vehicle (JLTV), but its appearance and operational requirements have yet to be determined by a joint effort of the Marine Corps and Army.

The ULTRA Armored Patrol (AP) vehicle, a one-of-a-kind concept developed by a team from the Georgia Tech Research Institute and automotive engineering experts with NASCAR experience, may offer a glimpse of JLTVs of the future.

Jeff Bradel, manager of Marine Corps Maneuver Science and Technology at the Office of Naval Research (ONR), which sponsored ULTRA, said the main focus of the vehicle’s design is to improve occupant survivability in the event of an improvised explosive device (IED) attack, mine blast, small arms fire or simple road accident.

To that end, the futuristic looking vehicle incorporates an array of novel concepts. Inside the angular crew compartment, also called the “blast bucket,” are four interior seats arranged in a 360-degree configuration, with each occupant facing out. Marines in the field wanted to be able to see in all directions, Bradel said. The driver and rear gunner seats are equipped with video monitors that provide 360-degree vision.

None of the seats is directly over a tire, meaning troops are further away from an IED or mine. The seats are also much more shock absorbent than those in the current Humvee, which will make ULTRA a more comfortable ride and serve to reduce the chance of injury from the concussive force of an explosion.

Although the concept ULTRA is not armored, ONR is developing lighter, more durable skins that could withstand most types of attacks common in Iraq.

Storage capacity on ULTRA is roughly three times that of the current Humvee and is mostly on the exterior of the vehicle. In the event of an explosion, items in the cargo areas would be thrown away from the occupants, rather than becoming potentially lethal projectiles.

ULTRA also is equipped with four pressure release tubes, which run from the underside of the vehicle through the top. Bradel said the tubes could help disperse blast force up and out of the vehicle, away from the Marines inside.

“The purpose of this program was to look outside the box to come up with some new technologies to improve survivability,” said Bradel.

Bradel said the ULTRA AP was developed in less than one year at a cost of $2.8 million. ULTRA is built on a Ford F-350 pickup chassis, one of many commercial-off-the-shelf parts used in the design. By using commercial parts, builders were able to construct the vehicle more quickly and rapidly replace any broken parts.

The next step is to evaluate the performance of the ULTRA. According to Bradel, ONR also is working on ideas such as an advanced suspension program, material programs focusing on improving armor, rocket-propelled grenade defense and ballistic net concepts. He said several concept vehicles likely will be developed in the future to be evaluated for possible application on the JLTV.