General Dynamics [GD] UK announced its ASCOD SV, candidate for the Future Rapid Effects System (FRES) Specialist Vehicle (SV) program, offers the option of early delivery for the heaviest direct fire vehicle variants as a result of its weight capability and turret design.
GD U.K. Chief Engineer John Abunassar said in a statement: “From day one, ASCOD SV offers full operation at 42 tons. This means it can carry a 120mm gun easily without compromising armor or performance. Our design for a large turret ring is an advantage for the soldiers inside that opens up the flexible option of an early path to the heaviest FRES SV vehicles.”
The ASCOD SV’s ability to carry out full operation at 42 tons is based on the technical maturity of the engine and transmission, which enables tremendous through-life growth, the company said. This is a significant advantage for the program, which is founded on a Common Base Platform to satisfy the full FRES SV fleet of 1,200-plus vehicles, including the heavy weight Direct Fire and bridge-layer.
The first FRES SV variants include the Scout, for which ASCOD SV has a turret designed to maximize space for soldiers inside. The large turret-ring diameter of 1.7 meters is wider than older vehicles such as Warrior, and the design increases space further by placing the main ammunition feed under armor outside the turret crew compartment, the company said. This gives soldiers room for modern display screens, comfort for long periods inside the turret and ease of movement, even wearing full body armor and future wearable systems. With the need for military electronics ever-expanding on operations, the turret allows significant room for new systems to be fitted without compromising the design of the vehicle.
ASCOD SV is designed to offer the option of an early, low-risk path to a Direct Fire variant. General Dynamics has already fitted earlier variants of ASCOD in Europe for heavy direct fire roles. ASCOD SV’s large turret diameter is designed to be expanded to 2.1 meters, easily carrying, for example, a 120mm gun on a 1.9 meter-turret ring. The vehicle’s 42-ton capability allows it to carry such a gun at this higher weight without compromising full performance or its ability to carry the full FRES armor.
The turret design combines with the high power-distribution capability of the General Dynamics open Electronic Architecture, which allows new-generation systems to be plugged in as required and power generation to be expanded.