NLOS Cannon Travels 10,000 Virtual Miles During Reliability Tests

BAE Systems, MINNEAPOLIS: BAE Systems has driven the Future Combat Systems’ (FCS) Non-Line-of-Sight (NLOS) Cannon more than 10,000 miles through its one-of-kind test center that evaluates the reliability of the NLOS Cannon in an operational environment. 
 
“Through our specially designed Mission Equipment Vibration Table (MEVT), we are taking the NLOS Cannon through a 20-year life-span within 12-18 months,” said Jim Unterseher, BAE Systems vice president of Army Programs. “This enables us to pinpoint and correct any reliability issues on-site and apply design changes to the prototypes that will be rolled out this year so that soldiers will not experience reliability problems during tests in the field.” 
 
The NLOS Cannon has reliability requirements that are 10-times higher than seen on vehicles operating in combat today. In order to thoroughly test NLOS Cannon mobility and firing, BAE Systems developed the MEVT in Sept. 2006 as a way to identify and mitigate system failures early in the design cycle to achieve unprecedented reliability for fielded NLOS Cannons. 
 
The MEVT focuses on early identification of failures by replicating gun fire shock, vibration, thermal, humidity, and dust contamination all in one environment. The table is the first of its kind for combat vehicles and is capable of testing products up to 27,000 pounds. It emulates all types of future terrains such as trench crossings, ditches and blockades, as well as various climate conditions such as extreme heat and sub-zero temperatures. 
 
The MEVT testing of the NLOS Cannon conducted on the design floor at BAE Systems allows designers to become involved in the testing process to identify problems as they occur and mitigate them on the spot. The MEVT testing allows for instituting 20 years of possible design fixes into the original NLOS Cannon design to help speed up the design and development process. 
 
The NLOS Cannon, being developed in partnership with the Lead Systems Integrator team of Boeing and Science Applications International Corporation, will be the first of the eight Manned Ground Vehicle (MGV) variants to be developed and fielded as part of the FCS program. 
 
“FCS MGVs will provide the Army with a new family of networked vehicles, based on a common chassis, that will feature next-generation survivability and sustainability features,” said Roger Bescancenez, Boeing Integrated Product Team leader for FCS Manned Ground Vehicles. 
 
BAE Systems is the premier global defense and aerospace company delivering a full range of products and services for air, land and naval forces, as well as advanced electronics, information technology solutions and customer support services. With 97,500 employees worldwide, BAE Systems' sales exceeded $31.4 billion in 2007.