An M1075 palletized load system truck and an M915 line-haul tractor are equipped with add-on kits that transform the
vehicles to be fully autonomous. (Photo by Bruce Huffman)
assigned missions remotely using one
operator control unit.
Autonomous ground resupply
technologies have several potential
benefits:
Reduce constraints related to Soldier endurance.
Reduce Soldiers’ exposure to vehicle accidents.
Increase logistics efficiencies and
throughput capabilities.
Reduce vehicle fuel consumption
through resupply efficiencies.
Expand options for delivery frequency.
Imagine a 12-vehicle convoy comprising three gun trucks, eight sustainment vehicles, and one recovery
vehicle. This convoy currently requires at least 27 Soldiers. The implementation of AMAS will potentially
reduce this requirement to as few as
nine Soldiers.
Additive Manufacturing
Additive manufacturing (AM),
also known as 3-D printing, employs computer-aided design and
computer-aided manufacturing capabilities to create objects through
deposition, or layer-by-layer printing. Although currently being used
in a small commercial sector, AM is
being proposed as a near-term solution throughout the Department of
Defense for producing certain replacement parts at the point of need.
AM allows organizations to produce spare parts, supplies, and other required fabrications to improve
logistics metrics and operational
readiness to support requirements at
the strategic, operational, and tactical levels. The objective of AM is to
rapidly produce materiel to meet requirements at the point of need, thus
reducing the flow of demand back
through the entire supply chain.
AM machines that produce plastics
are already available at Army depots,
and the Rapid Equipping Force has
already developed a mobile capability that is in use in Afghanistan. AM
systems for plastics and polymers are
relatively well-developed compared
to metal systems and can be further
employed throughout the Army sustainment system today, provided the
right technical data is available for
parts, user controls, and materials.
Advanced AM capabilities for metallic components are relatively new
but progressing rapidly. Large AM
systems (for example, the Renishaw
AM250 laser melting machine) have
already been proven to have the capability to produce limited metallic
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