FCS Waste

Read this (http://www.governmentexecutive.com/story_page.cfm?filepath=/features/0507-01/0507-01s3.htm) and then explain to me how the Army brass can get away with something its OWN people have disproven? Their concepts are pie-in-the-sky ridiculous and OIF experience has showed them this, yet they continue? The military-industrial-congressional complex is alive and well indeed...

It comes down to the fact that 4 star (that should be behind bars) Shinseki did a lot of crap that will take the Army leaders of today another 10 years to fix.

Agreed... if they even want to!

The ICV Rifle Squad variant and ICV Weapons Squad variant each deliver 9-person infantry squads to a location from which they will conduct a close assault.

http://www.army.mil/fcs/icv.html
I wonder if anybody knows the answers to the following questions:

1. Does the above statement mean that the FCS ICV carries 9 infantry squad members in addition to the vehicle crew, or is 9 the total number of personnel in each ICV?

2. Does the term "9-person" mean that women are going to be incorporated into combat specialties (from which they had been previously banned), or is it just a concession to political correctness?

I wonder if anybody knows the answers to the following questions:

1. Does the above statement mean that the FCS ICV carries 9 infantry squad members in addition to the vehicle crew, or is 9 the total number of personnel in each ICV?

2 crew + 9 passengers

2. Does the term "9-person" mean that women are going to be incorporated into combat specialties (from which they had been previously banned), or is it just a concession to political correctness?

I don't really know



Talk about waste look at this: http://www.dtic.mil/ndia/2006smallarms/foltz.pdf

Looks like more DoD waste when we already have a P-mag that can be grounded into asphalt by a 3/4 ton truck then launched 35 yards onto a curb and still feed reliably!

http://youtube.com/watch?v=UCFXcOOb4jc

Magpul doesn't have a foot in the door of enough congress critters and DOD contract handlers, therefore they are fighting NIH syndrome just like everyone else has to.

Looks like my military-industrial-congressional comment is as applicable as ever... ;)

It is just ridiculous that they are going to do a "new spring and follower" again. How many times must they redo the same thing until they decide it sucks? Just P-MAG it and get it over with, but that won't happen like Coolhand said...

Does...the FCS ICV carries 9 infantry squad members in addition to the vehicle crew, or is 9 the total number of personnel in each ICV?
2 crew + 9 passengers
Hmm...do you know how they manage to do it? In order to fit into a C-130, the FCS vehicles will be limited to roughly the width of an M113. The pictures show FCS with 5 road wheels per side, same as M113, albeit with a larger gap between the third and fourth wheels. Considering the front slope angle, won't the passenger area be smaller than that of the BFV, which does not have anywhere near enough room for 9 infantrymen? Plus, there's the bigger 30mm gun turret, which I'd expect to consume more interior space than the Bradley's 25mm turret.

P.S. Only 2 crewmen? No gunner? Wait, I just looked at the picture again, and I see the turret is unmanned. Although that should reduce the need for a turret basket, it still doesn't look to me like there is sufficient room in the hull for much more than a fire team, let alone a full squad. Do you know if they've actually built an ICV that holds 9 dismounts?

The stryker holds the same amount of crew + dismounts. Though I don't know how "well" it fits into a C130, ie how much room is left. Since the ICV is currently vaporware I can only speculate that there would have to some kind of armor thickness compromise when trying to fit it into a C130

Since you have an unmanned turret I'm guessing you can decrease turret height. A stryker MGS turret is pretty large. Sporting a 105mm I'm guessing you can design thats small than that since it only needs carry a 30mm cannon.

The stryker holds the same amount of crew + dismounts. Though I don't know how "well" it fits into a C130, ie how much room is left.
Stryker is so big it just barely fits into a C-130, and even then the vehicle must first be partly disassembled. There is so little crawl space left after "shoehorning" it into the cargo hold, that a waiver of this safety requirement had to be requested.