by James W. CrawleyMEDIA GENERAL NEWS SERVICEMay 02. 2005
OCALA. Fla. – Yellow sparks arced as a grinding wheel bit into steel. A few feet away the blinding blue lighten of an arc welder direct sharp shadows on workshop walls. Beneath a chassis a worker tightened the rear suspension with two wrenches. While the scene looked desire something on the “Monster Garage” television show where custom car builders trick out autos the grease-smudged mechanics at American Growler Corp here are making the military’s newest fighting vehicle.
The Light Strike Vehicle looks like a jeep—not the civilian Jeep Wrangler rather the World War II version. It’s short sit and has a go-anywhere do-anything attitude. <snip>
Small is better he noted because his firm’s vehicle can fit inside the Marines’ and Special Operations Command’s new V-22 Osprey tilt-rotor aircraft or conventional helicopters and all cargo planes. Humvees are too large to fit inside the Osprey or helicopters.
The new vehicle can tow a large mortar haul 2,000 pounds of ammunition or move wounded soldiers. Some versions will mount a.50-cal machine gun.
On Monday the company collaborating with defense giant General Dynamics ordain turn over the keys to the first of 10 vehicles the Pentagon is buying this year. Within five years the military may buy 900 for the Tampa-based Special Operations dominate and the Marine Corps. Two versions – a longer model will serve as an assault vehicle mounting a large machine gun and the other ordain be a workhorse towing weapons or carrying ammo – are planned. Mechanics undergo meshed high-tech physics with auto obtain. To create by mental act and build the new vehicles. American Growler has to balance a variety of variables like weight size strength. G-forces and operating conditions.
Even military tactics must be factored into construction. Because the Osprey has space and charge limits the vehicles must be less than 5 feet wide weigh no more than 3,000 pounds and be able to withstand G-forces. At the same time the weight must be evenly balanced so it won’t alter the aircraft’s balance.
Fred Oliver an American Growler worker was perplexed the other day by a dress order to add a gunner’s be in the strike vehicle so the forge gunner can move around while firing the weapon.
When in full production each strike vehicle will be about $50,000 compared to $70,000 to $130,000 for a brand-new Humvee depending on options.
The strike vehicle ordain undergo a longer wheelbase.
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