US ARMY develops SMARTRUCK III

Gizmo covered the original Smartruck two years ago and it became one of our most popular stories in 2002 - but the new version is several levels of magnitude above the original model in capabilities.Built in partnership with International Truck and Engine Corporation, the machine showcases the latest in armour protection, highly-advanced communications and detection and deterrent capabilities, making the SMARTRUCK III a true mobile command-and-control center.

'It's the right truck for right now,' Dennis J. Wend, Director of the National Automotive Center told editors at the Society of Automotive Engineers' (SAE) 2004 World Congress. 'Our first focus is to bring forward this mobile unit for our soldiers here and abroad, but at the same time we've designed a number of commercial versions which can be easily modified to address homeland security or other priorities.' Specifically, Wend said some of the multiple applications would include:'For the Air Force, it can be a command-and-control center designed to monitor airfields and their vast surrounding areas.'For the Border Patrol and U.S. Marshals, SMARTRUCK III will detect the movement of personnel or vehicles in remote areas.'For Homeland Security, it is configured to monitor both bio threats and personnel movements.

'For a war zone, it brings state-of-the-art communications and detection systems while offering up-armored protection to withstand terrorist and insurgent roadside attacks.'And there are unlimited applications for commercial uses working with our International Truck and Engine partners for business and industry. This platform does it all!' The SmarTruck III was built for the NAC, the Army's official link to developing collaborative technologies with commercial and academic partners, by Integrated Concepts & Research Corporation (ICRC) of Madison Heights, MI, and Heart International of Grand Blanc, MI. The SMARTRUCK III owes its wide-appeal to its adaptable modular design and innovations in defence and occupant protection, field intelligence, communications and vehicle performance.

Defense and Occupant Protection

In military operations, SMARTRUCK III's vehicle systems are capable of detecting and responding to personnel movement, a bio-threat in the air or an incoming missile.

The vehicle armor, four-point safety belts, run flat tires and fire suppression systems enhance crew protection. SMARTRUCK III is equipped with a weapons station module featuring a remote controlled .50-caliber machine gun that rises from the back of the vehicle and has sniper-detection directional sound capabilities.

SMARTRUCK III's advanced perimeter defence capabilities are based on the military's F-CLAS system, named one of the Army Material Command's Top 10 Greatest Innovations of 2002. The system supports vehicle survivability from close-in threats like rocket-propelled grenades and antitank-guided missiles with anti-missile missiles deployed from behind SMARTRUCK III's side flares.

Also housed behind the side flares are smoke and tear gas canister launchers. SMARTRUCK III is outfitted with Level III ballistic protection (to withstand 7.62 x 51mm rounds) and can include armor flooring designed to dissipate the energy from a ground explosion away from the vehicle. An Automatic Fire Suppression System (AFSS) can sense an explosion or fire in the crew compartment and suppress it within milliseconds, thereby preventing harm to the occupants and reducing fire damage to the equipment. The vehicle diagnostics system will aid the crew in tracking vehicle health and/or identifying and resolving maintenance issues.Field IntelligenceThe highly-sophisticated Surveillance Module houses two primary camera systems: the periscope camera and the telemmersion system.

...continued