General Dynamics UK will unveil its Scout SV turret for ASCOD SV to visitors at DVD (Defence Vehicle Dynamics) 2010 tomorrow, demonstrating the advanced development of the Scout SV programme in its readiness to deliver the vehicle to the British Army on time and on budget.

The turret will be unveiled in mock-up form on the General Dynamics UK stand in the presence of members of the turret design team from Lockheed Martin UK Ampthill and Rheinmetall.

The ASCOD SV turret has been designed to maximise space and protection for the crew inside. The large turret-ring diameter of 1.7m is wider than that on older vehicles such as Warrior, and the design increases space further by placing the main ammunition feed under armour outside the turret crew compartment. This gives soldiers considerable room for modern display screens, comfort for long periods inside the turret and ease of movement, even wearing full body armour and future wearable systems. With the need for military electronics ever-expanding on operations, the turret allows significant room for new systems to be fitted without compromising the design of the vehicle.

The turret is designed around the CT40 Cased Telescoped Cannon System, which was successfully integrated and fired by turret provider Lockheed Martin UK Ampthill at the start of this year. The CT40 cannon is common to the Scout SV and Warrior CSP programmes and the MoD will benefit significantly from the commonality of work done by Lockheed Martin UK Ampthill on both programmes.

The Scout turret delivery team includes: DSG for assembly integration and test; Rheinmetall Land Systems for the turret structure, cannon mounting structure and CT40 integration; Ultra Electronics for power management; Curtiss Wright for turret drives and stabilisation control; Meggitt for the ammunition handling system; Moog for the slip ring; and Lockheed Martin UK Ampthill for fire control and training and as the turret integration authority. Over 75% of this work will be done in the UK.

The ASCOD SV’s hull is also designed to accommodate a 2.1m turret ring, easily carrying, for example, a 120mm gun so offering the option of an early, low-risk path to a Direct Fire variant. The vehicle’s 42-tonne capability allows it to carry such a gun at this higher weight without compromising full performance or its ability to carry the full Scout SV armour.

The turret design combines with the high power-distribution capability of the General Dynamics UK Core Infrastructure Distribution System (CIDS) open Electronic Architecture (EA), which allows new-generation systems to be plugged in as required and power generation to be expanded.

General Dynamics UK
28.06.2010