Next generation armoured infantry fighting vehicle

Deadline: Nov 5, 2024  
- 189 days

The Global Strategy for the European Union’s (EU) Foreign and Security Policy defines an integrated approach to conflicts “at all stages of the conflict cycle, acting promptly on prevention, responding responsibly and decisively to crises, investing in stabilisation and avoiding premature disengagement when a new crisis erupts”.

In order to support and, if necessary, enforce, the above approach, a credible deterrent is required to be rebuilt in terms of land combat capability with a priority focused on armoured vehicles in general and, in particular, on Armoured Infantry Fighting Vehicles.

Specific objective

Armoured Infantry Fighting Vehicles (AIFV) remain a pivotal element of land military manoeuvre, both in a conventional warfare context as well as in the asymmetric one, thanks to the combination of protection, mobility, and firepower. Nonetheless, AIFVs currently numbered in the fleet inventories of the EU Member States are to some extent either ageing or obsolete and, therefore, the same States face the compelling need to modernise their in-service platforms and replace those of them approaching the end of their operational life. There is also a need to accelerate the acquisition and increase the size of the AIFV fleets updating some of the new requirements stemming from the war in Ukraine and the new threat scenarios. Against this background, the upgrade of the current and development of the next generation armoured infantry fighting vehicle capable of outstanding operational effectiveness and mission success in all possible future scenarios are highly necessary.

Modularity, reduced crew workload, the integration of automatic systems, Manned-Unmanned Teaming (MUM-T), and increased survivability must guide design considerations.

Proposals must address studies and design for the upgrade of current armoured infantry fighting vehicles and the development of next generation armoured infantry fighting vehicle technologies, with desirable outputs for legacy platforms, including enabling and green technologies (eco-design or sustainable technologies), leading to a system level capable of outstanding operational effectiveness and mission success in all possible future scenarios. Furthermore, they must take into account aspects such as mobility, deployability (tactical and strategic ones), autonomy, firepower, maintainability, survivability and cyber security.

Thematic scope of the activities to be supported is preliminary studies, system analysis and early development phases. It includes considerations of the system in operational perspective and identification of specific subsystems that define the future operational environment and purpose of system within the future battlefield.

Moreover, proposals should include development efforts of a new common European “Armoured Infantry Fighting Vehicle” (AIFV), and when feasible have a high commonality with solutions in other future European combat vehicles.

Types of activities

The following table lists the types of activities which are eligible for this topic, and whether they are mandatory or optional (see Article 10(3) EDF Regulation):

Accordingly, the proposals must cover at least the following tasks as part of mandatory activities:

• Studies
  • Concept of Operation (CONOPS) definition, feasibility study and architecture definition, including the definition of operational requirements and critical capabilities;
  • Cost-benefit analysis against technology solutions defined during the project;
  • System Specification (SSS and SSDD) providing a detailed system and sub-systems description, including the development of harmonised requirements and vehicle system architecture;
  • System Requirement Review (SRR).
• Design
  • Concept and Preliminary Design Review (PDR).

The proposals should substantiate synergies and complementarities with foreseen, ongoing or completed activities, notably those described in the call topics related to ground combat capabilities and possibly related to manned and unmanned platforms under EDF and EDIDP.

Moreover:

• projects addressing activities referred to in point (d) above must be based on harmonised defence capability requirements jointly agreed by at least two Member States or EDF associated countries (or, if studies within the meaning of point (c) are still needed to define the requirements, at least on the joint intent to agree on them)
• projects addressing activities referred to in points (e) to (h) above, must be:
  • supported by at least two Member States or EDF associated countries that intend to procure the final product or use the technology in a coordinated manner, including through joint procurement

and

• • based on common technical specifications jointly agreed by the Member States or EDF associated countries that are to co-finance the action or that intend to jointly procure the final product or to jointly use the technology (or, if design within the meaning of point (d) is still needed to define the specifications, at least on the joint intent to agree on them).

For more information, please check section 6.

Functional requirements

The proposed activities should focus at least on a subset of functions for AIFV (e.g., among mobility, energy, observation, protection, human-machine interaction and/or firepower) and meet the following functional requirements:

• Be capable of performing its missions by day, night and in adverse weather conditions, in worldwide crisis/war scenarios, including asymmetric theatres, with the minimum possible degradation of performance due to extreme environmental conditions and type of terrains, as defined in the relevant standards, and in compliance with EU/NATO standards;
• Be capable of conducting operations in Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear (CBRN) environment (to be also considered in the design phase);
• Be capable of handling the specific requirements that comes from conditions in special areas context:
  • Comprising soft soil (marshland) and deep snow mobility capability;
  • Impact from heavy snow, wind and low temperatures, implying e.g., ice build-up, blocking of sensors;
  • Be able to act with own resources in low logistic support situations;
  • Be capable of handling short standoff distances (<150m) with short time to engagement of target;
  • Long shooting distance BLOS in covered terrain (e.g., forest);
  • APS functionality in covered terrain (forest);
• Be capable of handling the specific requirements coming from the MOUT (Military Operations on Urbanised Terrain) context:
  • Capability to detect threats in high elevations;
  • Capability to engage and defeat threats in high elevations and short stand-off distances;
  • APS functionality within high elevations and short stand-off distances;
  • Capability to obtain situational awareness within an urban environment;
• Have a modular design which allows different mission capabilities relying on high subcomponent commonality among different variants;
• Be designed to facilitate the possible future evolution into an “optionally manned” remotely controlled AIFV. Remote off-board control is expected to be assisted by on-board automatic functions, intended to reduce the workload for the remote operators in charge of the control so that, with the long-term goal that a single operator might control an AIFV. To be noted that the firing of any of the weapons equipping the AIFV must always remain under human control;
• Adaptive crew environment and support architectures, open and modular to enable the introduction of innovative technologies as soon as they become mature, in accordance with EU/NATO standards on Vehicle Architecture;
• Be designed with crew comfort and ergonomics in mind;
• Have decision-making assistance: advanced crew information presentation capabilities including smart synthesis, prioritisation, and filtering, to keep the most relevant items, especially in the context of reduced crews;
• The vehicle be designed for being operated by a minimal crew (maximum 3), and the crew be given the maximum possible level of protection and survivability chance;
• The vehicle should be capable of hosting a fully combat geared infantry squad of 8 members (with 6 members being the minimum admissible threshold), and they must be given the maximum possible level of protection and survivability chance;
• Ensure interoperability with unmanned ground platforms and facilitate MUM-T (Manned-Unmanned Teaming) with adequate LOI (Level of Interoperability), and interoperability with Unmanned Systems (UAS/UGV). The interoperability for unmanned ground platforms may be in accordance with EU/NATO standards.
• Integrable and interoperable with a family of similar support platforms (system of systems);
• The complete vehicle (i.e., hull and turret), in full combat order, should be transportable in an in-service aircraft. The vehicle must have the possibility to dismantle components (e.g., additional armour) for transportation in smaller aircraft;
• The weight and the overall dimensions of the complete vehicle in full combat order must guarantee lethality, mobility (both tactical and strategic) and protection factors, together with a high power/weight ratio;
• Take into account constraints due to EU Member States and EDF Associated Countries’ roads, railways, tunnels and bridges in order to meet transportability requirements; air transportability/ air drop should also be considered according to commonly applicable EU/NATO standards;
• Feature a maximum speed of at least 70 km/h on paved roads, at least 50 km/h (aiming at 65 km/h) on all off-road terrain and an operational range of not less than 600 km averaged on different type of terrains;
• Feature a wading depth without preparation of at least 1.50 m, a trench crossing capability of at least 2 m and an obstacle/step crossing capability of at least 0.7 m, and a ground clearance of at least 0.4 m;
• Feature a high “Operational Availability” to be capable to perform the assigned missions;
• Provide effectors to engage modern AIFVs and MBTs with precise “fire-on-the move” capability at greater distances than current systems;
• Provide effectors to engage modern AIFV and MBT under LOS, NLOS and BLOS conditions;
• Provide capabilities to engage UAVs and perform air defence self-protection;
• Feature sophisticated C-UAS/C-SWARM/C-RAM capabilities to perform platform protection aiming at reducing the number of systems (e.g., multi mission system, or handing over some functions to other support platforms);
• Support smart/programmable ammunition;
• Ability for the vehicle of automatic threat detection, identification and tracking, including ability to handle multiple threats, and target distribution - enabling sensor-to-effector allocation (hard- and soft-kill capabilities), to support the decision-making process and ensure a rapid engagement;
• Have real-time and unified information and data presentation, provided by the sensors deployed on the platform and from external networks (including other combat support platforms) with low latency times;
• Have advanced PNT (Position Navigation and Timing) system (with inertial navigation capability) in order to ensure trusted PNT for the platform even in challenging GNSS contested and denied environment;
• Feature a low detectability and electromagnetic signature e.g.,: ultraviolet (UV), visible, infrared (IR) (from Short-Wavelength Infrared (SWIR) to Long-Wavelength Infrared (LWIR), radar, laser, and acoustic. Detection and signature recognition by multi- and hyperspectral sensors must also be considered;
• Feature an optimised trade-off between mobility, firepower, and protection;
• Provide protection against the following threats: mines and improvised explosive devices (IED), electronic warfare (EW) and cyber-attacks/offensive Cyber Electromagnetic Activities (CEMA), and at least 30 mm “Armour Piercing Fin Stabilised Discharging Sabot” (APFSDS) and other direct threats likely to become known over the whole duration of the project according to STANAG 4569 Protection Levels for Occupants of Armoured Vehicles Level;
• Feature a capability to counter direct threats, such as: Rocket Propelled Grenades (RPG) (including those with a functionality of disposable anti-tank rocket launcher like RPG-30), “High Explosive Anti-Tank” (HEAT) Munitions, “Anti-Tank Guided Missile” (ATGM; including 3rd generation ATGM with high angle of attack – e.g., NLOS and top attack), loitering ammunition and Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) and APFSDS (125 mm) according to STANAG 4686 DAS;
• Be capable of reducing the reliance on fossil fuel, foster reduction of dependency on combustion engines by means of electrical or alternative propulsion systems (e.g.,: hybrid engines) and take into account other aspects of green technologies (e.g.,: total life CO2 footprint, use of other materials, recycling, micro-grid management);
• Operate in silent mode for at least 10 km and extended silent watch with low thermal signature for at least 24 hours;
• Store and supply high density and power of electric energy for sensors, effectors and weapons;
• Have a range between 5% and 10% of growth potential without changing the assigned power/weight ratio;
• Be equipped with technologies to ensure enhanced Situational Awareness (SA), e.g.,: advanced display devices products, “transparent armour” concepts, allowing visualisation of the environment around the vehicle; automatic surveillance, detection, reconnaissance and identification;
• Have advanced 360 degrees SA and decision-making systems to integrate, correlate and fuse video and data from the available sensors in the platform to provide an enhanced SA augmented reality picture of the environment (including Friend or Foe, Battlefield Combat identification) of the vehicle status and support the decision-making process through multimodal human machine interfaces combining textual, vocal, acoustic, haptics, 2D and/or 3D visual information, and augmented/virtual reality devices;
• The vehicle mission system should be interoperable with other command and control systems, including the dismounted soldier command and control system, increasing the protection and effectiveness of soldiers once they get out from the vehicle in the combat zone. The interoperability may be in accordance with EU/NATO standards;
• Have a multi-sensor suite for threat detection and target acquisition (including, but not limited to: electro-optical sensors, acoustic sensors and radar), whose data should be available for Situational Awareness (SA) technologies and effectors through the fire control system, according to STANAG 4754 - NATO generic vehicle architecture (NGVA)s;
• Have decision-making assistance: advanced crew information presentation capabilities including smart synthesis, prioritisation, and filtering, to keep the most relevant items, especially in the context of reduced crews;
• Feature static or dynamic on-board simulation for training (embedded);
• Be able to perform battle damage assessment without compromising survivability;
• Be able to monitor the health of the system and make the actual system performances data promptly available to the C2 systems, allowing to perform conditions-based maintenance.

The outcome should contribute to:

• Fill the majority of technology gaps identified in the “Overarching Strategic Research Agenda” concerning the armoured vehicles domain;
• Reduce, through commonality and mass production, the acquisition and lifecycle costs and create employment in each MS;
• Remove dependency from non-EU technologies and products;
• Reinforce interoperability of EU MS Armed Forces;
• Reduce the logistic footprint and costs of EU Missions and Operations aiming at the implementation of infologistic systems;
• Competitiveness, efficiency and innovation capacity of the European defence technological and industrial base, as expected long-term effects enabled by the supported action;
• A common understanding and knowledge of technological basis as input to subsequent high level requirement analysis for next generation AIFV systems;
• Contribute to the defence and security interests of the EU and its Member States;
• Contribute to the EU strategic autonomy level of ambition;
• Contribute to Europe’s resilience and European technological sovereignty;
• Contribute to European industrial autonomy;
• Contribute to excellence with the demonstration of a significant advantage over existing products or technologies.