Mechanized Infantry Combat Vehicle (MICV) mounted on the Universal Modular Tracked Platform is a solution proposed by the OBRUM Centre with respect to engineering of a universal modular tracked platform dedicated as a basic chassis for various mobile armoured vehicles to be used by Polish Army and also for export. Completion of the entire engineering process shall be possible owing to competences and intellectual potential of the Polish military industry with involvements of purposefully selected foreign partners and technologies.
Currently the project is on the stage when the document entitled ‘Feasibility study for Mechanized Infantry Combat Vehicle (MICV) mounted on the Universal Modular Tracked Platform’ has been approved according to the concept that assumes three design options, a lightweight and amphibious one as well as a medium size and a heavy ones. All these three options shall be mounted on the same chassis to be used as a hull for these three solutions. The proposed solution offers the possibilities of optional modifications that are included in the Strategic Defence Overview and presented in the ‘Catalogue of Polish Army Capacities’.
The assumptions adopted for the Feasibility Study are intended to enable development of a less expensive product that shall also be an interesting offer for export. The project is based on results and conclusions from the RO 0030 05 development project entitled ‘Lightweight tank on the basis of a multipurpose combat platform’. The project outcome was a units developed as a technological demonstrator that successfully passed applicable tests and corresponded to the 6th level of technological readiness. The Feasibility Study developed for the project ‘Mechanized Infantry Combat Vehicle (MICV) mounted on the Universal Modular Tracked Platform’ was aimed to find out opportunities to launch production of a new Mechanized Infantry Combat Vehicle that shall serve as a basic mean to destroy heavily and light armoured enemy equipment, to conquer and keep a battlefield area and to support mechanized/motorized troops of soldiers with fire of on-board mounted and personal weapons under various weather conditions, during both daytime and nights.
The Mechanized Infantry Combat Vehicle (MICV) mounted on the Universal Modular Tracked Platform is an original Polish project developed by OBRUM Centre as a solution with excellent tactic and strategic mobility, high immunity to ballistic weapons, mines and IEDs, combined with powerful firing capacities. The basic structure can be modified and amended during the entire lifetime of the product.
According to the assumptions, the Infantry Combat Vehicle shall be developed with three design options: a lightweight and amphibious one as well as a medium size and a heavy ones. The arrangement and layout of interiors would be identical for all three options, but the differences of these options shall include:
• floats (front ones and right ones with propellers) for the amphibious version,
• supplementary passive armour – for the heavyweight option,
• driving and tracking systems, differently designed for the mid-weight and heavyweight options (elevated power of engines, wider crawler tracks with reinforced turning shafts, more sturdy track pulleys)
The essence of the solution consists in the same hull designed for all options, where various additional components can be installed on board with no need of any adaptation, for instance a power pack with enhanced power and a heavy-duty running chassis for the mid-weight and heavyweight options. Adaptation of the hull to gain buoying capacities shall need some welding operations to attach brackets for installation of floats. Welding shall also be needed to attach brackets for a supplementary armour in case of mid-weight and heavyweight options. Substitution of a gun turret with another one shall be possible owing to incorporation of interfacing rings inserted into sockets of the mounting plate for a turret.
The modular structure proposed for the solution offers substantial benefits owing to a high degree of unification for all three options (a lightweight and amphibious one as well as a medium size and a heavy ones), whilst tactic and technical parameters of the solution shall be at least equal or even better than the ones offered by the most recent and advanced solutions.
Pursuant to global trends, the design of the Universal Modular Tracked Platform UPMG shall also enable the following advantages:
• exchangeability of various weapon types,
• installation of appliances and supplementary equipment that change functionalities of the vehicles,
• quick rearrangement of the vehicle option, i.e. conversion of lightweight vehicles being in possession into a mid-weight or a heavyweight ones, or conversion them into amphibious vehicles.
The modular design of vehicles proposed for the intended solution also offers additional advantages:
• unification and simplification of the manufacturing processes for both the entire vehicle and for subassemblies and spare parts,
• reduction of the Total Cost of Ownership owing to lower expenses for logistics and supplies,
• unification of training programs and syllabuses.
• easy modification and upgrade in future, which is a crucial benefit for military armament and equipment.
The document ‘Feasibility study for Mechanized Infantry Combat Vehicle (MICV) mounted on the Universal Modular Tracked Platform’ released by OBRUM Centre is a result of joint efforts undertaken by a developing consortium. The Steering Committee for the project included representatives from OBRUM Centre, Silesian University of Technology and Military University of Technology (WAT). The life cycle of the MICV outlined in the mentioned document was developed by experts from the Military University of Land Forces in Wrocław.
Key advantages of the Infantry Combat Vehicle (ICV) mounted on the Universal Modular Tracked Platform include:
• high strategic mobility,
• low own weight and small size – these parameters enable transportation of vehicles by Airbus 400 M aircrafts or similar, which allows quick transfer of vehicles to any battlefield with asymmetry of forces involved,
• facilitated logistic support – availability of a broad range of unified components that are common for many units of NATO equipment.
Advantages for combat missions:
• high mobility on areas of future battlefields,
• high degree of protection against weapons of mass destruction.
Design advantages:
• single and common basic modules,
• task-related modules (mission-dependent),
• high degree of freedom to develop customized applications.
The Universal Modular Tracked Platform can serve as a basis – an universal carrier – for the following equipment:
1. Turret-mounted weapon systems, for instance
• a manned turret for Mechanized Infantry Combat Vehicles (MICV) with a rapid-firing autocannon of 20 or 50 mm calibre,
• an unmanned turret systems (ZSSW) with a rapid-firing autocannon of 20 or 50 mm calibre, integrated with other weapons, for instance a launcher for Spike antitank missiles or launching platforms for antiaircraft missiles GROM, which is possible for ICVs of all options – the lightweight and amphibious ones as well as mid-weight and heavyweight ones,
• a turret with large conventional guns for Fire Support Vehicles of 105 or 120 mm with a gun autoloader,
• a turret for an automatic mortar 120 mm (a single-barrel or two barrel ones),
• a turret for antiaircraft gun systems with high rate guns of 35 mm calibre (e.g. LOARA),
• a turret for a howitzer of 155 mm calibre.
2. Non-turret- weapon systems, for instance
• launching kits for Surface to Air Guided Weapon (SAGW).
3. Systems of specialized equipment for the following purposes:
• engineering missions,
• reconnaissance vehicles
• technical support vehicles,
• field mining vehicles,
• logistic vehicles,
• medical ambulances,
• ammunition supply vehicles,
• mobile command centres,
• land investigation vehicles,
• supplementary command vehicles and mobile RF communication stations.
The common advantages of all vehicles, mounted on a tracked chassis, include:
• extremely deep unification of undercarriages,
• high immunity to enemy shells (supplementary armours),
• the same fuel and lube materials,
• unified design that enables simplification of stock management, repairs and trainings,
• high ergonomic features,
• easy transportability with the use of all transportation means, including air transport,
• upgradeability of existing structures, built-in into the project from the very early outskirts.
Application of the Universal Modular Tracked Platform as a basic undercarriage for specialized weapon and equipment (including mission-dependent kits) of various purposes makes it possible to develop a broad series of vehicles with the weight from 22 tons to more than 35 tons and dedicated to various combat missions.
Other advantages of the solution include:
• unification and simplification of the manufacturing processes for both the entire vehicle and for subassemblies and spare parts,
• reduction of expenses for production, logistics and supplies,
• unification of training programs and syllabuses.
• easy modification and upgrade in future, which is a crucial benefit for military armament and equipment.
• reduction of the Total Cost of Ownership over the entire lifetime of products.
Modular design of the platform enables quick modification and upgrade of the existing vehicles, which is extremely important for the life expectance of military equipment and simplifies maintenance and rebuild projects.
