Military

US Army to test Beowulf arctic amphibious all-terrain vehicle

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Beowulf is an articulated arctic all-terrain vehicle
BAE Systems
Beowulf is an articulated arctic all-terrain vehicle
BAE Systems
Beowulf is an unarmored, tracked, and highly versatile vehicle for carrying personnel and payloads in either of its two compartments across the most challenging terrains
BAE Systems
Beowulf is an unarmored, tracked, and highly versatile vehicle for carrying personnel and payloads in either of its two compartments across the most challenging terrains
BAE Systems
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BAE Systems has been engaged by the US Army to deliver two evaluation prototype arctic field vehicles by June 14, 2021. Called Beowulf, it's BAE's candidate for the Army's Cold Weather All-Terrain Vehicle (CATV) program to replace the aging Small Unit Support Vehicle (SUSV).

The new CATV program comes on the heels of the Army's Arctic strategy review, which outlines the US needs to modernize and expand its presence in the Arctic to counter Russia and China's attempts to become the region's dominant powers. As part of the modernization, the Army wants the Beowulf prototypes available to the Cold Regions Test Center in Alaska beginning in August for extreme cold-weather testing.

The goal is to produce an all-terrain, amphibious light vehicle for moving soldiers and supplies to remote areas that can operate in a wide variety of conditions from swamps to the frozen arctic.

Beowulf is based on the BvS 10 that was developed and built by BAE Systems Hägglunds in Örnsköldsvik, Sweden, for Britain's Royal Marines, which they took delivery of in 2005 and designated as the Viking All-Terrain Vehicle (Protected) (ATV(P)). It is also in service with the Netherlands Marine Corps as well as with the armed forces of Sweden, Austria, and France. The latter is significant because it is the first defense purchase that France has made from Britain in decades.

Beowulf is an unarmored, tracked, and highly versatile vehicle for carrying personnel and payloads in either of its two compartments across the most challenging terrains
BAE Systems

Beowulf is a rubber-tracked, unarmored vehicle that consists of two articulated compartments with rounded edges and smooth contours for radar stealth. These units can move vertically and horizontally in relation to one another for easy steering over very rough terrain. Also, it has a modular design for easy modification and upgrading and allows for several variants for different missions. This modularity also makes Beowulf efficient to maintain.

Though the full details of Beowulf haven't been released, if it is similar to Viking, it will weigh about 8.5 tonnes, and carry a driver plus 12 passengers. If powered by the Viking's Cummins 5.9 liter diesel engine cranking out 275 bhp (202 kW), it could reach a maximum road speed of 40 mph (65 km/h) and a water speed of 3.1 mph (5 km/h).

"Beowulf is an optimal and mature solution for the CATV program, and we look forward to submitting our prototypes with the goal of meeting the Army and Army National Guard’s mission," says Mark Signorelli, vice president of business development at BAE Systems. "Beowulf, and its armored sister vehicle, the BvS 10, represent the most advanced vehicles in the world when it comes to operating anywhere, whether it’s snow, ice, rock, sand, mud, swamp, or steep mountainous environments. And its amphibious capability allows it to swim in flooded areas or coastal waters."

Source: BAE Systems

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7 comments
Worzel
Russia already has similar, but much larger machines. Rubber tracks have an advantage of lack of components, but has a very poor grip in deep mud, snow, and ice conditions. Also, from my experience, it has a weakness of the drive-link pins detaching themselves from the rubber. Normally, when this occurs, the whole track needs replacing, instead of just a link pin
The other problem that I've seen with this type of machine, is that they sink into deep mud and can then lose grip in the slimy gloop and need extracting by something bigger.
As for radar stealth, a machine like this, operating in the silence of the Arctic, can be heard for miles! They would also need to change the colour!
michael_dowling
Screw drive vehicles would be much better. They would never get stuck. Maybe they could be battery electric to control noise: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H5NsmZcLAdM Russian version: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nVOaDfGOPGs
jerryd
Actually it's not the corners but the very flat single plane panels that are radar evading. While 1 might be hard to see on radar, a convoy moving certainly wouldn't be.
Making the bodies from Kevlar, other composites with carbon fiber, etc in it with a foam core would be far better lowering energy for heating.
Smart would be making them EV with a wind or river/stream generator with a 30kw and a 3kw backup generator/heater run on synfuels.
Such would reduce noise, thermal signitures too.
Username
They should get a bunch of Sheps instead.
Pokurcz
This is merely a modern version of what the Swedish army has had for some 50 years. It is proven in the arctic climate of northern Sweden, in forests that are full of swamps during summer, littered with lakes and rivers, and have been deployed in deserts. I myself, during my army service, as artillery recon, got carted around in one of the predecessors some twenty years ago. They basically work on any surface because the threads surface area is quite a bit larger than fifty percent of the vehicles underside area, it actualy rides on the snow, not sinking down to much in it (at least the older version that we had that only weighted 4.5 tonnes empty).
Rann Xeroxx
I agree with the commenter who mentioned Sherp vehicles. The added plus to these are that they can also swim and you do run into water in the Arctic.

https://sherp.global/
Ralf Biernacki
I presume both sets of tracks---on the tractor and the trailer---are powered. If the power is transmitted to the trailer electrically (as opposed to a shaft link) can this vehicle be extended with additional trailer modules?