The Art of War

The Art of War: “A Human in the Loop”

Military World has posted an intriguing yet informative video discussing BAE’s Atlas unmanned combat system. Atlas, which stands for Autonomous Tactical Light Armour System (ATLAS) Collaborative Combat Variant (CCV), could well become one of the first unmanned combat systems to be fielded by a major combatant, although no nation has yet to sign on to the program. Interestingly, it doesn’t appear as if Australia, where the Atlas is being developed, will serve with the Australian Army. This could change should the Atlas prove its worth against and alongside crewed combat systems.

While Atlas is being created to operate without a crew, nor is it intended to ferry troops into battle like a traditional infantry fighting vehicle, is it being designed with a “man in the loop”, meaning a human operator is tasked with identifying and potentially firing upon enemy troops, drones and aircraft within range of the vehicle, thereby reducing the likelihood of fratricide from occurring. Its not clear if Atlas will eventually see service with Ukrainian forces in their war against Russia, thereby giving the system a chance to prove its value alongside other crewed combat systems.

For more information on Atlas, visit the manufacturer’s web site at BAE Systems.

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The Art of War: Film at Eleven

There’s no shortage of military-themed videos on You Tube, covering everything from unheard of battles to potential near-term conflicts. We regularly peruse the site, looking for pertinent information that either helps to sell the product we carry or addresses items of interest to the average military enthusiast. Some videos and influence peddlers use all sorts of graphics to draw you in, from Transformer-like images used to depict upcoming aircraft to film clips that have nothing to do with the subject at-hand. At the end of the day, many of these videos are little more than flash without any appreciable substance.

There are, however, several “influencers” that I regularly check out if I’m looking for reliable information on historical topics or the latest in behind-the-scenes information that no one else seems to possess. One is Airpower, which is run and narrated by the gravelly-voiced Alex Hollings, who regularly does his homework before putting pen to paper and voice to video discussing his salient position. Recently, for instance, Alex spent 30-minutes explaining why the US Air Force has been using similarly shaped missiles for the last sixty years and how it could take its game to the next level by investigating some new technologies now coming on line.

For historical videos, I oftentimes turn to Megaprojects, hosted by the prolific Simon Whistler. Simon has posted literally dozens of self-narrated videos covering everything from Maxim machine guns to Iran’s attempt at building a stealth fighter. While he does branch out and covers other topics of interest such as China’s electric car industry, its his military-themed videos that have proven to be the most invaluable, using period war-time clips, animations and other proven videographic techniques to draw the viewer in from start to finish.

There are other “influencers” that I some times turn to that seem to know what they’re talking about either because they were once in the military themselves or have access to unclassified data and information that the average person has no idea how to get. These include Mark Felton Productions, Military News, Defense News, Task & Purpose and War & History, to name just a few. Anyway, be careful who you turn to to get the latest word on military platforms still in development as well as battles of yesteryear that may be tainted by extremist political viewpoints.

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The Art of War: The XM-30 Mechanized Infantry Combat Vehicle

While much is being made about the future of main battle tanks within today’s US Army, less has been discussed regarding an eventual replacement for the aging M2/M3 family of Bradley Infantry Fighting Vehicles. An attempt was made way back in 2014 to come up with a solution under the Ground Combat Vehicle program, although plans were eventually scrapped due to limited Congressional funding and weight concerns. A new answer, dubbed the Future Fighting Vehicle (FFV) program, was put forward by the DoD several years ago to come up with a better and more agile replacement for the venerable Bradley — one that could take advantage of the latest technological achievements being made across the entire military spectrum.

In early 2025, the FFV program calls for two separate competitors to field their efforts to determine which will become the newly crowned king of IFVs, with the winner being selected in 2027 and the first set of production vehicles supposedly seeing service as early as 2029. Bear in mind that eleven different variants of the XM-30 are being proposed, from the traditional infantry fighting vehicle to field ambulances and mortar carriers, so every aspect of the design will be looked at closely to determine its value in each role. Additionally, careful attention will be paid to the vehicle’s weight, profile, crew carrying capability, firepower, both active and passive protection systems from a wide array of potential kinetic threats, and ultimate cost given its range of wartime responsibilities. The accompanying video does an excellent job of explaining the program in greater detail as well as discussing the merits of the two contenders who will soon go head-to-head to seek final approval.

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