Long-range precision fires (LRPF) is one of the five modernization areas that the U.S. Army is focusing on for future ground battlefield dominance, and for the longest LRPF, we’re mainly discussing missiles.
How far is far for LRPF? The Marine Corps has incorporated the UVision Hero-120 Loitering Munition on Light Armored Vehicles-Mortar (LAV-M) in an 8-cell launcher. The Hero-120 is a tactical loitering munition with an endurance of 60 minutes in flight, a range of 25 miles (40 kilometers), a weight of 27.5 pounds (12.5 kilograms) carrying a 10-pound (4.5 kilogram) warhead, making it man-portable on the battlefield, and is useful against antistructure, antiarmor, antimaterial, and antivehicle missions. The Marine Corps needs a strategic munition with much longer ranges for deterrence.
The Hero-120’s range seems impressive compared to the short range of a 120-mm M1A1 Abrams tank cannon with an effective range of 3,280 yards (3,000 meters), or 1.86 miles (2.99 kilometers). The Marine Corps has since divested of all of its M1A1 main battle tanks, leaving a gap in direct armored firepower in favor of precision drones and small guided missiles that can home in on the weak roof armor of armored vehicles.
The Marie Corps’ LAV-M modified with the 8-cell Hero-120 loitering munitions launcher box at the rear. Photo: UVision
What is the Problem with Loitering Munitions?
Technically and theoretically, to use loitering munitions, each munition needs an operator to fly it once it is launched, and there are the benefits and the disadvantages of utilizing Loitering Munitions most efficiently and effectively. This is an advantage because the operator can fly the munition to its target area and loiter it while scanning and deciding where to fly the munition into, often the weakest or most critical part of the target. A disadvantage, however, is that each optical camera–guided munition requires its own operating pilot, meaning launching eight loitering munitions requires eight pilots.
A Joint Light Tactical Vehicle (JLTV) in the SPIKE Anti-Tank Missile (ATGM) configuration has four SPIKEs at the rear bed that can be flown to a target via a passenger (and there is no evidence that the Marine Corps has this JLTV SPIKE ATGM truck). A two-door JLTV seats a driver and passenger, so the passenger is usually the ATGM pilot, meaning the passenger can only fly one SPIKE at a time toward a target using a SPIKE control pad. At best, the driver can pitch in and the JLTV can fly two SPIKEs toward two separate targets. In a battle, firing one missile at a time makes the launching crew and vehicle vulnerable and does not contribute to the force-multiplication that the Marine Corps is looking for in future battlefield dominance, given that a 120-mm tank round can be reloaded in about six seconds to fire ten rounds a minute compared to just one loitering munition airborne during that minute.
A two-seat JLTV with four SPIKE ATGMs can only seat one passenger to fly one ATGM at a time, risking exposure of vehicle and crew. More passengers onboard can fly more ATGMs. Photo: AUSA 2021
Why Parker Milton’s INDOMITUS?
INDOMITUS is a potential solution for a Marine Corps armored vehicle to transport, fire, and pilot strategic loitering munitions against various distance targets, independent of the Corps’ High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS). The Marine Corps has addressed the tactical loitering munitions with the 8×8 LAV-M but lack an armored vehicle that can fire loitering munitions beyond 25 miles (40 kilometers). To launch the Hero-1250 (124 miles or 200 kilometers), the largest strategic loitering munition made by UVision, the Marine Corps requires a vehicle with a larger payload and/or passenger capacity than a LAV-M with a box launcher or a two-seat JLTV, MTVR, or LVSR.
The INDOMITUS prototype technology demonstrator has features that the Marine Corps might find desirable in a short truck, such as armored cab, doors, and windows, tow bars, a central tire inflation system (CTIS), solar panels with batteries, a small crane hoist, a small flatbed, a trailer tow hook, optional rear half-tracks, blast seats, independent rear wheel steering, power-takeoff, fire protection system, and antiskid coating. Thus, INDOMITUS is built to transport and survive.
The Parker Milton INDOMITUS armored truck half-track can be a useful strategic Loitering Munition transporter and launcher that fires the Hero-1250 with a range of 124 miles (200 km) with a 66 (30 kg) warhead, holding wider areas of the battlespace at risk of attack. Photo: TrucksPlanet
The INDOMITUS has a crane-lifting capacity of 3,000 pounds (1.36 tons) and can carry the 275- pound Hero-1250 munition and reload spare rounds using a crane. INDOMITUS seats four or five, so three or four passengers can be piloting Hero-1250s, which would be especially helpful considering the long ranges involved. INDOMITUS also can double as a logistics cargo truck and can tow a trailer of spare rounds or cargo.
A box launcher stacked with Hero munitions of various types and ranges can provide the Marine Corps with armored trucks that are ready to fire when rolled off hovercrafts or Light Amphibious Warships (LAWs) and contribute to the tactical and strategic LRPFs of a battlefield independent of HIMARS. The half-tracks can aid in battlefield mobility that might hinder wheeled Marine Corps vehicles and with the addition of a turret ring or CROWS II remote weapon station, INDOMITUS can protect itself.
Calls and emails to Milton Manufacturing and Parker-Hannifin seeking information and comment were not returned.
*The author is not affiliated with Milton Manufacturing or Parker-Hannifin.
