LAPEC - Light Armored PErsonnel Carrier
LAPEC - Light Armored Personnel Carrier
This vehicle is intended to provide highly mobile protection for medium infantry units in most any conceivable combat environment. It is capable of engaging the enemy in any weather, day or night on the multi-dimensional, non-linear battlefield.
Weight: 19,722 kg
Length: 6.5m
Width: 3.5m
Height: 2.4m
Crew: 3 (Commander, driver, and gunner) + 6 passengers
Primary Armament:
1x35mm Autocannon
Range: 3,000 m
Rate of fire: 2500 rpm
Secondary Armament: 2x 7mm AR-3-HBs, 2 4 x 66mm Smoke Dischargers, 2 prismatic anti laser aerosol dispensers
Ammunition Carried: 3,000x35mm, 4000x7mm
Mobility:
Power: 6 proton exchange membrane fuel cells, generating 120 kWs each, for a total of 720 kWs, lithium polymer batteries generating 3000 kWh
Fuel Carried: 6 alkali-modified fullerene nanotube lattice hydrogen canisters, containing 2kg of hydrogen each (100 kg), 40 hours supply
Max Road Speed: 90 km/h
Max Off Road Speed: 60 km/h
Power/Weight Ratio: 36.5 kWt/tn
Transmission: Hydro Kinetic Automatic 3/3
Road Range: 2000km
Off Road Range: 1500km
Armor:
Hull:
Front: 100mm@60 deg (750mm HRA equivilant)
Side: 75mm@0 deg (187.5 mm HRA equivilant)
Rear: 50mm@0 deg (125mm RHA equivilant)
Top/Bottom: 80mm@0 deg (200mm RHA equivilant)
Contengency package:
Front: +50mm@60 deg (375mm HRA equivilant)
Side: +50mm@0 deg (125mm HRA equivilant)
Turret: 100mm@60 deg (750mm RHA equivilant)
Cost: 6 million USD
Notes and Features:
Design: The LAPEC is a modular structure selected to give the maximum flexibility for multi-purpose operation. The vehicle incorporates a high level of standardisation and uses commercially proven automotive components. The 8x8 vehicle provides a load capacity to 8t and has an internal capacity of more than 14m3.
Protection:
Modular armour is sandwiched between the vehicle cell and the steel coat and all three elements are secured by fastening bolts. The modular design will allow future generations of armour technologies to be fitted in place of current designs by simple slab replacement. The hull is designed to beat blast mine attack by shaping blast away. Additionally a double-lined hull soaks up critical blast deformation.
The vehicle is designed with thermal acoustic and radar signature management capability and provides a low signature.
The outermost layer is a thin sprayed on layer of armor quality polyethylene. The fighting compartment and ammunition stowage are in separated compartments behind sliding armor doors. Armor bulkheads separate the crew compartment from the fuel tanks. The vehicle is equipped with an automatic fire extinguishing system. This system automatically activates within 2 milliseconds of either a flash or a fire within the various compartments of the vehicle. The top panels of the vehicle are designed to blow outwards in the event of penetration by a HEAT projectile.
Nuclear, Biological and Chemical (NBC) warfare protection is provided by an overpressure clean-air conditioning air system, a radiological warning system, and a chemical agent detector. The crew are individually equipped with protective suits and masks.
Next is a sandwiched layer of foam titanium alloy, reinforced with embedded carbide whiskers, and a ceramic matrix, also reinforced with embedded carbide whiskers. The innermost layer is a spalling shield made up of several sheets of 2-D weave boron filament, bioweave, and polyethylene fiber. The combined elements have a total Specific Strength* (MPa-cm3/g) of 375, or 2.5 times that of RHA steel armor.
Lightweight contingency armor packages of polyethylene and foam titanium alloy reinforced with embedded carbide whiskers armor skirts can can be applied to the sides and front to provide additional protection. The full contengency package adds an extra 3000 kg to the vehicles weight.
Active Protection:
The primary active protection system is the Active Defense System (ADS), which incorporates various sensors, prsmatic anti-laser aerosol launchers and smoke projectors, non-explosive reactive armor systems, defensive lasers, defensive electronics systems, and kinetic defense systems.
The center of all the active defense systems is the Light All Aspect System (LAAS). It uses 8 sets of detector arrays (4 in azimuth, and 4 in elevation) to cover the entire hemisphere. The detectors are multi-spectral sensitive: low light visual, lasers, radars, IR homers, proxemity, and other sensors. The warning system triggers various alarms, as well as defensive systems. It is controlled by a 700 THz main processor and an array of low-end subprocessors, with 64PB of onboard dataspace, which classifies the inbound threat and assigns the right countermeasure to defeat it. The countermeasures systems are automatically activated. After a threat is detected, the appropriate countermeasure units are traversed at high slewing rate (over 600 degrees/sec.) aiming at the general directional of the threat. At this stage the target is handed over to the launcher mounted sensor, which performs the ballistic calculations for the final intercept.
The first system to be activated is the the Ranged Electronic/Kinetic Kill System (REKKS). This is designed to be active in the 100 to 30 meter range. It provides self-protection against a broad range of incomming systems using soft kill electronic countermeasures (jammers and decoys) and hard kill active protection systems (physical interruption) to protect a vehicle from direct fire and top attack threats.
This system includes a High Energy Radio Frequency/Microwave System (HERFMS) and a Kinetic Kill System (KKS) . The system activated depends on the threat. The HERFMS kills inbound guidance systems. And the KKS launches a projectile in the direction of the incoming threat, to intercept and destroy it at a distance of 30 meters.
At closer ranges (30 to 1 meter), the second line is activated. This includes electro-optical IR jammers, as well as radar, UV, and IR decoy systems. The decoys provide false targets to multi-spectral IR/laser or millimeter-wave threats. The decoys provides survivable miss distance against missiles and SFM threats. Also included are 66mm smoke grenade dischargers, chaff rockets, flare rockets, anti-laser aerosol projectors. The ALA projectors release a thick metal oxide vapor which reflects incident high-frequency laser light, while absorbing particle beam energy. The gas cloud released by the ALA obscures LOS for any unaugmented unit. The ALA also has limited radar scattering effects. The smoke grenades are for visible and IR making. The chaff rockets provide radar masking, and the flares act as IR decoys.
The close range (1-0 meter) active defenses include airbag and electric armor. The airbag system deploys a "curtain" down the sides of the vehicle held in place with simple straps. On detection of incoming shells, rockets, or missiles, the airbag inflates, using a carbon dioxide gas cartridge. The warhead is enshrouded in the airbag and slowed enough so the nose-mounted fuse doesn't detonate the warhead. Instead, the incoming weapon collapses and ends up looking "like a stomped-on beer can". The cartridge has to be replaced after one use, but the reusable airbag can simply be rolled up and put back into place.
The electronic "charged" armor system is composed of an earthed outer armored plate, a spaced gap, and an inner charged plate a highly connected to a charged capacitor. Shaped charge warheads detonate, penetrate the outer armor plate and the insulation of the inner plate, it completes the circuit, which results in the discharge of the capacitor and the vaporisation and dissapation of most of the the metal jet. The charged plates can take multiple hits onto the same section of the hull without penetration. Power to charge the plates is provided from the powerplant. The electrical system can be switched on or off depending on the perceived threat level, using the tank's internal power supply. Despite the high charge generated by the system, the "electrical load on the battery is no more than that caused by starting the engine on a cold morning".
Mobility: Permanent eight-wheeled drive, all-round independent suspension and central tyre inflation system (CTIS) will give excellent road and cross-country mobility. A road range of 2,000km, combined with a very smooth and quiet ride provides an unaided operational deployability unmatched among in-service armoured utility vehicles. A deep water fording kit is also available.
Armament: The weapon station is reconfigurable to suit the specific environments and mission requirements. The module for mission specific equipment is replaceable within one hour.
The main weapon of the LAPEC is a 35mm smoothbore autocannon. It employs a thixotrope non-hypergolic binary hydrazine propellant, with a freezing point of -100 C and a boiling point of 102.3 C. It is injected by a computerized system in the precise proportions needed to generate the acceleration/final velocity/range deisred for the trajectory wanted. It has a muzzle velocity of 1500 m/sec. Maximum engagement range is approximately 3000 meters. Several types of ammunition are available.
A 7mm DMI MG-3 is located in a powered mount at the Commander's station and is equipped with a x3 magnification sight.
The turret is fitted with two four-barreled 66mm smoke grenade launchers, one on each side of the main gun. The standard smoke grenade contains a phosphors compound that masks thermal signature of the vehicle to the enemy. There are also two two-barreled prismatic anti laser aerosol dispensers
Layout: The layout of the LAPEC follows classic armored car design and accommodates a crew of three: Commander, Gunner, and Driver, plus 6 passengers. The Commander is seated on the right side of the turret. The Gunner is seated on the left side of the turret, and the Driver is seated at the center front of the hull.
The Commander's station is equipped with periscopes providing all round 360 degree view. The Commander's Integrated Multi-spectral Viewer (CIMV) provides the commander with independent, stabilized day and night vision with a 360 degree view, automatic sector scanning, It also allows automatic targeting and a complete back-up fire control system - the Commander is capable of firing the main gun independent of the Gunner.
The Gunner's Integrated Multi-spectral Viewer (GIMV), creates an image based on the multi-specteral sights. The integrated image is displayed in the eyepiece of the Gunner's sight together with the range measurement, from a laser range finder, which is integrated into the fire control systems, as well as fire control solution data from the fire control computer, including the lead angle measurement, gun variances, ammunition type, cant, and local weather coditions (including wind velocity, temperature, and barometric pressure).
The Driver's station is located at the center front of the hull. The driver is in a semi-reclined position when his hatch is closed, as it must be whenever the vehicle is in operation. The drivers station is equipped with an array of multi-functional OLED monitors reflecting the condition of the vehicle fluid levels, batteries and electrical equipment. The Driver has a multispecteral array of periscopes providing a 120 degrees field of view, enabling the tank to maneuver equally in daytime as in darkness or poor visibility conditions such as in the dust and smoke encountered on the battlefield.
Stabilization: The turret and gun system are equiped with various weapon stabilization systems, including electric direct (gearless) turret azimuth drive, barrel actuator active damping control, fully integrated gearless turret/gun direct drives, and digital servo control, increasing probability of hit under moving conditions.
Electronic systems:
Independent thermal imaging, forward looking infrared (FLIR), electronic and optical day sights, integrated electronic controls and multi-funtion OLED displays, , electronic fire control, laser sensor, BCN gear (including 2 SNPS navigation units, FVT unit, and 4 MTRN communication units), digital data bus and radio interface unit, laser range finder, digital ballistic computer, and other classified systems. All electronics systems are tied into a digital appliqué command and control package on the Turret Network Box (TNB) and Hull Network Box (HNB) . This allows easy maintenance, as well as allowing future electronic growth by providing unpopulated card slots.
Variants: Several Mission modules, which fit into the base vehicle, provide static battlefield installations to suit the nation specific requirements, including headquarters, medical units and logistic centres. The modules incorporate a primary safety cell with a triple floor. The base vehicle operates independently from the modules. The units are air transportable. The modules are interchangeable in less than one hour.
Varients include: NBC Scout, Artillery Support Vehicle, Cargo Carrier, Electronic Warfare vehicle, Fire Control Vehicle, Fire Direction Center, Forward Observation Vehicle, Medical Evacuation Vehicle, Reconnaissance, Surveillance, and Target Acquisition vehicle, Anti-Aircraft, Mortar Carrier, and All Threat Missile Carrier
