New Concepts for U.S. Combat Vehicle Systems

William J. Whelan

ResearchPublished 1982

This publication describes a research effort which examined a new approach for developing land combat vehicle systems. The research focused specifically on new tank systems. The report begins with a summary of the asserted needs for significant increases in the capabilities of current combat vehicle systems. Next, a generic concept development approach based on the idea of distributed vehicle systems with unmanned subsystems is described and related to R&D challenges. The approach is used to generate a distributed tank concept, TEARS (Tank Effectiveness Augmentation by Remote Subsystems). The TEARS concept is explored from several aspects, including combat engagement capabilities, technological feasibility, and affordability. Last, a TEARS technology development and demonstration program is outlined.

Document Details

  • Copyright: RAND Corporation
  • Availability: Web Only
  • Year: 1982
  • Pages: 57
  • Document Number: R-2933-ARPA/RC

Citation

Chicago Manual of Style

Whelan, William J., New Concepts for U.S. Combat Vehicle Systems. Santa Monica, CA: RAND Corporation, 1982. https://www.rand.org/pubs/reports/R2933.html.
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