Army kills futuristic Land Warrior system
When it was launched in 1996, it was envisioned as a model for soldier’s gear for the modern battlefield; ten years and $500 million later, the Army pulls the plug on it
Here is another example of why Internet-based dissemination of information is, at times, superior to old-fashioned print media: In its May 2007 issue, Popular Mechanic offers a detailed discussion of one of Donald Rumsfeld’s favorite gizmos (although the development of the system began a few years before Rumsfeld assumed office): The Land Warrior System(LW). The LW aims to equip the modern soilder with the abilty effectively and efficiently to fight on the modern battlefield. It consists of four components:
* The helmet system: A Kevlar Advanced Combat Helmet which weighs approximately three pounds — half the weight of current helmets. An eyepiece is bolted to the helmet and acts as a full-color computer interface, displaying maps and images from the camera on the weapon. A boom microphone and over-the-ear headphones enable troops to communicate.
* The soldier control unit: A computer “mouse” shaped like a gun grip is strapped to the soldier’s chest and used to toggle among screens in the eyepiece. The mouse is also used to key the radio and send data to other soldiers.
* The weapons subsystem: A laser rangefinder is mounted on the rifle and pinpoints enemy positions and sends their location coordinates across the network. A thermal sight provides night vision, and a digital camera lets soldiers send video clips to commanders.
* The controller: A toggle switch is used to control the weapon’s laser and video sights, and may also be used to operate the multiband radio.
Trouble is, by the time it took the venerable monthly journal to prepare the article, the army has decided to cancel the program. Two months ago the Army announced that, after more than ten years of testing, it was pulling the plug on Land Warrior. Army budget officials said they would cut funding to the program as part of the Army’s fiscal 2008 budget request.
The Army has invested about $500 million in Land Warrior since the program inception in 1996. This was part of a $2 billion allocation for the program, which was aimed at producing 45,000 sets of LWs and field them between 2001 and 2014. Still, although many of the individual componants of the system have already been developed, the total was less than the sum of the parts. “We have pretty much removed most of the funding for the Land Warrior program,” said Lt. Gen. David Melcher, deputy chief of staff for Army G-8, said during a Pentagon briefing in February. “Land Warrior, along the way, really had some problems,” such as the weight of the system, which is is about seventeen pounds.
The cancellation of the program comes on the eveof its first deployment into a war zone. Soldiers of the Army’s 4th Stryker Brigade Combat Team are preparing to deploy to Iraq with Land Warrior this spring. The 4th Battalion, 9th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Infantry Division, recently completed a successful test of the system at Fort Lewis, Washington. Army budget officials said the Army will continue to support 4-9’s deployment with Land Warrior since the unit has devoted most of its predeployment training to becoming proficient with Land Warrior, Melcher said.
