120mm Automatic Ammunition Handling System Demonstrated

General Dynamics, IRVINE, CA: A major subsystem of the Future Combat Systems' Manned Ground Vehicles was put through its paces on December 4, 2007, at Meggitt Defense Systems' Irvine headquarters before representatives of the Army, General Dynamics Land Systems (GDLS), the FCS Lead Systems Integrator team of Boeing and SAIC, PM-Main Armament Systems, ARDEC, Alliant TechSystems, and General Dynamics Ordnance and Tactical Systems. 
 
The Mounted Combat System's (MCS) 120mm fully automated Ammunition Handling System (AHS) demonstrated a wide spectrum of its capabilities in advance of its delivery to GDLS in the first quarter of 2008. The AHS will be integrated into the MCS Firing Fixture and subsequently will undergo rigorous Turret Motion Based Simulator (TMBS) testing and firing tests. 
 
Representatives who witnessed the demonstration were pleased by what they saw. During the post-demonstration outbrief, one official commented that the FCS program already has demonstrated that the XM360 Primary Weapon Assembly is a 'go,' and here was an initial demonstration that a suitable ammunition handling system will be available to service it. 
 
Meggitt Defense Systems, Inc (MDSI) was awarded the SDD contract by GDLS in October 2005 and is supported in its development work by General Dynamics Armament and Technical Products and Curtiss Wright Controls and Embedded Computing and the MCS Integrated Product Teams at GDLS. Additional test systems will be delivered by MDSI to GDLS in 2008, and pre-production systems will begin delivery in early 2010. 
 
Because the MCS is a compact, lightweight vehicle operating with a crew of three, automation of vehicle functions is mandated. The MCS AHS performs the full spectrum of ammunition handling functions including vehicle ammunition complement upload, round identification and inventory management, rapid fire loading of the main gun, ejection of spent cases and misfires, downloading of the gun, and off-loading remaining vehicle ammunition. These heretofore manual, labor-intensive tasks are performed by the MCS AHS acting like a robotic fourth crewman. 
 
General Dynamics Land Systems and General Dynamics Ordnance and Tactical Systems are wholly owned subsidiaries of General Dynamics Corporation (NYSE:GD), headquartered in Falls Church, Virginia. The company employs approximately 83,000 people worldwide and anticipates 2007 revenues of more than $27 billion. General Dynamics is a market leader in business aviation; land and expeditionary combat systems; armaments and munitions; shipbuilding and marine systems; and information systems and technologies. 
 
Meggitt Defense Systems part of the Meggitt group company, is a leader in linear linkless and compact autoloading ammunition handling, ruggedized military COTS-based and vapor cycle cooling systems, towed, glide, and free-flight aerial targetry, aeromechanical structures, weapon training electronic scoring, virtual training solutions, and live fire training systems.