Future Combat Systems

Template:TOC-right Expected to begin full deployment in 2010, Future Combat Systems are an integrated, network-centric set of techologies and equipment for enhanced warfighting by the United States Army. Most components are in advanced testing, whie some are in operation

Shared among all the components is:

• A system-of-systems common operating environment (SOSCOE): it supports multiple mission-critical applications by using a nonproprietary, standards-based architecture and COTS computing hardware adapted for military applications.
• Battle command (BC) software: this includes mission planning and preparation, situation understanding, mission execution, and warfighter-machine interface (WMI) applications.
• Tactical and Strategic Communications, using Increment 3 of the Warfighter Information Network-Tactical (WIN-T).
• Intelligence, reconnaissance, and surveillance (ISR) sensors: these are a distributed, networked array of multispectral sensors that provide a "see first" capability that is rapidly shared across the FCS network.

Aside from all the unmanned sensors, combat vehicles, crew-served weapons, and other features, it cannot be overemphasized that FCS includes the idea of the "soldier as a system" (SaaS), which includes a highly trained soldier, equipped with engineered clothing, personal equipment, and even food. While the fully FCS-equipped soldier is not quite the Mobile Infantry of Robert A. Heinlein's Starship Troopers, or the "Borg" of the Star Trek universe, many of the SaaS features, in active field testing, give many observers a sense that science fiction has become reality.

While the project literature often speaks of 13 or 14 subsystems, there are several logical groups of systems.

Intelligence, suveillance and reconnaissance

Unattended ground sensors (UGS) are a major component, for genneral tactical and urban-specific environments. While ISR is not the only functions for the FCS UAVs, they strongly support ISR.

Weapons and manned combat vehicles

• Non-line-of-sight launch system (NLOS-LS): a family of missiles and a highly deployable, platform-independent container launch unit.
• Intelligent munitions system (IMS): is an unattended munitions system
• Mounted combat system (MCS): provides direct and beyond-line-of-sight offensive firepower.
• Non-line-of-sight cannon (NLOS-C): provides networked, extended-range targeting, and precision attack of point and area targets -- supporting the UA with a munitions suite.
• Non-line-of-sight mortar (NLOS-M): fires in close support of tactical maneuvers that include destructive firing and special-purpose firing.

Unmanned aerial vehicles

There are four classes of ummanned aerial vehicles (UAV), ranging from Class I units that can be carried in backpacks, larger vehicle-carried Class II, to Class III battalion-level resources and Class IV at Brigade Combat Team control.

Class I and II are primarily for reconnaissance, surveillance and target acquisition (RSTA), to let soldiers send a robot ahead of them. At classes III and IV, additional functions join basic RSTA, as a multifunction system with the range and endurance to provide communications relay, weather information, chemical/biological/radiological/nuclear (CBRN) survey, and airborne detection of land mines. The Class IV UAV is operational as the MQ-8.

Unmanned ground vehicles

• Armed robotic vehicle (ARV): has an assault variant and an RSTA variant, both of which share a common chassis.
• Small unmanned ground vehicle (SUGV): a small, lightweight, man-portable UGV that can conduct military operations in urban terrain tunnels, sewers, and caves.
• Multifunctional utility/logistics and equipment (MULE) vehicle: a 2.5-ton unmanned ground vehicle that supports dismounted operations and includes a chassis, autonomous navigation system, operator control unit, and three mission-equipment packages.