J-10
02-17-2005, 03:48 AM
Radio silence for Iraq tanks
16 February 2005
Challenger tanks and Warrior fighting vehicles in Iraq are not to be fitted with the new Bowman radio system when it is deployed, due to problems with headsets and intercoms
The Army's heavily delayed digital radio system is ready to be deployed in Iraq but cannot be fitted to tanks and armoured fighting vehicles, it emerged on 15 February 2005.
The £2.1bn Bowman system is to be used in Iraq next month by the 12th Mechanised Brigade, but due to problems with radio headsets it cannot be installed in Challenger 2 tanks or Warrior vehicles.
The project has been delayed as the Ministry of Defence (MoD) and supplier General Dynamics could not resolve a problem with the tanks' intercom system, which meant that soldiers could not hear properly over their headsets. The MoD was planning to use old headsets as a cost saving move but they proved incompatible with the intercom which often stops working.
"This isn't a specific problem of Bowman itself but its really to do with the new intercom equipment in the Warrior vehicles and the Challenger 2. They weren't able to get the equipment installed in time," an MoD spokesperson told Government Computing News.
"This is being worked on at the moment and the idea is that it's ready for the 7th and 8th brigades when they also start to use the system later on in the year. The problem was really all about putting a new system in existing vehicles. It's the sort of issue that tends to affect many of these types of complex procurements."
Earlier testing in Canada had shown the system to be inadequate in several key areas. The MoD found that when it was installed in some vehicles such as Land Rovers its weight caused the axles to break. In addition, it was initially delivered with headsets that did not fit over helmets, and the programming system was initially found to be too inflexible for combat use.
During testing in 2004, there were difficulties with getting the combat management system software and some of the battlefield information system applications to run over Bowman.
There have also been worries over the levels of radiation feared to be emitted by Bowman. During testing the MoD had to release guidelines to soldiers not to stand within six feet of a vehicle when the system is in operation. They were also advised not to use the system at full power as the radiation Bowman emits was found to exceed standards set by the National Radiological Protection Board.
Senior officers have admited that they are disappointed that the system will not be used in the tanks and Warrior vehicle.
"We wanted to take the Warriors converted. We wanted to take the Challengers converted, of course we did. But we had to make that call," one senior officer told a press briefing.
Bowman is often cited as a prime example of IT project failure. The original contract with BAE systems was scrapped in 1999 due to lengthy delays. Soldiers in previous conflicts including Kosovo and Afghanistan resorted to using mobile phones because of the inadequacies of the existing Clansman radio system.
From (http://rds.yahoo.com/S=53720272/K=tanks/v=2/SID=e/l=NSR/R=1/SIG=13aqvcocc/EXP=1108716002/*-http%3A//www.kablenet.com/kd.nsf/Frontpage/058973F1F740A8F580256FAA003915E7?OpenDocument)
16 February 2005
Challenger tanks and Warrior fighting vehicles in Iraq are not to be fitted with the new Bowman radio system when it is deployed, due to problems with headsets and intercoms
The Army's heavily delayed digital radio system is ready to be deployed in Iraq but cannot be fitted to tanks and armoured fighting vehicles, it emerged on 15 February 2005.
The £2.1bn Bowman system is to be used in Iraq next month by the 12th Mechanised Brigade, but due to problems with radio headsets it cannot be installed in Challenger 2 tanks or Warrior vehicles.
The project has been delayed as the Ministry of Defence (MoD) and supplier General Dynamics could not resolve a problem with the tanks' intercom system, which meant that soldiers could not hear properly over their headsets. The MoD was planning to use old headsets as a cost saving move but they proved incompatible with the intercom which often stops working.
"This isn't a specific problem of Bowman itself but its really to do with the new intercom equipment in the Warrior vehicles and the Challenger 2. They weren't able to get the equipment installed in time," an MoD spokesperson told Government Computing News.
"This is being worked on at the moment and the idea is that it's ready for the 7th and 8th brigades when they also start to use the system later on in the year. The problem was really all about putting a new system in existing vehicles. It's the sort of issue that tends to affect many of these types of complex procurements."
Earlier testing in Canada had shown the system to be inadequate in several key areas. The MoD found that when it was installed in some vehicles such as Land Rovers its weight caused the axles to break. In addition, it was initially delivered with headsets that did not fit over helmets, and the programming system was initially found to be too inflexible for combat use.
During testing in 2004, there were difficulties with getting the combat management system software and some of the battlefield information system applications to run over Bowman.
There have also been worries over the levels of radiation feared to be emitted by Bowman. During testing the MoD had to release guidelines to soldiers not to stand within six feet of a vehicle when the system is in operation. They were also advised not to use the system at full power as the radiation Bowman emits was found to exceed standards set by the National Radiological Protection Board.
Senior officers have admited that they are disappointed that the system will not be used in the tanks and Warrior vehicle.
"We wanted to take the Warriors converted. We wanted to take the Challengers converted, of course we did. But we had to make that call," one senior officer told a press briefing.
Bowman is often cited as a prime example of IT project failure. The original contract with BAE systems was scrapped in 1999 due to lengthy delays. Soldiers in previous conflicts including Kosovo and Afghanistan resorted to using mobile phones because of the inadequacies of the existing Clansman radio system.
From (http://rds.yahoo.com/S=53720272/K=tanks/v=2/SID=e/l=NSR/R=1/SIG=13aqvcocc/EXP=1108716002/*-http%3A//www.kablenet.com/kd.nsf/Frontpage/058973F1F740A8F580256FAA003915E7?OpenDocument)