DARPA Captive Air Amphibious Transporters (CAAT) For Disaster Relief

[Lt-Col A. Tack]

Published on Aug 9, 2012 by DARPAtv


This video depicts testing of a 1/5 scale demonstrator of the Captive Air Amphibious Transporters (CAAT).

The CAAT has air-filled pontoons on a tank tread-like design, enabling them to carry containers over water and directly onto shore.

The vehicle is part of DARPA's Tactically Expandable Maritime Platform (TEMP) (http://go.usa.gov/vF3) program, which seeks new sea and air delivery systems to enable direct support to disaster zones from offshore container ships.

All technologies developed under TEMP are transportable using standard 20-foot or 40-foot commercial shipping containers.

This technology demonstrator is jointly funded with the Office of Naval Research, who is looking at it for potential use as an amphibious transport for the
Marines/Navy.

[Lt-Col A. Tack]

DARPA DEVELOPS TECHNOLOGIES FOR AIDING DISASTER RELIEF

June 26, 2012

New sea and air delivery systems to enable direct support to disaster zones from offshore container ships

During natural or man-made disasters, the U.S. armed forces’ rapidly deployable airlift, sealift, communication, and medical evacuation and care capabilities can supplement lead relief agencies in providing aid to victims. The Department of Defense’s 2012 strategic guidance document includes humanitarian assistance and disaster relief operations as one of the missions for 21st Century defense.

DARPA’s Tactically Expandable Maritime Platform (TEMP) program has completed the design of innovative technologies to transform commercial container ships into self-contained floating supply bases during disaster relief operations, without needing port infrastructure. The program envisions a container ship anchoring offshore of a disaster area, and the ship’s crew delivering supplies ashore using DARPA-developed, modular on-board cranes and air- and sea-delivery vehicles.

“To allow military ships and aircraft to focus on unique military missions they alone can fulfill, it makes sense to develop technologies to leverage standard commercial container ships, used around the world daily, as a surge capacity for extended humanitarian assistance and disaster relief operations,” said Scott Littlefield, DARPA program manager.

DARPA recently completed the first phase of the program, which developed four key modular systems, all of which are transportable using standard 20-foot or 40-foot commercial shipping containers. The elements include:

• Core support modules—container-sized units that provide electrical power, berthing, water and other life-support requirements for an augmented crew aboard the container ship.
  
  
• Motion-stabilized cranes—modular on-board cranes to allow transfer of cargo containers at sea from the ship deck over the side and onto a sea-delivery vehicle.
  
  
• Sea-delivery vehicles—Captive Air Amphibious Transporters (CAAT) have air-filled pontoons on a tank tread-like design, enabling them to carry containers over water and directly onto shore.
  
  
• Parafoil unmanned air-delivery system—a low-cost, propeller-driven air vehicle that uses a parachute for lift and carries urgent supplies from the container ship to stricken areas on shore.

While DARPA’s investment in demonstrating the technology has completed, the information obtained should reduce risk for efforts of the military Services or other government organizations with a humanitarian assistance and disaster relief mission.

http://www.darpa.mil/NewsEvents/Rele...012/06/26.aspx

[BogT]

^^^Thanks for posting this!

Wow! I'm impressed with both the efficiency of the system (driving on the bog) and the simplicity of the idea. Unlike air-cushion vehicles, the CAAT seems to have a very good ground control. I hope it catches on!

Next step, a 30 mm auto-cannon and you are getting a wetland fighting vehicle.

[Token White Guy]

Next step, a 30 mm auto-cannon and you are getting a wetland fighting vehicle.

Time to take back the Everglades from those damned alligators.

[Lt-Col A. Tack]

^^^Thanks for posting this!

You're very welcome.

Next step, a 30 mm auto-cannon and you are getting a wetland hunting vehicle.

Fixed for you

[BogT]

Time to take back the Everglades from those damned alligators.

I know that I cannot think of one good place where WFV™ () would actually be needed, at this point. But a single battalion would give a unique capability. With the right (thermal) camouflage, these vehicles would be incredible hard to counter from air and the removal from a zone of a such troops would be difficult.

EDIT:
If only money would grow on trees...

@Lt-Col A. Tack: A WHV (wetland hunting vehicle) would just be the civilian variant... so no "auto" capability!

[MonkeySoldier]

But a single battalion would give a unique capability. With the right (thermal) camouflage, these vehicles would be incredible hard to counter from air

Look at the huge profile, and especially the huge splash it creates while going over the water. Thermals or not, you can't miss it when such a thing is moving over the water, and you'd be able to hear it coming as well, probably even more than conventional amphibious vehicles, as their propulsion systems are beneath the water level, rather than on top of it.

It might work for disaster relieve though, and perhaps as a BARV as well.

[mhpr262]

how do these pontoons fare when the vehicle has to make a turn on rocky uneven ground? No so well, I´d say. They probably get ripped right off. But just from ship to a sandy beach it would probably do okay.

[SuchIsLife]

Impressive indeed, reminded me of the funnies

[PMI]

Time to take back the Everglades from those damned pythons.

Fixed It For Ya