An evaluation of varying distribution policies for the Commander's Independent Thermal Viewer on U.S. Army main battle tanks.

Abstract

The U.S. Army's main battle tank, the M1A1, does not possess the enhanced features of the proposed M1A2 tank. Limited production authorization for the M1A2 will result in only 62 M1A2 tanks reaching the Army's inventory. The U.S. Army needs to determine if certain technologies from the M1A2 should be retrofitted to existing M1A1 tanks. The Commander's Independent Thermal Viewer (CITV) is among the most promising add-ons for the M1A1. A scheme to test whether addition of the CITV alone to the M1A1, without adding any of the other M1A2 improvements, is conducted to measure lethality, survivability, and detection performance. The JANUS(A) combat model is used to collect data. Battalion and squadron level scenarios were conducted for both Central Europe and Southwest Asia during both day and night conditions. Measures of performance are analyzed in each of the three areas to determine the influence of the CITV on M1A1 performance.