|
|
A Modest Proposal
— Clearing a Route to the Close Combat Vehicle |
|
Make Do and Mend mit Marder? — Fielding a New Close Combat Vehicle
Refurbishing used German Marder IFVs as CCVs for the CF
was a long shot. But, recent economic events have conspired to put this dark horse into the lead. The Close Combat Vehicle Project was put
to the Cabinet at the end of 2007 just as it was becoming apparent that Canada was not immune from
a global economic meltdown. DND's timing couldn't have been worse. If the CCV project is to come
to fruition, the chosen vehicle must be budget-friendly to satisfy the politicians and ready for Afghani- stan
to make sense to the citizenry. A tall order – especially with Canada's track record
on used equipment. |
|
|
CCV must survive close combat engagements which, in Afghanistan, primarily means IEDs. The Marder
1A5s deployed with ISAF have greater mine protection but there is still room for
improvement (add-on AMAP panels or the like). A second hurdle is weapons – Marder's main armament
is a 20mm while CF standard is 25mm. For quick deployment, it may be best to follow the example of the Leopard 2A6M and keep those German guns –
at least initially. [1]
|
|
|
As time (and budgets) allow, more vehicles could be refurbished and 'Canadianized'. One possibility would be
mounting the same turret chosen for coming LAV III upgrade
or fleet augmentation. Whether that will be a manned turret (left) or a remote weapons
system (top left) remains to be seen. Either way, a final armament choice for both CCV and LAV III/Hs should be
made at the same time. There is economy of scale but, more important, are supply lines and commonality
for training, maintenance, parts etc. There is also an opportunity to make both vehicle types as well-armed as
newer CCV candidates like the SPz Puma and CV90 family. [2] That raises another point. A substantial family of
specialist type Marder vehicles exist but Canada can develop its own designs.
|
|
|
As with any upgrade program, 'the devil is in the details'. Anticipating CCV variants is less important
for DND than seeking opportunities to do the jobs here at home. Finding qualified facilities able to
perform such tasks has been
difficult for DND. Linkage with industry is not popular within military circles. But that's now the least of
their worries. The citizens will support procurement only if projects are tied to Canadian economic stimulation. To avoid public
backlashes to plans (like rebuilding tanks in German plants), DND must
find ways to employ Canadians, enriching their own country.
|
|
|
[1] Of course, the Leopard 2A6M's Rheinmetall 120mm main gun is central to the system. Here, we refer to the
secondary armament – the coaxial and pintle-mounted 7.62mm machineguns. In both cases,
Canadian tankers have adjusted from C6s to the original, German MG3s. Introducing a new ammunition type (20 x 139mm)
would be awkward and expensive but it would allow the CF to field refurbished Marders in Afghanistan quickly.
The number of deployed CCVs would be comparatively small. Crews could train on unrefurbished
Marder 1A3s.
[2] The same 30mm main gun which arms the Puma has been trialled on the Marder hull (in a Kuka turret).
Turrets for the CV90 series IFVs are separate commercial products made by Saab Bofors (hulls by Land Systems
Hägglunds). A Bofors turret can be mounted on Marder.
|
|