Ripsaw (vehicle)

Ripsaw
Type Light tank
Place of origin  United States
Service history
Used by United States Army
Production history
Designer Howe & Howe Technologies
Manufacturer Howe & Howe Technologies
Unit cost 250,000
Produced 2009-present
Variants MS1 (unmanned), MS2 (driver optional)
Specifications
Weight 9,000 lbs
Height 70 in

Armor None (aluminum frame)
Engine 6.6 duramax diesel
750 hp
Power/weight 1000 ft/lbs
Payload capacity 2,000 lbs.
Suspension 16 in. Travel
Ground clearance 24 in
Speed 95 Mph

The Ripsaw is a developmental unmanned light tank designed and built by Howe & Howe Technologies for evaluation by the United States Army.[1]

The Howe brothers started the Ripsaw as a small family project in 2000. They introduced it at a Dallas vehicle show in 2001, where it caught the interest of the U.S. Army. Later that year the U.S. Military ordered a prototype MS-1 to be made and shipped to Iraq.

The Ripsaw is intended to perform various missions including convoy protection, perimeter defense, surveillance, rescue, border patrol, crowd control, and explosive ordnance disposal. For perimeter defense or crowd control, a belt of M5 Modular Crowd Control Munitions (MCCM) can be mounted around the vehicle to break up crowds or non-lethally engage personnel with flash-bang effects and rubber bullets. Cameras provide 360-degree coverage for situational awareness for the operator.[2][3]

The Army has tested the Ripsaw while remote-controlled by a soldier in another armored vehicle up to 1 km (0.62 mi) away. Its weapon system is modified to fire remotely using the Advanced Remote Armament System (ARAS), a gun that self-loads its own ammunition and can swap out various types of ammunition, such as lethal and non-lethal, in just a few seconds. These capabilities allow manned vehicles to send the Ripsaw out in front of them and engage targets without exposing soldiers to threats.[4]

Variants

See also

References

  1. Teel, Roger A.. "Ripsaw demonstrates capabilities at APG." The United States Army Homepage. N.p., 16 July 2010. Web. 4 Aug. 2010. <http://www.army.mil/-news/2010/07/16/42405-ripsaw-demonstrates-capabilities-at-apg/>.
  2. 1 2 3 Weaponized RipSaw-MS2 UGV Evaluated for Convoy Security & Support - Defense-Update.com, 14 December 2009
  3. 1 2 3 A 9,000-Pound Tank That’s Faster Than a Ferrari - Industrytap.com, 25 September 2013
  4. Ripsaw could lead Soldiers into battle someday - Army.mil, 6 May 2015
  5. "Ripsaw." Howe & Howe Technologies. N.p., n.d. Web. 4 Aug. 2010. <http://www.howeandhowetechnologies.com/ripsaw.php>.
  6. Remote Armed Maneuver Platform
  7. UGV models face off over firepower, load carrying - Armytimes.com, 12 October 2013


This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Sunday, April 03, 2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.