New DARPA FANG competition [ACV (USMC) alternative design]

[Grey Havoc]

http://www.darpa.mil/NewsEvents/Releases/2012/10/02.aspx
http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/2012/10/fang/

Inside VehicleFORGE, people who form into design teams can inspect the data requirements for each component of the swimming tank (or, really, whatever you design); use imaging software to design each of the systems; and see immediately how any one part of the vehicle impacts every other one, so you can adjust your specs accordingly. As shown in the image above, the interface looks a bit like online gaming.

“You open the aperture for innovation,” Weidenman contends, beyond the same handful of defense giants that the Pentagon relies on for its expensive truck, plane and ship programs.

To be clear, the FANG Challenge doesn’t hold the Marines’ amphibious vehicle program hostage to the design whims of random people. It’s an experiment in outperforming the military acquisition system. “We have a close working relationship with the Marines, but they are not counting on FANG for the success of their program,” Weidenman said. “We will run in parallel, and if we are successful, the [amphibious vehicle] program will be the first beneficiary.

Again, Darpa isn’t actually expecting to build every part of this infantry vehicle all at once. The FANG Challenge is broken up into three phases. The first phase, opened to would-be competitors for registration on Monday, seeks to build the drivetrain and mobility systems. Darpa will open C2M2L and VehicleFORGE to participants in January, and teams will have until April to work. The winning design, judged according to the Marine Corps’ criteria for the Amphibious Combat Vehicle, will get a million dollars. You can start to assemble your crew using the hashtag #DARPAFANG.

The next phase, slated for late 2013, will be to design the hull, informed by the work in phase 1. That’s another $1 million. And in 2014, the winning design for the full vehicle will get $2 million. Darpa gets a design it expects it couldn’t anticipate — Weidenman thinks “populating the design tradespace” will yield wacky new structures — and, the gamble goes, the Marines might get a new swimming vehicle long before the traditional Pentagon acquisitions process. That process, it’s worth noting, led its previous future swimming tank, the Expeditionary Combat Vehicle, to flameout after $13 billion and nearly 20 years of development.

Danger Room (Wired.com)

A couple of links to related SPF topics:
http://www.secretprojects.co.uk/forum/index.php/topic,14121.0.html
http://www.secretprojects.co.uk/forum/index.php/topic,14206.0.html

 

[jsport]

There could be alot here as a commerical and technology model, but this and other press seems to point out that a little more thought needs to be in most aspects of this development model.

 

[Grey Havoc]

http://www.wired.com/wiredenterprise/2013/01/darpa-fang/

http://vehicleforge.org/assets/media/pdf/DARPA_FANG_Challenge_1_Mobility_Drivetrain_Guidelines.pdf

 

[Grey Havoc]

http://www.darpa.mil/NewsEvents/Releases/2013/04/22.aspx

http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/2013/04/darpa-fang-winner/

 

[Grey Havoc]

The winner of the first FANG challenge was the Ground Systems team.

The FANG Challenges


Mobility/Drivechain Challenge

Scope:
Utilized new open source design tools
Designed the drivetrain and mobility systems for an amphibious infantry fighting vehicle utilizing component model "building blocks"
Assembled the component models into a functional vehicle architecture
Integrated the functional architecture into the provided hull
Virtually tested the performance of the vehicle against requirements such as land speed, water speed, mobility, payload and manufacturability
Submitted the design for a score

Timeline:
Registration began in October 2012
Challenge went live in January 2013
Three months in duration

Participant Pool:
U.S. persons

Incentive:
Prize was $1,000,000 USD for the winning design
Winner judged on ability to meet the stipulated design requirements as determined through the use of Challenge-specific simulation test benches

Design Tools:
Used pre-existing models found within the Component Model Library or new models created and submitted for curation by the competitors
Used provided META software for design and simulation
Used VehicleFORGE for design development, team creation and submission of designs

Build Approach:
Winning design will be constructed as an automotive test rig by the iFAB Foundry, a novel, re-configurable production approach
Performance of the test rig validated against typical ground vehicle acceptance tests
Winning team is not required to support any prototype build or test activities


Chassis/Structural Challenge

Scope:
Utilize new open source design tools
Design an amphibious infantry fighting vehicle hull and structures around pre-defined drivetrain and mobility systems, utilizing component model "building blocks"
Integrate occupants and additional auxiliary systems not included in the Mobility/Drivetrain
Virtually test the performance of the vehicle against requirements such as payload, durability and survivability
Submit the design for a score

Timeline:
Registration, Challenge goes live in 2013
Three months in duration

Participant Pool:
TBD

Incentive:
Prize is $1,000,000 USD for the winning design
Winner judged on ability to meet the stipulated design requirements as determined through the use of Challenge-specific simulation test benches

Design Tools:
Use of pre-existing models found within the Component Model Library or new models created and submitted for curation by the competitors
Use of provided META software for design and simulation
Use of VehicleFORGE for design development, team creation and submission of designs

Build Approach:
Winning design will be constructed as a Hull Article test rig by the iFAB Foundry
Performance of the test rig validated against typical ground vehicle acceptance tests such as for survivability
Winning team is not required to support any prototype build or test activities


Total Platform Challenge

Scope:
Utilize new open source design tools
Design a complete set of systems for an amphibious infantry fighting vehicle utilizing component model "building blocks"
Assemble the component models into a functional vehicle architecture
Virtually test the performance of the vehicle against a comprehensive range of vehicle requirements.
Submit the design for a score based on the simulated performance characteristics

Timeline:
Registration and Challenge go live in 2014
Six months in duration

Participant Pool:
TBD

Incentive:
Prize is $2,000,000 USD for the winning design
Winner judged on ability to meet the stipulated design requirements as determined through the use of Challenge-specific simulation test benches

Design Tools:
Use of pre-existing models found within the Component Model Library or new models created and submitted for curation by the competitors
Use of provided META software for design and simulation
Use of VehicleFORGE for design development, team creation and submission of designs

Build Approach:
Winning design will be constructed as complete, production-ready vehicle(s) by the iFAB Foundry, a novel, re-configurable production approach
Performance of the vehicle(s) will be validated against requirements for the Marine Corps ACV (Amphibious Combat Vehicle) program and will be considered as a candidate for that program
Winning team is not required to support any prototype build or test activities