Delphi Connects Light Armored Vehicle Communications Systems for the U.S. Marine Corps
Share:
Delphi helps upgrade military equipment to diagnose problems; enable mechanics to make repairs more quickly
TROY, Mich., Feb. 14 /PRNewswire/ -- A suite of Delphi's products is preparing to enhance the way military vehicles and their electronic systems communicate. Teams of Delphi engineers are installing customized electronic sensing and monitoring systems onto a test fleet of Light Armored Vehicles (LAVs) used by the United States Marine Corps.
While this kind of capability is typical in new cars built today, it is not the case when it comes to this 14-ton military vehicle. The LAV upgrade provides systems that monitor, record and communicate state-of-health and diagnostics information. Access to this information allows users and mechanics to more accurately and quickly determine what is wrong and how to fix it -- which could mean major time savings for Marines.
"We are adapting and modifying what we know about integrated electronic systems in the automotive industry, in order to advance the LAV for the military," said Ben Johnson, director of product management, Delphi Product & Service Solutions. "We are introducing leading-edge technology into a rigorous military environment, a world of highly advanced weapons systems with the need for integration and global communications."
The customized Delphi systems are currently being installed on 10 LAVs to verify their viability in this highly rugged military vehicle. Each LAV will include a Control Module, a network of on-board sensors, associated wiring harnesses and built-in diagnostics. This system will feed data to a customized version of Delphi's DS800 Diagnostic System to help determine where a problem lies within the system's electronic architecture.
"Our ability to provide an 'end-to-end' option -- from acquiring the data to resolving the problem -- is what Delphi wants to provide to the military," said Johnson. "We believe when these first 10 LAVs are fully equipped, that the results will be so beneficial to the military, that the Marines will ask Delphi to customize the electrical systems of their entire fleet of 700 around the world."
With the cost of each LAV being about $1 million, Delphi creates an opportunity for cost savings for the military. Specifically, the upgrades will increase the up-time readiness and extend the life of the platform instead of requiring the entire LAV to be replaced.
The National Center for Manufacturing Sciences (NCMS) is managing this collaboration between Delphi and the Marines, as part of its initiative of Reliability Centered Maintenance (RCM).
"Delphi has been an essential teammate in this effort from its early inception. Having worked closely with the Delphi team on the LAV Sense & Respond project, they have repeatedly proved their worth as a trusted collaborator, and as such have shown an impressive grasp of our intended direction and future vision for the LAV," said Mark Gerhard, U.S. Marine Corps logistic management specialist for the program manager's office, Light Armored Vehicles. "With fastidious attention to detail and the unflagging perseverance of the engineers and integrators at Delphi, the USMC Light Armored Vehicle is perched to regain its claim to supremacy on the battlefield in the reconnaissance environment. The real world mission impact of what Delphi is doing for the Marines is tremendous, and the cost savings involved with this should put a smile on every U.S. taxpayer's face."
By using a satellite interface, information from the LAV can be conveyed remotely to the fleet manager. System Engineers can compile the data collected from multiple LAVs and analyze and correlate data acquired over time across the entire fleet, which may help in identifying ongoing problems on the platform. With the extensive detail involved, it not only allows diagnosis of a current problem, but may eventually lead to identifying a potential problem before it becomes more serious.
The customized Delphi systems will continue to be installed and tested throughout 2006. With the successful completion of this project, the military will evaluate the possibility of equipping the entire fleet of 700 LAVs with Delphi technology.
For more information about Delphi (Pink Sheets: DPHIQ), visit http://www.delphi.com/.
For more information about NCMS visit www.ncms.org/.
Source: Delphi Corporation
CONTACT: Mary McCahon, +1-248-813-2618, or mary.mccahon@delphi.com, or Beth Walker, +1-248-813-2482, or beth.walker@delphi.com, both of Delphi Corporation
Web site: http://www.delphi.com/media
http://www.ncms.org/
