uhlan 21 - Small Arms Defense Journal

UHLAN 21
THE POLISH FUTURE SOLDIER PROJECT
D
esigning “Future Soldiers”
space-age suits of armor
with TV and other creature
comforts has been a popular
fad since 1950s, but only in
the last decade have such projects significantly moved from concept into the mainstream. Latest advances in microelectronics, mechanics and ergonomics, coupled
with shifting the emphasize from the tanks
and missiles back towards individual soldier as a result of the end of the Cold War
and in accordance with the ‘asymmetric
warfare’ doctrine, brought about Future
Soldier projects popping up everywhere.
Historically, the first of the New Breed
space-age-soldier-coming-to-a-forestnear-you programs to lead the pack was
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the U.S. Land Warrior, originating in the
early 1990s, only to die and then restarted
from scratch as the Future Force Warrior
in 2007. The basic elements and requirements didn’t changed much since then: the
resulting suit of electronics was deemed to
integrate the individual small arms with
high-tech equipment, provide the infantry
soldier with advanced “communications,
command and control” (C3) or even “communications, command, control, computers
& intelligence” (C4I) systems at grass-root
level – all that within the effort to look at
the individual infantry soldier as a complete
unit rather than just as a tiny cogwheel of a
larger force. Since the 1990s one more element was added: armor, both soft and hard
plates, protecting the soldier from enemy
fire, integrated into load bearing vests.
By 2008, when the Future Soldier
Fairs began in Prague, Czech Republic,
everybody had an FS project of their own.
The list is already overwhelming and seems
to swell with every Google search. Today
there are at least 19 such programs going
on, on four continents. In Europe there are
German IdZ, French Féline, Spanish COMFUT, Italian Soldato Futuro, British FIST,
Swedish MARKUS, Swiss IMESS, Norwegian NORMANS, Czech V21, and Polish Tytan/Uhlan 21. In the Americas, aside from
U.S. FFW, there are Canadian ISSP, Mexican Xiuhcoatl, Chilean Aguila and Brazilian COBRA. Australia has Land 125, and in
Asia, there are Indian F-INSAS, Japanese
V-Operation, ACMS of Singapore and who-
only-knows-what in China – for the upstart
regional superpower sure has something of
their own. And the counter keeps ticking...
BUMAR’S LANCER
Polish Future Soldier project started first in 2006, with CNPEP Radwar of
Warsaw, called the Uhlan 21, and generally based upon know-how of the French
electronics giant SAGEM, partnering with
Radwar, which was a big name but rather
in air defense radar business – not particularly a ‘B3’ (beans, boots and bullets) specialist, catering to the individual warrior.
The first generation Uhlan was first presented at the aforementioned Prague Future Soldier Fair in 2008, and since then
has significantly advanced. This was possible when Radwar’s initiative was taken
over and expanded by the Bumar Group,
which took the issue very seriously – to the
extent of creating a whole new core business division around it. In 2009, a Uhlan
21 consortium was created for developing
the Future Soldier system for the Polish
Army, which meanwhile became official,
and christened with a cover name ISW
Tytan. ISW stands for Indywidualny System Walki, or Individual Combat System.
According to a tradition dating from late
1970s, all Polish soldier-level projects have
their cryptonyms derived from elements
of the Mendeleyev periodic table. Tytan
means titanium, Ti, a metal with atomic
number of 22. The Uhlan 21 consortium
consists of the originator, Radwar, as well
as small arms (Fabryka Broni LucznikRadom and OBR SM Tarnow), optoelectronics (PCO SA), grenade-launcher and
40mm ammunition (ZM Dezamet SA),
and small arms ammunition manufacturers (ZM Mesko SA), ballistic protection
and combat clothing provider (PSO Maskpol SA), as well as non-Bumar entities, like
Polish communication systems leaders
Radmor SA and WB Electronics, Military
Technical University, Military Aviation
Medicine Institute, and Military Hygiene
by LESZEK ERENFEICHT
and Epidemiology Institute.
The name Uhlan comes from traditional Polish cavalry – the lancers – patterned after the Tartars, whom Polish
forces fought in the 16 and 17th Centuries
on the Polish-Turkish frontier lands, deep
into today’s Ukraine. In their language
‘ughuan’ meant ‘the Brave’ and so were
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their daredevil deeds on the battlefield.
The uhlans, light cavalry fighting with
sabre, lance, pistol and swift maneuver,
revolutionized the 17th Century European
military doctrine, administering a coup
de grace to the concept of heavy cavalry
tracing its heritage all the way back to medieval knights in shining armor. Father
of the U.S. Cavalry, Casimir Pulaski, was
an uhlan, and his tactics written for his
American trainees had a typical daring
and dash to it. Yet their real moment of
glory came during the Napoleonic Wars,
when ‘los infernos picadores de Polonia’
decided the outcome of many encounters
in l’Empereur’s favor, especially in the
Peninsular War. Soon copycats sprang out
throughout Europe, and Polish-inspired
uniform parts like “ulanka” (cavalry jacket) or “czapka” (square-topped cap) were
OPPOSITE, ABOVE: Uhlan 21 up close (Michal Sitarski):
1. NV or NV/thermal fusion goggles or monocular (both by PCO) worn on helmet.
2. New ballistic helmet (Maskpol) with enhanced goggle-mount and earphone/hearing protector space.
3. PCO’s day-and-night NV or NV/thermal fusion rifle sight (PCO).
4. Velociraptor (Maskpol) – a new, integrated low profile plate carrier vest with modular pouches.
5. New field uniform (Maskpol) with breathable, fire retardant (Polartec Power Dry shell, cotton ripstop
sleeves) combat shirt and pants, fitted with integral protective knee and elbow pads.
6. Radon 5.56mm rifle in Battle Rifle classic configuration (WAT/Fabryka Broni Lucznik-Radom).
7. The Integrator wrist control panel (WB Electronics).
8. Personal radio (Radmor, WB-Electronics).
9. The Integrator computer – main unit (WB-Electronics).
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en vogue, becoming de rigueur parts of
the colorful 19th Century military fashion.
This is a deeply meaningful name, then,
for a Polish project meant to revolutionize
the country’s military.
The Future Soldier program is an interdisciplinary effort, touching on all aspects of soldiers’ life and fighting. It entails
a thorough modernization of hardware,
careful selection of professional soldiers,
upturning the heretofore organization and
training, as well as command and logistics.
The Tytan is only a part of it, but an important, if not a crucial one. It calls for a
wholly renewed outlook on the soldier, the
ability to assist his mental and physical
abilities with modern hard- and software,
by placing him as a part of the net-centric
battlefield. This is an attempt at the ‘soldier-centric’ approach to the combat.
The Future Soldier’s equipment is
meant to be a coherent ergonomic system,
meant to assist the warrior and his mission.
The modern equipment is not only a new
set of flashy gadgets slapped-on to a half a
century old rifle – it is rather a whole new
approach to the well-being and efficiency of
a soldier. This means also soldier-friendly
clothes, ballistic and NBC protection, novel
small arms with intelligent munitions, surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities,
and the whole new suit of command and
control gear complete with a hand-held
computer to integrate it all. The real challenge is to make it perform to do all of that
– and then to make it as much as possible
locally-manufactured and decently priced,
while still cutting a profit.
The Phase 1 of the Uhlan 21/ISW Tytan development came to conclusion on
November 31, 2010. More than 100 scientists, technicians and experts, military
and civilian, from various government institutions and private industry, as well as
academic circles, have already took part
in the Phase 1. Their expertise and practical knowledge ranged from medicine, to
ordnance, munitions, uniform, protective
suits, communications, reconnaissance
and command, all entwined with the new
technologies, IT – the ‘nerd stuff.’ The results are already going beyond what was
planned at the beginning.
RADON FROM RADOM
So far, the most publicized of the Uhlan 21 components is the new Polish battle
rifle, called first the MSBS-5.56 for Modulowy System Broni Strzeleckiej or Modular
Small Arms System, 5.56mm being the calSADEFENSEJOURNAL.COM
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iber. The official cryptonym for the MSBS
is now ‘Radon’ (Rn, a radioactive gas with
atomic number of 86). This rifle is an attempt at leaving the Kalashnikov legacy
behind once and for all, giving the soldiers
a tangible proof of the new beginning. Besides, the AK platform already hit a stone
wall development-wise with the currentissue Polish M96 Beryl rifle. A totally new
battle rifle was required, for the very architecture of the AK platform does not meet
the requirements of the modern battlefield. The top-mounted receiver cover precludes mounting any decently anchored
rail interface, able to provide long enough
stable bases for tandem-mounted optical
and electronic sighting devices, so popular
and useful nowadays. These could be – at
best – semi rigid, prone to un-zero itself
during use, as the history of the complicated and troublesome Beryl top rail provides
enough proof. The AK is also significantly
anti-ergonomic, its right-side cocking
handle is obsolete and awkward to use –
especially with all the gadgets mounted
on the top rail. The barrel can’t be made
quick-changeable – so you can have it either long or chopped, but you need two
separate weapons to accommodate them.
It is virtually impossible to make it ambidextrous as well, and despite being chambered for the 5.56mm round, like Beryl,
the magazine is not interchangeable with
the STANAG weapons.
What was needed was a fully modern,
novel platform with monolithic rail, which
is not only modular and ambidextrous, but
also capable of getting user-defined and user-level-configurable to a hitherto unheard
of extent. The user was to be able not only
to put on a barrel of a different length or
weight, but his freedom went to the extent
of changing the basic layout of the rifle
between the two possible configurations:
classic ‘lock, stock and barrel’ gun, and a
bull-pup. Having considered that, the Military Technology University (WAT) of Warsaw in co-operation with the Fabryka Broni
Lucznik-Radom of Radom designed, manufactured and tested two technology dem-
ABOVE: The shortest and the longest: 2nd Gen Battle Rifle classic configuration length compared
to the Automatic Carbine in bullpup trim. (Leszek Erenfeicht) RIGHT: Modest beginnings – 1st Gen
technology demonstrators of the MSBS rifle in classic and buttless trim. Still blocky, still sketchy,
but already showing potential. (Leszek Erenfeicht) OPPOSITE: Future Soldier with all Uhlan 21
gimmicks and gadgets inside one of the Polish Army’s Rosomak APCs – still comfortably with all
those objects on him. (Michal Sitarski)
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onstrators of the new 5.56mm basic combat rifle, one in classical layout, the other in
butt-less (bull-pup) configuration. Objective ‘Radon’ in both configurations would
be a whole system comprising of: Battle
Rifle, Automatic Carbine (CQB weapon),
bipod mounted Designated Marksman
Rifle (DMR), Grenade Launching Rifle (fitted with under-barrel GLM) and an Infantry Automatic Rifle (a hi-cap magazine-fed
support weapon). All of these are to offer
80-90% parts interchangeability.
The main component of a thus configured system would be a common upper receiver, which is to be mated with
different barrel modules, lower receiver
modules, and buttstock or buttplate (bullpup) modules. The upper receiver in both
TDs and final production model is to be
made of light alloy – lighter and cheaper
to manufacture than the previously used
stamped sheet-metal receivers. The receiver is fitted with attachment points for
all of the interchangeable modules, as well
as ejection ports, and bolt carrier holdopen mechanism. Both ports and holdopen levers are fully-ambidextrous, by
being doubled and fitted to both sides of
the receiver, to enable equally ergonomic
operation by both left- and right-handed
shooters or suiting the tactical situation
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ricade with minimum exposure).
A polymer lower receiver module
has a magazine interface for the STANAG
4179-compatible magazine and the firecontrol group giving the shooter a choice
of semiautomatic and fully automatic fire
or safety (or FIRE and SAFE in semiautomatic variant). The FCG has safety/fireselector levers on both sides of the lower
receiver for fully ambidextrous operation.
The magazine catch is also ambidextrous
and ergonomically positioned. The lower
receiver module governs the configuration
of the weapon, and comes in two different
types: one with classical folding butt configuration and the other in butt-less (or
bull-pup) one. Permanent re-configuration from right-hand to left-hand operation is limited to relocating a cover from
one of the two ejection ports to another
The modular rifle fires the NATOstandard 5.56x45 intermediate round, fed
from various plastic or metal magazines.
Additionally, it can be fed from a largecapacity drum magazine, dedicated to the
IAR support weapon. In the future, a similar 7.62x51 NATO sibling system is being
considered.
Modular rifles’ TDs have undergone a
rigorous two-years testing program, aimed
at achieving total reliability in various operational environments. As these demonstrators are still more of the test appliances
rather, than weapons ready for issue, efforts are being made at enhancing their ergonomics and aesthetics. It seems that the
current program is capable of spawning a
finalized design within a couple of years.
Now a new generation of the prototypes,
with much enhanced, ‘Low-Drag-High-
and relocating (actually turning by 180°)
the bolt. All of that can be performed at
user level without the use of tools other
than perhaps an Allen wrench.
The MSBS-5.56 is to offer the user a
choice of different interchangeable barrel
modules, complete with muzzle device,
gas chamber, piston and locking chamber.
Individual barrel modules differ in length
and thermal capacity or contour (e.g. the
IAR or DMR barrels). The buttstock or
buttplate module interacts with the choice
of the lower receiver. If the classical configuration lower is chosen, a buttstock
is attached, with a choice of folding telescoping or fixed telescoping stocks, both
with an adjustable cheek piece capability.
The bullpup lower can only accommodate
the buttplate module, as governed by the
weapon’s ‘canard’ configuration.
Speed’ looks, are being readied for their
share of testing. So far only Battle Rifle
prototypes were actually manufactured
and tested, these to become models for
all the other variants. A new under-barrel
GLM is also being designed for the MSBS/
Radon in grenade-launcher rifle role.
tive navigation with large, user-defined
and glove-friendly keys. Wireless twoway data transmission through the Integrator enables the warrior to take part
in a ‘larger picture:’ display maps, overlaid with tactical situation, get a peek at
the BFT and check if the guy who briefly
appeared there to the left, behind those
trees, is a friend or foe, have a look
through the cameras of the airborne asset overhead if there is no one lurking on
the opposite side of this concrete fence to
shoot at him if he scales it, see through
the rifle-mounted sight without having to
stick his head from behind the cover, etc.
At the same time it enables the command
to maintain a hold of a soldier – control
his ammunition expenditure to optimize
the logistics, stream a video from his rifle
sight, NV goggles or other means of observation, as well as read-outs from his
NBC and other sensors, pinpoint his position on the map and do a remote medical
check-up if he doesn’t answer the radio.
The Integrator also serves as a personal
comms center, enabling voice and short
text connection. All of the hardware
and software needed to run the Integrator are already available, and most are
locally-manufactured. Phase 2 would try
to get rid of the cables and integrate the
Integrator with a transmitter, eliminating
the need for a separate radio. So far, the
ISW encompasses the highly advanced
Radmor R35010 hand-held radio both as
a means of tactical communication and
data transmitter.
Of course, getting hold of such a gadget would be a real treat to any enemy
scout, so there’s also a hidden panic button – here called the ‘P.O.W. Button’ – instantly deleting all software and data, and
disabling the Integrator, with an option of
activating it remotely.
THE BATTLEFIELD NERD
The electronics of the Polish Future
Soldier system – or the C4I(R) circuit
– would be governed by a wrist- or vestmounted palmtop-size highly integrated
computer, called the Integrator. The Integrator would be the heart and brain of
all the electronic systems, a soldier’s interface with the machine, enabling him
to user-define what sort of data he wants
to be displayed non-stop, which he would
like to access, while enabling easy, intui-
WHAT THE FUTURE HOLDS
No one knows where the development
of the Uhlan/Tytan system as well as the
whole Future Soldier program would lead,
but so far the results are very encouraging.
This was but a Phase 1, initial reconnaissance into what can be achieved – now is
the time for real work and implementation
of the system. How long would it take, and
what would be the scale of the actual implementation, no one seems to know, but the
beginning is already made.
OPPOSITE: Wrist-mounted Integrator control panel enables the Soldier to control much more than his own equipment. (Michal Sitarski) ABOVE: Mock
up of the 2nd Gen Battle Rifle in bullpup configuration. (Leszek Erenfeicht)
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