Tank Crew Research Articles

Risk Factors Associated with Musculoskeletal Injuries within the Crew of the Leopard 2 A6 Main Battle Tank Using Inertial Movement Unit Sensors: A Pilot Study.

This study aims to assess the musculoskeletal risk of military personnel on a Leopard 2 A6 main battle tank crew and to identify associated factors for future prevention and mitigation strategies. A sample of 57 Portuguese military personnel, who are or were part of the Leopard 2 A6 main battle tank crew, answered a questionnaire on their perception of task performance, considering muscle demands, comfort, posture, movements, and associated symptoms. A subsample of four soldiers from the Armoured Squadron of the Portuguese Mechanized Brigade were assessed using an inertial measurement unit system and underwent a whole-body kinematic analysis coupled with a Rapid Entire Body Assessment during a simulated two-hour mission. The results indicate that soldiers accurately perceive their roles within the crew and that, overall, there is a high risk of musculoskeletal injuries in all tasks. However, tasks directly related to the crew's primary duties carry consistently high risk when considering the time spent on their tasks. This study highlights the need for targeted preventive measures to reduce the incidence and severity of injuries among the crew of the Leopard 2 A6 main battle tank.

Evaluation of Exposure to Impulse Noise at Personnel Occupied Areas During Military Field Exercises

The tests reported in this paper were carried out to evaluate the exposure of soldiers to noise at operator and control positions during military field exercises. The tests were conducted during firing from a T-72 tank, a BWP-1 Infantry Fighting Vehicle, antitank guided missiles, a ZU-23-2K anti-aircraft gun, and a 2S1 GOZDZIK howitzer. The evaluation of noise exposure showed that the limit values of sound pressure level, referred to by both Polish occupational noise protection standards and the Pfander and Dancer hearing damage risk criteria developed for military applications, were repeatedly exceeded at the tested positions. Despite of the use of tank crew headgear, the exposure limit values of sound pressure level were exceeded for the crew members of the T-72 tank, the BWP-1 infantry fighting vehicle, and the 2S1 GOZDZIK howitzer. The results show that exposure of soldiers to noise during military field exercises is a potentially high hearing risk factor.

Prognostic assessment of the zone of occurrence of radiation combined injuries within a nuclear blast area

Background A detonation of nuclear weapon (NW) is considered as one of the most devastating radiological scenarios in the list of modern global threats. An essential proportion of victims in a mass casualty radiation event may require an immediate medical care due to radiation combined injuries (RCI). Surprisingly, there is a lack of clear guidance for quantitative prognosis of the spatial distribution of expected RCI casesin a given nuclear explosion scenario. Purpose This work is aimed at the presentation of a new, improved model, allowing more confident evaluation of the contributions from different NW destructive forces to RCI formation, thus leading to more accurate approximation of the zone around the epicenter for a guided search for RCI cases. Materials and methods The model is made compatible with a classic approach and provides the estimates of radial distance from the epicenter, at which NW explosion can produce RCI. Mathematical formalism comprises a set of equations for the reciprocal assessment of a distance–effect for radiation dose (separately for neutrons and gamma-rays), thermal wave and blast shock wave depending on the NW type, detonation yield and altitude, environmental conditions (i.e. season) and shielding factors. The model’s capabilities were demonstrated using an example of the RCI grade causing a profound operational performance decrement of military personnel in two marginal scenarios: Troops deployed in an open area or a tank crew. Results A remarkable difference in the expected radial zones of possible RCI occurrence was found between the actions of a ‘historical’ atomic bomb, thermonuclear weapons, and low-yield neutron munitions, also with a noticeable impact of the season factor (summer/winter). For a tank crew the clinically manageable RCI are possible only in very high yield explosion scenarios, while the damage caused by radiation alone possess much higher risk. Conclusions Suggested formalism may provide guidance for a preliminary planning of countermeasures, targeting of radiation reconnaissance, and clarification of triage results in a broad range of radiological scenarios based on NW detonation. Further improvement of the model is possible by considering neutrons’ and gamma-rays’ relative biological efficacy, possible shielding factors, and a synergetic effect of NW’s destructive forces.

МОДЕЛЬ ПСИХОЛОГІЧНОЇ НАДІЙНОСТІ ТАНКОВОГО ЕКІПАЖУ

Introduction. The article is devoted to the problem of psychological reliability of the group during the performance of collective activities. The specifics of personal reliability of a professional in a group and reliability of a group are determined. A model of psychological reliability of the tank crew has been developed.Purpose. Determination of psychological features of personality reliability in group activity and development of model of psychological reliability of tank crew.Methods. A set of theoretical methods was used to solve the problem formulated in the article: analysis, comparison, generalization, systematization of the obtained information, interpretation of data.Originality. For the first time a model of psychological reliability of a tank crew was developed. The practical significance of the obtained results of the research lies in the use of the obtained data in the system of psychological support of servicemen of the land forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine during the performance of assigned tasks.Conclusion. The analysis of the existing theoretical and empirical researches of psychological features of reliability of the person within the limits of joint activity in group allowed to define the following model of psychological reliability of the tank crew. We have identified such semantic components of psychological reliability of the tank crew as: components of personal reliability (professional suitability, professional motivation, emotional stability, style of self-regulation, stress resistance, self-control, anxiety, performance, professional values and standards) and components of group reliability (effectiveness of joint activities of the tank crew, psychological compatibility, status-role structure of the group, cohesion, group unity, efficiency, coherence, organization, value-oriented orientation). However, an important component of the psychological reliability of the tank crew is the subjectivity of collective activity, which reflects the content of the focus and level of group activity, based on group identity, positive relationship in the experience of professional relationships determining the tendency and ability to initiate and regulate group criteria of efficiency and expediency in situations that provide a certain freedom of choice and responsibility for it.The prospect of further research is to identify empirical indicators of certain components of the personal reliability of the professional in the group and the psychological reliability of the tank crew in the dynamics of development under extreme conditions of military-professional activity.

ЕМПІРИЧНІ ПОКАЗНИКИ ПСИХОЛОГІЧНОЇ НАДІЙНОСТІ ЧЛЕНІВ ТАНКОВОГО ЕКІПАЖУ

Introduction. The article is devoted to the problem of empirical indicators of the psychological reliability of members of a tank crew. According to the results of an empirical study, a group of tankers was identified in terms of the reliability of their professional activities. Purpose. Determination of empirical indicators of psychological reliability of tank crew members.Methods. To diagnose the manifestation of individual psychological characteristics of tank specialists, depending on the indicators of the reliability of their professional activities used psychodiagnostic methods: surveys, questionnaires, evaluation of performance, testing. Methods of statistical processing of empirical data: methods of descriptive statistics, one-sample Kolmogorov-Smirnov criterion, Student's t-test for independent samples. Mathematical processing of the obtained data, construction of graphs, charts is carried out on the basis of a standardized package of computer programs: Microsoft Office Excel 2007, IBM SPSS Statistics - 21.0.Originality. Determinants of reliability of members of the tank crew are established Armed Forces of Ukraine. The practical significance of the obtained results of the research lies in the use of the obtained data in the system of psychological support of servicemen of the land forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine during the performance of assigned tasks.Conclusion. The studied tankers with a high level of psychological reliability showed a generally higher ability to regulate their own behavior in professionally conditioned situations, more consciously manage their states, motivations and actions. They are characterized by self-confidence, calmness, stability of intentions, realistic views, a developed sense of duty, they are well aware of their own motives, systematically realize their intentions, distribute efforts and are able to control their actions. They have a clear internal locus of control (high independence, responsibility, resistance to external influences, difficulties). The most characteristic styles of behavior in the conflict of compromise and cooperation, a moderate level of personal and reactive (situational) anxiety, a high level of general self-regulation (planning, modeling, programming and evaluation of results), awareness, realism, detail, hierarchy and consistency of plans, goals, flexibility in achieving them, adequate evaluation criteria.Tankers with a low level of psychological reliability are characterized by higher sensitivity, they are less emotionally stable, confident, their level of reflexivity and general background of activity is lower, low internality (lack of independence, dependence on external control, low resistance to difficulties). The most characteristic are the styles of behavior in the conflict of avoidance and rivalry, a moderate level of personal anxiety, a high level of reactive (situational) anxiety. Low level of general self-regulation, variability of plans, difficulties in defining goals and programs of action, assessment of the current situation, lack of flexibility and stability of performance criteria.The prospect of further research is to identify the psychological characteristics of the relationship between individual and psychological characteristics of tank crew members by levels of manifestation of their reliability.

МАТЕМАТИЧНА МОДЕЛЬ ВИКОНАННЯ ВОГНЕВИХ ЗАДАЧ ЕКІПАЖЕМ ТАНКА НА ПОЛІ БОЮ

Reconnaissance and defeat of enemy targets on the battlefield depends on the technical characteristics of surveillance and sighting devices, and it is important to ensure their effective operation, during both the day and night, especially in adverse weather conditions. Therefore, in the field of modernization and development of surveillance and sighting devices, by both domestic and foreign manufacturers, in recent years there has been a major trend towards the development of multi-channel sighting systems on armored vehicles. To determine the optimal parameters of the sighting systems of armored vehicle samples, it is necessary to develop a mathematical model that would take into account the entire process of target reconnaissance, including the impact of full range of natural and man-made obstacles, to determine the ways for the improvement of combat effectiveness of weapons samples. In this work, a mathematical model is developed for description of fire tasks execution on the battlefield by a tank crew, which is equipped with a multi-channel sight-monitoring system, to assess the work of the sighting system as whole as well as of each of its channels. The analysis of the functional scheme of solving the combat task shows that the stage of data acquisition should be divided into, at least three, separate states, namely: detection, recognition and identification such that the transitions between these states will be described by the corresponding probabilities. The developed model describes the sequence of events that in terms of probability theory form a Markov chain. The proposed analytical Markov model allows for modeling the solution of fire tasks by the tank crew equipped with a multi-channel sighting and observation system with separate consideration of the stages of target reconnaissance, its recognition and identification, which in turn are considered as separate states of the Markov chain. The model opens a possibility for the development of an extended model to determine a quantitative indicator to assess the effectiveness of a given sighting system in comparison with its analogs.

Визначення пріоритетності цілі для її ураження за критерієм максимуму видимої поверхні

На даний час актуальною залишається вимога щодо зменшення психологічного навантаження на членів екіпажа танка при одночасному збільшенні ефективності ураження групи цілей. Виконання цієї вимоги обумовлює необхідність проведення автоматизації усіх функцій, які виконує екіпаж танка. Зокрема, до таких функцій відноситься вибір цілі для ураження.
 Відома процедура раціонального вибору цілі для її ураження за критерієм ступеня небезпечності цілі та максимуму вогневої продуктивності комплексу танкового озброєння при стрільбі по типових цілях не в повній мірі враховує дані про цільову тактичну ситуацію та стан цілей і потребує подальшого удосконалення та розвитку. В цілому такий підхід відповідає правилу вибору цілі екіпажем танка, але виходячи з обмежень і припущень, які були прийнятті у згаданому дослідженні, існує неоднозначність вибору цілі, коли приблизно на однаковій відстані виявлені однотипні цілі. Зазначену неоднозначність можна розв’язати якщо будуть враховані топографічні та тактичні умови стрільби.
 В статті представлено метод визначення пріоритетності цілі для її ураження за критерієм максимуму видимої поверхні, який ґрунтується на правилі вибору цілі екіпажем танка і розробленому способі визначення площі видимої поверхні цілі та дозволяє автоматизувати процес вибору цілі для ураження в залежності від кутів спостереження та орієнтації цілі в просторі, її типу та напрямку руху. Тобто в такий спосіб враховані топографічні умови стрільби.
 Новизна розробленого методу полягає в можливості автоматизації процесу визначення видимої площі цілі, шляхом заміни складної геометричної форми будь-якої цілі еліпсоїдом та визначення площі еліпса утвореного центральним перерізом площиною еліпсоїда. 
 Розроблений метод дозволяє розв’язати неоднозначність вибору цілі для ураження серед однотипних цілей, які виявлені приблизно на одній відстані, а також дозволяє удосконалити відомі алгоритми цілерозподілу у танковому підрозділі шляхом урахування додаткового критерію, який характеризує видиму площу цілі.

“Fashioning” the Post-War Self in Jessica Goodell’s Shade It Black

As a young girl who sets her eyes on “what men are capable of doing,” Jessica Goodell takes the challenge to serve the U.S. Marine Corps as a heavy equipment mechanic, since her aspiration to serve as a tank crew member is not found appropriate for a woman. When she is deployed to Iraq, however, she finds herself serving the Corps as a mortuary clerk . She has written Shade It Black: Death and After in Iraq (2011), five years after her return home. During her service, she is subjected to discrimination by both male and female Marines. Back home, as a veteran with PTSD, she feels tormented by the memories of and philosophical and moral questions about the war. She adopts feminine fashion codes as part of her survival strategy, giving up on the masculine Marine style symbolizing all that is associated with the war and her feeling of guilt resulting from her part in it. This article will focus on Goodell’s two identity conversions: her choosing of “proper femininity” after the military experience and her political journey from being a supporter of the military to a sober critic of the war. Taking her memoir as a text of physical and political self- fashioning , this study will observe the relationship between these two conversions by analyzing the gendered aspect of soldiering for female Marines who served in Iraq as well as Goodell’s unique military role as a mortuary clerk.

Big Stone and Rain. Artist Residency at Tidworth Garrison

This video film documents a workshop undertaken by Steve Pratt with a tank crew from The Royal Tank Regiment, Tidworth Garrison, Wiltshire. The workshop was part of an artist residency commissioned by the Young Gallery, Salisbury, Wiltshire, as described in the article ‘Working with Uncertainty: The Soldier’s Nightmare’ by Steve Pratt in this issue. The title of the film comes from the John Piper watercolour landscape painting ‘Maen Bras’ (Big Stone and Rain, 1943) owned by the Young Gallery, which formed a focus and point of reflection for the project. Mark Edmondson is the Digital Media Manager at Goldsmiths, University of London. He has a Diploma in Filmmaking and Photography from the London College Of Printing (now LCC) and a BA Hons in Anthropology & Communication. Other activities include sound recording/engineering and photography.

Working with Uncertainty: The Soldier’s Nightmare. Artist residency at Tidworth Garrison

As part of a community arts project I was invited by the Young gallery, Salisbury to undertake an artist residency with The Royal Tank Regiment at Tidworth Garrison. This article looks at some of the issues that arose in running a non-directive art workshop with a tank crew, such as soldiers need for certainty of knowing what to do, and being a veteran myself. Keywords: Artist residency, Community arts, Art Psychotherapy, Veterans, The Army.

Analysis of workload of tank crew under the conditions of informatization

A consensus has been reached that the tanks need to be integrated into the informatization battlefield. With the development of technology, the tank crew has being gradually decreased, so the research on two-soldier crew tank has become a hotspot. The workload of tank crew under the conditions of informatization is analyzed based on the combat mission of tank and the typical combat scenarios, and the impact of new technologies on workload is evaluated. The crew members in tank can be reduced from three to two, but it is necessary to substantially improve the automation of target search and the reliability of each subsystem and component.

Impacting System Design with Human Performance Modeling and Experiment: Another Success Story

In this study, task-network models using the Improved Performance Research Integration Tool were built to predict the mental workload and performance of the crew of a conceptual mounted combat vehicle. The modeling project analyzed which crewmember, if any, should be allocated the functions of controlling robotic assets in addition to standard mission functions similar to present tank crew missions. In order to further investigate issues derived from the modeling project and to verify its analytical results, a simulation experiment was conducted to examine the mental workload and performance of the combined position of robotics operator and gunner. The results of this experiment were consistent with the predictions generated by the modeling analysis. The modeling and experimental data have successfully contributed to modifications in the design concept for the modeled platform as well as its crewmember function allocations.

Communications in Severe Low-Frequency Noise: An Investigation of Microphone Type and Speech Level on Intelligibility and Attenuation

Severe (114 dBA) low-frequency-biased noise, characteristic of military tracked vehicles, was used to examine the speech intelligibility and cognitive effects of at-ear noise reductions provided by contrasting microphone technologies. Using two communications microphones (hereafter, “CommMicl and CommMic2”) intended for U.S. Army tank crew members, participants underwent Modified Rhyme intelligibility tests and Complex Cognitive Assessment Battery (CCAB) tests simultaneously in the noise environment while immersed in loading tasks. Results indicated that CommMic2 reduced the noise level at the ear by about 2 dB more than CommMicl. However, CommMicl yielded significantly better speech intelligibility at a 96 dB speech level. CCAB performance showed an increasing trend with higher speech levels for both communication microphones, but only significantly so for CommMicl. Speech level and communication microphone type did not have an effect on perceived mental workload.

Shape memory alloys for use in thermally activated clothing, protection against flame and heat

Shape memory alloys (SMA) have been in use as actuators in many mechanical processes for some time. The alloys are trained to return to a given shape when an actuation temperature is reached. These alloys can be incorporated into clothing systems. Once actuated the clothing layers will separate resulting in an increased air gap. The air gap is one of the major determining factors for insulation. To have this increase prior to exposure to intense heat, i.e. a bulky garment, would subject the wearer to heat stress. Presently nickel titanium alloy has been investigated. A flat spring shape with a transition temperature of ∼45°C has shown good potential. Initial testing on the cone calorimeter has demonstrated a significant increase of protection at heat flux of 15 kW/m2, giving an extra 40 s before the onset of second degree skin burn. The springs can be incorporated in bellows pocket panels. The pleats allow for the expansion of the air gap while the attachment of the spring holds the fabric layers together prior to actuation. Potential applications are for the fire service, drivers in enclosed vehicles, e.g. tank crew, racing drivers and any other personnel who may be accidentally exposed to intense heat. © Crown copyright 1999.

User Friendly Explosives Reactive Armour a Long term Reality

Abstract : There is a strong need to develop explosive reactive armour (ERA) for protecting battle tanks against an emerging threat of kinetic and chemical energy missiles. In this context, global trends, principle and limitations of ERA and threat perception-based types of ERA have been dwelt upon. User-friendly ERA is a long-term reality. User-friendly ERA system is thus defined to be an efficient and protective system that not only provide full protection to the tank crew, but is also harmless to the supporting infantory. The indigenously-developed ERA system is close to be termed as a user-friendly ERA.

‘Field’ guns: electromagnetic launchers

The tank weapons of the future may be able to fire without any help from unstable, dangerous chemical reagents. Instead they may use electromagnetic guns. In an electromagnetic gun, the projectile is pushed by an electromagnetic field pressure. In principle this force can be propagated at the speed of light, so in principle, the electromagnetic gun should be able to produce much higher velocities than powder guns. As well as the higher muzzle velocity, the EM gun has logistical advantages for the tank crew that has to use it. These advantages come at a cost in terms of convenience, however. The gun system has a low energy density, which means that the launcher must be heavier and bulkier than a conventional gun barrel. The author describes the formation of the railgun armatures and the design of railguns. The research being carried out in this area in the UK is discussed. The testing of the guns is also discussed.

Tank Crew Vision

Army optometrists stationed at The Armor Center, Fort Knox, identify the vision conservation needs and the functional visual requirements of each member of the tank crew. This article contains recommendations for vision conservation and for enhancement of visual function of the tank crewmen.

Tank Crew Performance: Effects of Speech Intelligibility on Target Acquisition and Subjective Workload Assessment

Thirty tank crews were tested in the Ft. Knox COFT tank simulator. The COFT simulator is a gunnery training facility. The crew's task was to shoot specified enemy targets. Each crew consisted of a tank commander and a gunner. The commander told the gunner, via an intercom system, which enemy object was the next target. Performance and subjective workload were measured as a function of the speech intelligibility transmitted by the intercom system. Five levels of intelligibility were tested. The measures of operational effectiveness were the number of targets correctly fired upon and the gunner's latency. Subjective workload was measured using the Subjective Workload Assessment Technique (SWAT). Gunner performance and subjective workload covaried across intelligibility levels. Performance was not significantly affected until intelligibility levels fell to 50%. However, SWAT ratings increased linearly with decreasing intelligibility level.

Metabolic, cardiovascular and spinal strain of a representative fuel replenishment task.

The metabolic, cardiovascular and spinal strain of a representative fuel replenishment task for a tank crew were assessed using nine military subjects wearing coveralls in a comfortable ambient climate. The task involved lifting 5 gal jerry cans (weighing 23·4 kg) from the ground to a height representing a tank deck (1·676 m) at a rate of two lifts per minute for 15 min. Oxygen uptake ([Vdot]O2), minute ventilation ([Vdot]E), heart rate (HR) and intra-abdominal pressure (IAP) were monitored continuously. After 15 min of lifting the mean [Vdot]O2 was 0·821 min−1 (S.D. 0·18). This was 27% of the predicted [Vdot]O2 max. The mean [Vdot]E was 21·81 min−1 (S.D.4·1) and the HR was 111·3 beats min−1 (S.D. 17·8). The mean peak IAP was 105·6 mmHg, with 56% of the peak IAPs exceeding 90 Hg. The mean intrasubject coefficient of variation was 10·7% (range 7·2–24·2). In a separate series of 20 consecutive bimanual straight arm vertical lifts of 10 kg at 15 s intervals, the mean intrasubject COV% was 7·2% (range 3·2–11·...

Maths for Tomorrow's Children

Most readers probably had to solve at school quite enough quadratic equations of the type x2–x–6=0. Look then at the following problem. It is typical of the work Professor Zoltan P. Dienes is getting 10-year-olds to do.“ As many tanks go into battle as the number of each tank crew. A direct hit wipes out one tank, and everyone in it. Six more tank c:ew are lost. At battle's end the survivors pick up some abandoned enemy tanks.