 For today's U.S. soldier, an armored vest to stop small arms fire. Tropical boots that will protect his feet in wet areas. An improved backpack radio for more efficient combat communications. A fast helicopter gunship for close-in fire support. On today's big picture, the story of the Army's continuing effort to give the American soldier all that he needs for meeting tomorrow's challenge. Meeting tomorrow's challenge is the mission of AMC, the Army Materiel Command, which provides the U.S. combat soldier with the arms, supplies and equipment he needs to do his job. This involves a tremendous logistical effort. A constant stream of aircraft, trucks, tracked vehicles, artillery, electronics and all the other material of combat. Most of all, it requires the combined efforts of AMC's research and development teams. In engineering laboratories all over the nation, thousands of highly skilled technicians, both civilian and military, translate Army needs into the finest supplies and equipment. An urgent and very basic requirement of the combat soldier is a uniform appropriate to the climate in which he must fight. Hot, humid weather and jungle terrain, motivated development of this hot weather uniform and jungle hat issued to our troops in tropical areas. Made of tight-weave fabric for protection against insects, the new uniform is loose fitting and lightweight. Its camouflaged pattern reduces chances of the wearer being spotted by the enemy. Moving to his objective in the right direction is always a basic requirement of the soldier. A handy, waterproof wrist compass lessens his chance of getting lost in an enemy-infested combat area. While research and development constantly creates new items, the Army continues to look for ways to improve existing equipment. What could be done to improve an ordinary five-gallon water container? The answer? A new plastic water container that looks similar to the steel one it replaces, but is 50% lighter, rust-proof and never needs painting. And it doesn't rattle. A second opening in the cap provides an easy means of filling canteens. The plastic container costs less to make and adds up to a considerable savings for the American taxpayer. In engineering development is a grenade launcher which attaches to the standard M16 Army rifle. What makes this weapon more effective is a full line of special cartridges developed for it by the AMC Munitions Command. To complement the practice round and the standard high-explosive round, our soldiers now have a shotgun round for use in heavy underbrush. There is also a smoke cartridge for marking and signaling. And two night illumination rounds, the white star cluster and the parachute flare. Night illumination has become an increasing necessity for the U.S. soldier who may find himself under attack in darkness. The starlight scope literally provides the fighting man with night eyes. Already in use are several night vision devices such as this multi-million candle power xenon searchlight. The Army also uses radar and acoustical devices which send out energy waves and detect objects by sensing the return. An infrared device like this sniper scope bays the target in infrared light to make it visible. Some of these devices prove cumbersome. The infrared or electronic beam can be detected. A device was needed that would allow soldiers to see in the dark without sending out any radiation of its own. Early exploratory research showed promise and the electronic command's night vision laboratory was created. In an intensive development program, a highly successful night vision scope was devised. The small starlight scope is a lightweight tube-like device. It can be used by itself for visual observation or mounted on infantry weapons as a night sight. Thousands of these night vision devices are in use by our soldiers in the field. Three of them employ a system which intensifies or brightens the target image. The small starlight scope used on rifles and other shoulder-fired weapons. A larger version of the starlight scope for use on crew-served weapons. And the largest member of this first-generation family of image intensifiers, the night observation scope. While these basic night vision aids were being produced, scientists were already at work on refinements of the earlier models. Experimentation continues in the attempt to improve such basic components as tubes, lenses, and power supplies. And spectrometers. Microscopes and other sophisticated instruments are used to test new techniques and materials. The goal of this research program is to design less expensive and more versatile night vision aids. Getting man and equipment to where the action is is a major concern of the Army Materiel Command. AMC Research and Development in Transportation has produced some unique vehicles for combat and combat support. The Gower is an outgrowth of earth-moving equipment used in road construction. It is the first wheeled vehicle that can follow directly in the tracks of tanks and armored carriers. With its six-foot wheels and low-pressure tires, it can carry up to eight tons of cargo across some of the roughest terrain in the world. A tank truck version of the Gower can carry 2,500 gallons of fuel. A wrecker version is designed for the recovery of other vehicles. At AMC Proving Grounds, models of proposed equipment are put through severe trial runs. Only when the equipment meets rigid performance specifications are the items approved for the Army inventory. The Twister was developed for use as a cargo vehicle on hazardous terrain. Other unique vehicles include the rough terrain crane, the rough terrain forklift, and a transporter with a tilt-bed trailer for delivering conics containers. Research programs develop stronger tire materials and tread designs. This walking machine is used to explore new movement possibilities for vehicles. Adequate equipment for water crossing must be immediately available to the combat unit. An armored personnel carrier fitted with a 35-foot aluminum bridge is one answer to the problem. The mobile bridge offers easy passage for combat vehicles over small streams and ditches. Constantly, the Army searches for new ideas in transportation, such as this vehicle that moves on a cushion of air. It is designed to perform a variety of missions including amphibious assault, search and rescue, high-speed transportation, and logistical support. Army air transport needs many types of aircraft are employed. The heavy-lift helicopter's sky crane can carry a load up to 10 tons. The sky crane has helped in salvaging millions of dollars' worth of downed aircraft. An entire portable medical facility can be moved by the giant helicopter to a forward area for use as an emergency aid center. Go-power and firepower are equally essential to the soldier's mission. Two artillery pieces have been used in combat for the first time in Vietnam. One is the 175-millimeter self-propelled gun, the Army's biggest, with a range up to 20 miles. The other is the new lightweight 105-millimeter howitzer. Designed especially for air mobile operations, this howitzer is far more transportable than the standard weapon and has greater range and maneuverability. It has been adapted for use on watery terrain by development of a gun platform. A variation in this area is mounting a 155-millimeter howitzer on an amphibious craft. A valuable addition to Army firepower is the long-tube version of the standard 155-millimeter self-propelled howitzer. Combining impressive firepower and extreme maneuverability is the General Sheridan tank, a reconnaissance vehicle with aluminum armor. It can reach a top speed of 45 miles an hour and can be airlifted to its destination. The General Sheridan packs a powerful punch, a conventional artillery round, plus the Shaleili missile. Important development in the Army missile inventory is the Pershing 1A, an improved version of the Pershing missile system deployed by U.S. forces in Europe. The improved system is mounted on wheeled vehicles and will incorporate erector launchers, programmer test stations, and additional command and control capabilities. For heavy firepower support, a new type of missile, Lance, is in engineering development. The Lance is a highly mobile surface-to-surface missile that can carry either nuclear or high-explosive warheads. A directional guidance system directs the missile unerringly to its target. Among the smaller but extremely effective missiles under development is the Toe, an anti-tank weapon designed to destroy heavy armor and penetrate enemy battles. The Dragon missile is designed to replace the 90-millimeter recoilless rifle and may be used by infantrymen as a medium anti-tank assault weapon. On tomorrow's battlefield, the need for individual soldiers to communicate with each other will be even greater than it is today. During the Korean War, communications between squad members was carried out with a so-called handy-talky. But this unit was bulky and heavy with its wired circuits and vacuum tubes. The Army needed smaller, lighter electronic components. To fill the need, scientists at the Fort Monmouth laboratories developed the Transistor, which created a revolution within the electronics industry. Among other things, it was a vital factor in the rapid development of computers. It also made possible the helmet radio receiver and held transmitter and a whole new generation of squad radios much lighter and smaller than their predecessors. A communications breakthrough is the integrated circuit squad radio. Although similar in shape to the earlier models, the integrated circuit receiver is almost one-third smaller and two ounces lighter. It can be produced at lower cost, requires less power for operation and is more reliable in its performance. In the future, the integrated circuit may be used in many types of new electronics equipment and communication systems. Constantly under review by AMC researchers are air defense techniques. A self-propelled version of the Hawk missile for defense against attack from low-flying aircraft is deployed worldwide by the U.S. Army, Marines and NATO countries. This shoulder-fired weapon, Red Eye, can be used by the individual soldier against low-flying enemy aircraft. Its solid fuel missile has an explosive warhead and an infrared sensing device that guides it to its target. Since present anti-aircraft weapons cannot detect and destroy low-altitude attackers, our field army needed an effective forward area air defense system. The Army Materiel Command modified two existing weapons systems and combined them to form two new systems, Chaparral Vulcan. The Vulcan is a 20-millimeter six-barrel gun with a range-finding radar. It is mounted on one of the Army's basic tracked vehicles, a modified armored personnel carrier. Extremely maneuverable, the self-propelled Vulcan carries a four-man crew. It can swim lakes and streams fully combat-loaded. The Vulcan's revolving barrel cluster fires at a rate of 3,000 rounds a minute. A toad version of the Vulcan has been designed to accompany airborne and air-mobile troops. The Chaparral employs a heat-seeking guided missile system. Its launch rails hold four ready-to-fire supersonic homing missiles, whose infrared sensing enables them to lock on target. The gunner picks up the target electronically and then can fire one or more of the missiles. Mounted on a modified cargo carrier, the weapon can be moved at high speed over rough terrain, especially designed to work in conjunction with Chaparral Vulcan is FAR, forward area alerting radar. FAR is a mobile radar that can detect moving targets right down to treetop levels. It provides an early warning to gunners and to launch operators of the composite air defense battalion. Under development are many ingenious devices that will help the fighting man of tomorrow. The dropping and lifting of troops on and from jungles and swamps in combat areas will be speeded up considerably when the Army puts into action this powered lowering retrieval system. The system will permit the lifting of 20 infantrymen aboard a Chinook helicopter in four minutes. Compared with 40 minutes, required to lift the same number of men with the ladder system now in use. The system was designed in response to the special requirements of air-mobile operations. It will lower and retrieve combat troops, cargo and wounded soldiers at variable rates, up to 10 feet per second. Significantly reducing the time a combat helicopter must sit in the air as a motionless target. To help maintain aircraft, there will be an air-mobile maintenance shop, which can be delivered by helicopter to forward areas and erected in less than an hour. It will provide a clean, dry facility for the service and repair of aircraft components. One of the Army's urgent requirements was to find a better means of locating enemy mortars. The result of the search is an omnidirectional mortar locating radar. Continuous 360-degree coverage is provided by four separate antennas, which are linked to a computer system in the central operation shelter. When an enemy round is fired, the radar detects the projectile, tracks it, determines its flight path, and automatically computes its origin. This is the target point. It appears on the weapons location display panel as position coordinates and target height. The target data is fed to the fire control center nearby, which directs immediate counterfire. The system can simultaneously process data on multiple enemy mortar sites. It can also be used to adjust the accuracy of friendly counterfire. The entire system can be transported by helicopter and assembled rapidly on the site. The fighting man of tomorrow is going to be even more dependent upon aircraft than he is today. A concept is being developed for a utility tactical transport aircraft, which will replace the Workhorse UH-1 helicopter. Initial studies have also begun on a like tactical transport aircraft system to supersede the heavy-duty Chinook helicopter. A manned aerial vehicle for surveillance is the next-generation aircraft which will replace the Mohawk observation plane. On the ground, an earlier reconnaissance vehicle will be replaced by a new armored reconnaissance scout vehicle, either wheeled or tracked. A new mechanized combat vehicle will provide the infantry with protected cross-country mobility and will have a rapid-fire weapon system as its main armament. There are new concepts in communications. Mallard is a total tactical communication system developed jointly for common use by the armed forces of the United States, Australia, Canada, and the United Kingdom. The objective of the Mallard project is to provide the field commander of the future with a complete range of improved voice, teletype writer, data, and visual communications, and to link him with other command and communication centers around the world. New applications are being developed for the use of many existing strategic communications facilities. It is AMC's job to see that the complicated and costly equipment on these sites is properly serviced and maintained. Communication satellites have been put into orbit around the Earth. Signals can be beamed to them and retransmitted, forming a reliable worldwide system of communications independent of cables and atmospheric interference. Continuous progress in military technology. That is the mission of Army laboratories, arsenals and testing centers to push forward to find better materials, better designs, better methods. This means exploring the new science of fluerics to discover more reliable methods of controlling missiles in flight. It means bombarding materials with nuclear radiation in order to study their properties and open the way to the development of new military concepts. It means creating new forms of crystals for use in laser rangefinders and experimenting with seismic transducers as a means for communicating through solid Earth. It means studying the stress and strain on gun components so that they can be designed to resist cracking. The men and women of the Army Materiel Command are dedicated to one task, to anticipate the needs of our Army and fulfill them, to translate requirements into concepts, to turn blueprints into combat equipment that the soldier can use effectively, to put into his hands only material which has been designed, developed, tested and proved by experts in the military arts. In providing this man with what he needs to do his job, there can be no compromise, no margin for error. In meeting tomorrow's challenge, the Army Materiel Command keeps faith with the highest traditions of the United States Army.