Joint Service/Industry Alliance Jams on JAMMA

  • Published
  • By Shelly Bloomfield
  • Munitions
EGLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Florida --  An Air Force Research Laboratory/Army/industry effort successfully addressed unique Air Force Special Operations Forces requirements by overseeing the TAC-V company's development of JAMMA, a Joint All-Terrain Modular Mobility Asset that reigns as the world's only armor-ready, four-passenger, hybrid, high-performance, off-road vehicle that can fit inside a CV-22 Osprey aircraft. In addition to addressing this key transportability issue, JAMMA provides extended vehicle range, fuel-related flexibility, exportable power, and configuration adaptability--qualities that support the ever-changing operational demands of diverse SOF missions.

State-of-the-art lithium-ion battery technology and an electric motor facilitate JAMMA's extended range. Thanks to the incorporation of these elements, the vehicle sports a hybrid drive train capable of switching between all-electric, silent mode and hybrid electric mode in order to extend its range through fuel-efficiency optimization. Further enhancing this capability is the engine's capacity to run equally efficiently on either diesel or JP8 fuel. In addition to promoting fuel economy, the vehicle's hybrid driveline can produce continuous exportable power. Meanwhile, JAMMA's modular design is easily reconfigurable to meet the varying requirements of different SOF missions.

The collaboration between AFRL munitions experts and engineers at the Army's Tank Automotive Research, Development, and Engineering Center arose from Air Force Special Operations Command's need for an easily transportable all-terrain vehicle capable of clandestine operation. Specifically, AFSOC sought a quick and agile, quiet, and easily reconfigurable vehicle compatible with the CV-22 and both internally and externally transportable.

Among the many challenges inherent to delivering these characteristics in a single package were the volume and floor loading limits of the CV 22 cargo bay, which was designed primarily for carrying troops. Despite the abundance of such issues, the team produced a successful prototype vehicle that has already undergone extensive testing and analysis for CV-22 flight certification. The promising results of these JAMMA activities conducted to date have yielded detailed specifications for future production and operational fielding of the technology.