Fundamentals of Military Vehicle Technology and Mobility is a three-day onsite course for defense engineering and technical personnel who need to interpret vehicle performance and analyze core design relationships. Intended for mechanical engineers, project design engineers and capability personnel involved in requirments and specification development or acquisition, it assumes basic familiarity with automotive engineering principles. The course moves beyond introductory explanation toward guided application and analysis of how systems and subsystem requirements and operational needs affect combat and logistic vehicle performance.

Participants examine vehicle configurations, powertrain matching, automotive performance, terrain mobility, tires and tracks, handling, steering, suspension and whole-body vibration. They use supplied road-load and tractive-effort curves to understand speed and gradeability limits, examine the operating principles of wheeled vehicle steering and handling, and analyze how protection, payload, mass and ground pressure affect mobility. Suspension lessons links system characteristics with handling behavior, ride quality and vibration exposure.

Defined vehicle examples focus on interpreting technical evidence and analyzing the effects of design changes. Participants consider how satisfying one requirement can constrain another and explain the resulting engineering trade-offs. Daily reviews and knowledge quizzes reinforce links between vehicle parameters, subsystem behavior and engineering judgment. The course better equips participants to contribute to specification and design reviews, evaluate performance information and prepare for the calculation-based analysis expected in practitioner-level military vehicle engineering.

Course Learning Outcomes

On completion of this course, participants will be able to:

• •Identify the principal parameters used to characterize automotive performance, terrain mobility, handling, and ride behavior.
• •Explain how engine and transmission matching affects available tractive effort across the vehicle’s operating range.
• •Explain the operating principles and limitations of wheeled vehicle steering and tracked vehicle skid steering.
• •Use supplied road-load and tractive-effort curves to determine vehicle speed and gradeability limits under stated conditions.
• •Analyze how changes in protection, payload, mass, and ground pressure affect the mobility of a specified vehicle configuration.
• •Analyze how suspension characteristics influence the relationship between handling, ride quality, and whole-body vibration in supplied vehicle examples.