All You Need To Know About IAV Conference 2019

The International Armored Vehicles Conference is a meeting of four days (approx.) held every year. Attended by various personalities of the armor community, the IAV Conferences are a reputed forum for all things related to the armor community. With over 70 speakers invited every year, and attended by more than 700 attendees, it is a well-acknowledged event among the Armies and Marine Corps.  The first IAV Conference was initiated in 2001. With the next conference in 2020, it will complete its 20th year.

The IAV Conferences 2019 was held in the USA. It was a three-day event, from the 25th of June to the 27th of June, 2019. The inaugural event ‘International Armored Vehicles USA’ took place at the Headquarters of the US Army Futures Command in Austin, Texas. The main speaker for the event was the Commanding General of Futures Command, General John M. Murray.

Agenda of the event

●      Next-Generation Combat Vehicle

In the agenda of the IAV Conference 2019, one of the prominent discussions was about the portfolio of the Next-Generation Combat Vehicle. The International Armor Vehicles Conference 2019 provided the forum through which the opportunities of this portfolio could be discussed and explored.

At first, established as a Cross-Functional Team, the portfolio is the Future Command’s key priority area (out of six). It covers the US Army’s capability of future maneuvers. It provides several contingent programs that offer many opportunities to the industry for shaping its strategic direction.

●      AMPV, MPF & OMFV

The agenda next featured the Armored Multi-Purpose Vehicle (AMPV) and the Mobile Protected Firepower (MPF). The prior was at the competition stage while the later at the purchase stage, respectively.

The Optionally Manned Fighting Vehicle (OMFV) program, currently being at the requirements definition stage, while the features of the program were heavily featured in the agenda of the IAV Conference 2019. The Futures Command and their partners were said to work on the AI and the MUM-T technology enablers. These enablers were to help the OMFV reach a higher potential, possibly its highest, as decision-making and lethal platform.

●      Other areas

The other areas that the IAV Conference 2019 featured were systems of Vehicle Protection, Active Protection, Robotics (including the Robotic Combat Vehicle or the RCV), and sales opportunities of foreign military for numerous legacy and tactical platforms.

Speakers

The IAV Conference 2019 saw a total of 33 confirmed speakers of all nationalities. They included (to name a few):

• Mayor Steve Adler (Austin, Texas),
• General John M. Murray (Commanding General, US Army, Futures Command),
• Lieutenant General Paul A. Ostrowski (Principal Military Deputy, ASA & Director Army Acquisition Corps, Us Army)
• Ann Cataldo (Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Army for Defense Exports & Cooperation, US Army)
• Major General Chris Tickell CBE (Director Capability, British Army)
• Major General Charles Beaudouin (Deputy Chief of Staff, Plans & Programs, French Ministry of Defense)
• Major Pablo Roberto Rodrigues Pimentel (Commanding General, 6th Armored Infantry Brigade, Brazilian Army)
• Colonel Yoshihiro Inoue (Department of Project Management, Japan Ministry of Defense)

Technologies on display

The IAV Conference had a special exhibition (Booth #6) of technologies with a total of 7 machines on display. They were as follows:

• Data Distribution Unit – Expendable (DDUX)
• Mounted Family of Computer Systems (MFOCS) II
• Multi-Function Rugged Displays (MRD) II
• Multi-Function Rugged Tablet (MRT-104) II
• Titan On-Board Vehicle Power (OBVP)
• Trophy Vehicle Protection Suite (VPS)
• Trophy HV Active Protection System

Clare Louise