It goes without saying: keeping tanks, supply vehicles, and armored personnel carriers rolling is serious business.
Wars can’t be won on flat tires. Neither can the military complete its often life-or-death missions if the wheels that carry these tires aren’t rugged yet lightweight, easy to maintain and repair, and able to withstand the rigors of combat. This helps explain why military wheel manufacturers must comply with a number of quality and performance standards, among them SAE J1992_201906: Wheels/Rims – Military Vehicles Test Procedures and Performance Requirements, and SAE J2014-2022: Pneumatic Tire/Wheel/Runflat Assembly Qualifications for Military Tactical Wheeled Vehicles.
In fact, a quick search of the SAE International Standards returns a dozen or so similar specifications, each addressing a certain set of requirements in this demanding yet often overlooked market sector. With that are numerous country-specific guidelines, such as those provided by Europe’s Finabel and TÜV Rheinland, as well as vehicle manufacturers’ internal quality standards.
Big Business
Some truly gigantic companies are making these military vehicles, all of which consume huge numbers of wheels annually. Here in the United States, there are General Dynamic Land Systems, Oshkosh Defense, BAE Systems, and AM General, to name a few. And since countries in Europe and Asia must also defend themselves, there’s Rheinmetall of Düsseldorf, Germany, Nexter in Versailles, France, Haifa, Israel’s Elbit Systems Ltd., Hahwha Defense in Seoul, South Korea, Samtel Avionics Ltd. of New Delhi, India, DCD Group of South Africa…the list goes on.
Full Article appears in Aerospace & Defense Manufacturing Industry Report 2024
