Modelling and simulation fundamentals in design for ground vehicle mobility Part II: Western approach

For many decades, different approaches, fundamentals, and expressions have been developed in various countries for military vehicle modelling and simulation (M&S) as a core component of ground vehicle design for mobility. The political division of the world into the West and East that existed before the Soviet Union breakdown in 1991 had not facilitated collaboration between researchers and engineers of both sides, and, thus, they created and practiced their own approaches. The war in Ukraine urgently prompted analysis of the origins and essence of the Western and Eastern technical paradigms, which being conceptually different to ground vehicle mobility, had predetermined the development of vehicle M&S methods and techniques in their parts of the world, specifically for studying dynamic interactions of vehicles with severely uncertain terrains, which impact vehicle behavior and performance, and, thus, may either facilitate mission accomplishment or lead to its failure. Furthermore, this analysis of the technical paradigms aims to further advance M&S fundamentals for next generation combat vehicles as described in the U.S. Army’s 2019 Modernization Strategy. Part I of this article considers the Eastern approach and the Western approach is presented in Part II.