LASSO PROGRAM

Intended as a potential replacement to the M-274 Military Mule, the LASSO vehicle is a true, full time six-wheel drive utility vehicle with a fully independent suspension, 9 inches of suspension travel, 12 inches of ground clearance, and a payload capacity of 3,000 pounds. The LASSO boasts an 18” water fording depth, traverses grades of 60% , side slopes of 40% and climbs a 14” step all a full GVW. This rare combination of size and mobility allows for extreme load carrying and off-road capabilities in a footprint that’s a mere 12.5 feet long by 4.5 feet wide and weighs only 3,200lbs.

VSE Corporation developed the LASSO vehicle in conjunction with Army Research Labs (ARL) to address a need identified by dismounted soldiers in the field; the need for a light, agile, vehicle capable of carrying heavy loads over rough terrain to support field activities. Currently, several off-the-shelf solutions such as all terrain tractors and commercial utility vehicles are being employed to meet this need, but the harsh conditions of the rocky, uneven terrain found in the Middle East is proving too tough a challenge for these commercial solutions.

VSE’s approach to address this problem was to begin with a clean slate and develop a vehicle from the frame up that’s purpose-built to traverse the types of conditions our soldiers are experiencing in their current assignment in the desert. Instead of trying to modify an existing vehicle to meet the requirement, the decision was made to engineer a solution.

LASSO was designed and built by a team of five. The current vehicle is the result of a series of prototype designs that were rigorously tested by an independent military contractor to identify areas of improvement and assess design capability. Subsequent prototypes addressed these areas and were retested to make sure the targeted change was effective.  I was brought in to design, document, and install a full wiring schematic for each of the vehicle prototypes. For soldier familiarity, military HMMWV switches, lights, a fuel cap, and a NATO-style charging slave plug were used on the LASSO, so I integrated a dual voltage, 24-volt charging and lighting system with a set of commercial 12-volt engine and transmission controllers. I calibrated the controllers, built the harnesses, setup a J1939 databus to relay engine and transmission commands to the gage set, and created a full electrical schematic for troubleshooting.

The LASSO design has proven highly capable in controlled military-style testing as well as soldier run field test demonstrations. In order to continue further development of the prototype and to make the LASSO attractive to a number of military customers, I was also charged with developing a plan to make the LASSO into a fully autonomous vehicle. By talking with a number of robotic vehicle partners, I developed a plan to convert the LASSO to an all-electric vehicle with autonomous capabilities, but the need for funding stalled this effort.