The folding platforms for the loader/gunner looks to be botched: too small and narrow, metal tends to be slippy and the deployment sequence is slow and done manually. Wouldn't a simple independent collapsible stool do the work better (you can adjust its position in function of terrain topography and your own physiology)?
Preface: This is my day job. I haven't work on this system myself But I know those who have and I have work on similer style systems. So this is coming from experience. So have my five cents.
Remember this thing needs to be Private Idiot Snuffy proof. Simple is better here, its literally pull a pin and let it drop. Utterly idiot proof and extremely hard to break. And once you have the training down you can go faster then having it be automatic, not to mention more reliable.
As for the the size the platforms is about 16 inches wide or so with raised metal holes in them. Very similar to metal ladders, construction platforms and the like, generally they give good grip in all but the the worse of weather with boots.
An independent collapsible stool... Is one of those ideas that sounds good in theory but in reality is an utterly stupid one.
Cause it is a lose piece of kit that will end up be left behind at night after 3 days of no sleep or after you start taking fire and are in full run away mode. Or fall off cause its was not secure properly and its not in the middle of nowhere in five different pieces.
So now you are SOL and have lean around the gun on the Humvee itself to do the work, which has from the looks at it has zero room to do so.
Or it just get left in the rear cause it more pain then it worth.
I speak from experience cause I have had all that happen to me at one point or another on other systems.
The retraction time also for the stabilizing rear bars looks too slow (hydraulics). Given that's the main factor preventing the vehicle to move after firing, shouldn't they have put more money here?
Also it lacks a storing box.
The Hydros can probably be speed up a bit, but that probably a limiting factor of it being on a humvee. Which was design in the early 1980s and was not made with this in mind and is on its way out. So they probably DID the bare minimum amount to get it to work.
But as a soldier I see a few ways to decrease the displacement time. Mainly by keeping the truck running and hitting the raise legs button as soon as I'm done with the fire mission. That probably remove almost 30 seconds off the time.
As for the storage box. It actually does have two.
They are right behind the doors, you can see latches on the side. Right there is where the foot well for the second set of seats be on a four seater humvee, they basically have a bent piece of metal covering it on a hinge in the bed. Pop open the latch and it opens up like gull wing doors. You probably have enough room for the BII, a few MRE boxes, and a water can in them.
BUT...
Lack of storage areas is a fairly major complaint on the Uparmored Humvee. Like I have nowhere to store any amount of bags a person needs to live outside for 3 weeks on the ANTPQ50 radar. Have to strap them to the roof two bring them. Apperantly they fixed that on JLTVs, hopefully when they decide to move this weapon system onto a flatbed JLTV they keep that.
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