The Pinzgauer, in service with the British elite and Special Forces, are designed to fit inside a C-130, CH-47 Chinook or MV-22 Osprey, or slung-carried by most heavy helicopters. The British (Supacat) designed and manufactured by the British HMT Vehicles company, recently acquired by Lockheed Martin, is offering another air-mobile Tactical Wheeled Vehicles designated LM4x4 and 6×6. This light truck is designed to offer high off-road mobility, enabling it to keep pace with tracked vehicles. The Supacat is provided in armored or standard non-armored, which are transportable with CH-47, CH-53 and MV-22 or C-130 aircraft.
Future Trends
In the near term, the US Marine Corps is leading a procurement program for a Mine Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) vehicle, designed to enhance the survivability of U.S. forces deployed in Iraq nd Afghanistan. Procurement of 4,100 vehicles of various types is planned, at a total spending of over US$2 billion. The USMC Systems command selected nine companies to produce test vehicles for evaluation, and has initiated orders for the initial 120 vehicles, selected from currently available models (4×4 and 6×6 Cougars, and RG33 vehicles).
Armor protection will be integrated as an integral part of the design of new vehicles, currently developed for the U.S. forces under the Joint Light Tactical Vehicle (JLTV) program. rotection will be provided at various levels, depending on the application and missions the vehicle is designed for. As a rule, all armor solutions will be based on the Long Term Armoring Strategy (LTAS), defining two levels of protection – a basic protection level (A KIT) built into the platform on the production line, will ensure the vehicle’s capability to endure mine and some IED blasts. The vehicle will also have attachments for add-on armor (B KIT) which will meet higher threat levels and could be applied in the field. Lockheed Martin plans on incorporating HMT’s designs into its vehicles for U.S. programs such as the Lightweight Prime Mover program and the U.S. Army’s Future Tactical Truck System (FTTS), which is positioned to become the company’s proposed platform for the future JLTV program. Other contenders include Oshkosh and General Dynamics Land Systems.
Additional parts of this article:
- The New Road Warriors Armored Trucks
- Armored Protected Trucks
- Air Mobile Trucks
