Oct 2012 Compendium 1 - Armada

The Eagle 4x4 here used in the weapon
carrier role. Based on the Duro III chassis, the
patrol vehicle saw its gross weight increased
to 10 tonnes. (GDELS).
rather than the originally scheduled three
years as it was purchased under a hybrid
UOR programme. Over 60 Foxhounds
have already been produced. Those
already sent to Afghanistan are at the
so-called TES (Theatre Entry Standard)
and are equipped with air conditioning,
C-IED jammers, GS navigation, Thales
UK Ilsa 360° situational awareness system
with cameras located in front right and
rear left corners, Saab Barracuda thermal
cover, Bowman radios and 7.62 mm
machine guns.
Following the arrival of the vehicle, an
intensive training course was organised at
Camp Bastion before using it in operation.
Initially the Foxhound will be used for
force protection on the ground replacing
more vulnerable vehicles and those that
were removed from Helmand province,
its compact size and high protection level
making it ideal for urban operations. The
Ministry of Defence placed an initial
order for 200 Foxhounds in November
2010 and 100 more were requested in June
last year. Final deliveries are expected in
mid-2013. A further boost came in late
August when Minister of Defence Peter
18 armada Compendium Light Armoured Vehicles 2012
Luff announced that Britain would be
ordering 25 more foxhounds to the tune
of £30 million ($47.6 million).
In the meantime GDLS/FPE is
working on improvements to address
new requirements, while numerous
markets are opening up for the 7.5
t vehicle currently available in three
variants, namely command/patrol with
two plus four seats, reconnaissance (two
plus two) and utility (two). In addition
to further British requirements, the
company is busy answering requests in
various regions, mostly in the Far East
and Middle East but also in Northern
Africa and South America. The roadside
bomb problem is getting worse in several
places and no longer rests solely with
the armed forces but now also falls to
paramilitary and homeland security
organisations as well.
SpV400: The second survivor of the
LPPV testing phase, the Supacat SPV400,
has been fully developed and is currently
a wholly different vehicle from the one
that was assessed by the United Kingdom.
The seventh prototype, very close to
production configuration, is currently
being used for reliability and maintenance
trials, the vehicle having shown a 96 per
cent reliability according to Supacat. The
development phase, which involved over
21,000 km trials, led Supacat to adopt
numerous design alterations. The main one
was the adoption of a different suspension
geometry, a lot of time having been
KMW and Rheinmetall are teamed on the
AMPV programme, this vehicle promising
to be Germany’s next generation of light
armoured vehicles. Production might start in
2013. (KMW)
The Eagle 6x6 can be supplied in various
specialised configurations, completing the
range of vehicles for light infantry proposed
by GDELS in its portfolio. (GDELS)
invested to fine-tune air springs to obtain
the right ride. The locking differential
system now allows a limited slip on the
front axle while rear axle differentials are
locked, as this combination proved to
yield the best mobility. The braking and
cooling systems have also been improved,
while the central tire inflation system is
now fully developed.
Supacat also worked on the interior,
which is now much cleaner than in
the original prototypes. The on-board
electronic has been reviewed, and a
glass cockpit based on colour displays
shows not only the typical data needed
for operating the vehicle, but also
technical data. The SVP400 is attracting
interest from Middle East, Far East and
European nations. Supacat is developing
modularity to meet for both British and
foreign programmes.
VAMTAc: In the late 1990s Spanish
URO Vehículos Especiales S.A. developed
a Humvee-like set of wheels known as
the Vamtac (Vehículo de Alta Movilidad
Táctico). It soon became evident that an
armoured version of that utility vehicle
had to be produced for the Spanish forces
who were increasingly being involved in
operations. This led URO to first improve
the chassis and automotive components
(such as the engine), then to develop
a series of add-on armour kits with
increasing protection levels. Currently the
Vamtac S3 is available in three different