The British company Supacat recently completed production of the seventh prototype of the all-new, all-British SPV400 light armored patrol vehicle.
With this vehicle, Supacat hopes to win a £ 200m tender from the UK Department of Defense to meet urgent operational needs for lightly protected patrol vehicles (LPPVs) to replace Land Rover's Snatch. After its completion, the vehicle was handed over to the Ministry of Defense in order to take part in tests, according to the results of which the winner will be announced. This is expected to be done shortly.
The release of the seventh sample indicates that Supacat is placing great emphasis on the rapid development of the SPV400. Work on the program began in December 2009. The first manufactured sample was subjected to explosion tests in December 2009, machines 2 and 3 were delivered to the Ministry of Defense for evaluation in January 2010 and subsequently their tests were continued in April. Samples 4, 5 and 6 were blast tested in May, June and July, respectively. Simultaneously, sample 2 operates in round-the-clock tests in close to real conditions, and the first sample 1 was subjected to static loads on a vibration stand from 4 directions. After that, sample 7 was made, which has the most modern configuration, which includes all the modifications and modernizations, as a result of which the results of all previous tests have already been taken into account. As a result, this machine is close to the production model.
“We are very proud of the progress we have made throughout the required development of the program. Supacat has a reputation for being flexible and capable of delivering quality solutions in an extremely short time frame, our SPV400 design has demonstrated that this reputation is true. The design of the SPV400 is currently the most cutting edge and this latest prototype is already demonstrating high performance and reliability during testing, "said Nick Ames, managing director of Supacat Ltd. "The Supacat / NP Aerospace team believes it offers the very best in the UK, the SPV400. Choosing an LPPV will strengthen innovation in the UK and provide jobs for basic engineering and workers, creating 1,000 to 1,200 jobs across UK The SPV400 will raise the UK export potential and be successful in the huge international market, it should succeed in the LPPV tender."
The goal of the development is to protect British troops from the threat of improvised explosive devices in Afghanistan, as well as to ensure the ability to carry out patrol tasks in areas inaccessible to heavy vehicles. The Supacat SPV400 offers an unprecedented level of mobility and protection. This combination opens up new prospects for the use of military-technical means as a class 7, 5-ton patrol vehicle. The possibility of transporting a crew of 6 people (2 +4) is combined in the SPV400 with an integrated crew protection system - from explosion and ballistic, including with composite armor and a V-shaped bottom. On the desert plain, the car can reach speeds of up to 120 km / h, which is comparable to another Supacat development, the Jackal light car.
More than 90% of the SPV400 is manufactured in the UK.
