The first country to develop mine-protected vehicles was South Africa. And this was due to the type of hostilities that its armed forces were forced to conduct. Denel is the benchmark defense company in this country and its machines are well known. In addition, new models have been added to its portfolio through the purchase of BAE Systems' South African Machinery Division. Currently, two companies are engaged in the production of armored vehicles in the Denel group: Denel Vehicle Systems, formerly BAE Land Systems South Africa, and Denel Mechem, specializing in mine detection and clearance systems, including mine clearance vehicles. Among the products of Denel Vehicle Systems, one can note the RG32M patrol vehicle with a gross weight of 9.5 tons and a carrying capacity of 2 tons. Depending on the configuration, it can accommodate a driver and 4 or 6 paratroopers. Those sitting in the car are protected from bullets of calibers 7, 62 and 5, 56 mm, protection against armor-piercing bullets of caliber 7, 62 mm is provided by additional booking. As for mines, the vehicle is protected from anti-personnel fragmentation mines DM31. The machine is powered by a Steyr M16CTA 180 hp engine. On the basis of the basic version, a light tactical vehicle LTV (Light Tactical Vehicle) was developed with the same gross weight, but with a reduced payload, since the basic level of protection was increased. The crew of four is protected from bullets in accordance with STANAG 4569 Level 1 and mines in accordance with Level 2a / b. Its power unit has also been updated, with the new M16 SCI engine delivering 268 hp. More than 800 RG32 machines have been sold worldwide in various variants; the largest operators of this family of machines outside South Africa are Sweden, Egypt and Finland. Further, in increasing mass, we see a mine-protected vehicle RG21 accommodating up to 12 people with a gross weight of 15 tons and a carrying capacity of 5.2 tons. On this machine with a 240 hp engine. off-the-shelf commercial components are widely used. The crew is protected from small arms fire up to 5.56x45 mm bullets, as well as mines with a capacity of 21 kg (under the wheel) and 12 kg (under the hull) in TNT equivalent.
As for the Mechem company, in addition to the well-deserved mine-protected machine Casspir, the company offers the Casspir NG2000 in versions A, B and MPV. All of these vehicles are based on a welded V-body with heavy-duty Mercedes-Benz axles (9 tonne load capacity) used in Mercedes Zetros military trucks. The Casspir A version has a 231 hp Mercedes-Benz OM906LA engine, while the B version has a 290 hp Steyr WD10.290 engine. The dimensions of both models with a dead weight of 11.5 tons and a total weight of 14.5 tons are identical, they can accommodate up to 12 soldiers. The 9mm hull, made of Armox 500 steel, provides Level B6 protection, while it can withstand a 14kg mine under the bottom and 21kg mines under any wheel. Denel Mechem has a legacy Casspir in its portfolio, which is still a success in the market, although new variants have already been supplied to several customers, including Angola, Burundi and the United Nations.
Paramount has developed several armored vehicles in the past few years. This South African group also willingly cooperates with foreign countries, among them Kazakhstan and Jordan. This is in line with the company's philosophy, which is largely based on technology transfer. Three cars from this company fall into the category we need. The Marauder armored vehicle has a total weight of 17 tons and a carrying capacity of 4 tons. The single-volume hull of the carrier type accommodates a crew of 2 people and up to 8 paratroopers, spaced armor provides a basic level of ballistic protection in accordance with level B7 (armor-piercing bullet 7, 62x51 mm). The mine protection of the Marauder armored vehicle corresponds to the STANAG 4569 Level 3a / b. The machine is equipped with a 285 hp turbodiesel. The number of doors in the armored hull is three: two on the sides and one in the stern. Having the same total mass, but carrying capacity of 3.6 tons, the Matador armored vehicle has the same level of mine protection, but an increased level of ballistic protection Level 3+, since it withstands bullets, including the armor-piercing incendiary 7, 62x54R and the usual 12, 7x99. In addition to a crew of two, the Matador can accommodate up to 12 fully equipped fighters, access to the car is carried out through two side doors and a hinged aft door. This armored vehicle of the MRAP category with a 289 hp engine. Features large side and rear windows for good visibility. As for the Mbombe 4 model, known in some markets under the Marauder XT trademark, this armored vehicle is distinguished by higher levels of protection: mine countermeasures correspond to Level 4a / b and ballistic ones - Level 3+. The flat bottom, which provides good mine protection, made it possible to reduce the vehicle's height to 2.45 meters, which had a beneficial effect on its signs of visibility. The Mbombe 4 armored vehicle has a gross weight of 15 tons and a carrying capacity of 2 tons, a bearing hull with an independent suspension. 400 hp engine allows you to reach a maximum speed of 150 km / h. The car can accommodate up to 10 people, access to the salon is provided through two side doors and one aft door.
The UAE-based Nimr is considered one of the fastest growing armored vehicle companies. Founded in 2004 by the Bin Jaber Group, the company is now part of EDIC (Emirates Defense Industries Company), which brings together 16 major defense companies from the UAE. At the end of 2015, Nimr opened its main plant in the Tawazun industrial park, and already in June 2016, 1000 machines left the walls of the new plant. The Nimr portfolio includes the Ajban family of lightweight machines. Under this name we will find there six different variants, among them there are cars for the special forces, there are also for the police. All variants share a common chassis with a wheelbase of 3.3 meters with a 296 hp Cummins engine mated to an Allison 3000SP six-speed automatic transmission. Thanks to a 180 liter fuel tank, the range is 650 km at a speed of 100 km / h.
All armored options offered for the military market have the same dimensions - length 5, 65 meters and width 2, 3 meters, while the layout of the cockpit is significantly different. The Ajban 420, with a gross weight of 9000 kg, has a maximum payload of 3500 kg, it is equipped with a two-seater armored cabin and a large cargo platform, this variant is designed for general tasks and logistics. The Ajban 440A variant has a gross weight of 9,200 kg and a payload of 1,100 kg, an extended cabin with protection against mines and explosive devices accommodates four people, in the rear there is a slightly shortened cargo platform. The Ajban 450 variant with a gross weight of 9000 kg has a maximum payload of 2000 kg; the armored cabin also accommodates four people. The extended cabs of both variants can be equipped with self-defense turrets. All variants can be armored additionally, the maximum level of ballistic protection is Level 4, and anti-explosion protection up to Level 3a / b.
A completely different type of armored vehicle N35 is a modification of the RG35 platform of the South African company Denel Vehicle Systems, it is produced by the Emirati company in accordance with a contract signed in November 2015. With a total weight of 18,500 kg and a carrying capacity of 4300 kg (protection of the second level), a vehicle with a 4x4 wheel configuration can have levels of ballistic and anti-explosion protection, respectively, Level 4 and Level 4a / b. The machine has a 450 hp engine, it can accommodate, apart from two crew members, up to seven paratroopers, the protected volume is 11 m3. The rather compact cabin of the N35 armored vehicle, less than 6 meters long and 2, 7 meters wide, slightly protrudes beyond the bridges, which allows for good angles of the front and rear overhangs, respectively, 45 ° and 61 °. With regard to firepower, manned and uninhabited systems with small and medium caliber weapons can be installed on the vehicle. The N35 armored vehicle was first presented in the colors of the UAE in December 2016 at the National Day parade. The vehicle was equipped with a Dynamit Nobel Defense 120 Remote Controlled Weapon Module (DUMV) FeWas armed with a 12.7mm machine gun. The Ajban vehicle also took part in the parade, but not in a protected version for special forces. From the very beginning, when developing the vehicle in cooperation with Jordan, the Emirati company relied on export sales of its Nimr armored vehicle (by the way, it was developed with the participation of Russian specialists). For example, in Algeria, a licensed assembly of the Nimr 2 armored car is underway, a small number of vehicles have been sold to Libya, but the order for Lebanon has apparently been suspended. The UAE company is currently expanding its presence in Southeast Asia.
The Thai company Chaiseri has developed its own First Win armored car with a 4x4 wheel arrangement with an unladen weight of 8.5 tons, a payload of 1.5 tons and a passenger capacity of up to 11 people. Cummins 250 hp engine mated to the Allison 2500 automatic transmission, the driver can choose from one-axle or four-wheel drive. The V-shaped steel bearing hull provides Level 2 ballistic protection and Level 4a / 3b anti-mine protection. The vehicle, available with one or two doors on board plus a stern door, can be fitted with various turrets and DUMV. The Thai army is already operating these machines, having ordered 229 units. The first foreign customer was Malaysia, the local company Deftech manufactures machines under license. This example demonstrates how new players enter the light armored vehicle market and begin to supply their products not only to the national armed forces, but also to achieve success in other countries.
Thales Australia is one of the key players in the light armored vehicle field. The Australian Armed Forces purchased over 1,000 of its Bushmaster vehicles, and the Netherlands also did not stand aside, whose Army and Marines deployed 98 of these vehicles. At the same time, a smaller number of these machines are in service with the UK, Indonesia, Jamaica and Japan. Bushmaster armored vehicles were deployed at one time in the Australian and Dutch contingents in Afghanistan. The vehicle with a total mass of 15 tons, of which 4 are payloads, and with a protected volume of 11 m3, can accommodate up to 10 soldiers, including two crew members. The payload of the vehicle can be partially used to increase the level of ballistic and mine protection to the third. Bushmaster platform with 300 hp Caterpillar engine is available in a variety of variants, including personnel carrier, operational control, ambulance, track clearance, heavy weapons, mortar carrier, anti-aircraft missile system, workshop. It is proposed for the VBMR Leger light armored personnel carrier routine of the French Army's Scorpion program. In addition, Australia and Indonesia signed an agreement last fall to develop a Bushmaster based machine to meet Indonesian requirements.
Building on its success with the Bushmaster, Thales Australia has developed a smaller and lighter Hawkei (photo below) designed to meet Australia's Land 121 Phase 4 program, which will supply 1,100 PMV-L (Protected Mobility Vehicles - Light) for general, command, communication and reconnaissance tasks. The Hawkei was announced as the preferred candidate in October 2011; ultimately, after testing six prototypes and one trailer in 2012-2014, a € 700 million contract was awarded in October 2015, which also included the delivery of 1,058 trailers. The last two of the initial batch of 10 vehicles left the production line in Bendigo and were delivered to the AIF in November 2016. With a payload of three tons and a gross weight of 10 tons, the vehicle can take up to 6 soldiers in a four-door version and three in a two-door version. The machine is powered by a 270 hp Steyr M16 SCI diesel engine, an independent suspension with spring dampers and four-wheel steering, which has reduced the turning radius.
In order to simplify maintenance, the carrier-type body is made non-welded, all parts are bolted to each other. The level of basic protection is not disclosed, but the B-kit weighing about 900 kg, supplied by the Israeli company Plasan, allows for a significant increase in the level of protection of this vehicle in half an hour. The armament consists of a light weapons module that can accept a 12.7 mm machine gun or a 40 mm automatic grenade launcher. The Australian requirement was that the curb weight of the vehicle was less than 7 tons. This would make it possible to transport the Hawkei armored car with a reservation kit on the suspension of a CH-47 helicopter. All vehicles will be equipped with an information management system from Elbit Systems, which has been selected by the Australian Army as the standard operational control system. Full-scale serial production is due to start in 2018; Thales Group is actively promoting its machines in the international market.
American heavyweights 4x4
In addition to the JLTV armored car, the program for which is definitely the largest in the field of light armored platforms, American companies are very active in promoting heavier vehicles in a 4x4 configuration. Oshkosh Defense's M-ATV armored car, developed in response to the needs of the US military for an all-terrain MRAP vehicle capable of operating in an Afghan scenario, remains a popular platform in the company's portfolio to this day. Some foreign countries operating this machine received it under direct intergovernmental agreements; the vehicles were obtained from the presence of the American army as a result of the reduction of the MRAP fleet after the withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan. A total of 8,722 M-ATVs were delivered to the US Armed Forces and more than 1,500 of them were decommissioned. Afghanistan, Croatia, Iraq, Libya, Poland and Uzbekistan appear to have benefited from the surplus military equipment program, while Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates purchased new vehicles through the military equipment sales program abroad. The armored car, produced in five versions - universal engineering, assault, command and for special forces - is also available in a configuration with an increased wheelbase. The M-ATV, which can accommodate five people, has a dead weight of 12.5 tons and a payload of 2.2 tons, it is powered by a Cummins engine with a capacity of 370 hp. The armored car is equipped with a TAK-4 suspension and is based on the Advanced Core 180 crew protection system; the cruising range is over 500 km.
Textron Systems supplies its TAPV (Tactical Armored Patrol Vehicle) armored vehicle to the Canadian Army, which received the first of these platforms in August 2016. This vehicle weighing 18.5 tons is based on the Commando family vehicles, it is equipped with independent suspension and a rear-mounted 365 hp Cummins engine. The Canadian Army's 500 TAPVs cost $ 603 million to replace the RG-31 fleet, part of the LAV 2 fleet, and to complement the G-Wagen fleet. The first TAPV armored vehicles were delivered to the Canadian military base Gagetown, 8 more bases are awaiting their turn. Deliveries of the last batch are scheduled for early 2018, with full operational readiness for 2020. And finally, another heavyweight in the world of American 4x4 platforms is the MaxxPro armored vehicle from Navistar Defense with a dead weight of 15.5 tons and a payload of 4.5 tons, which definitely allows it to be classified as MRAP.
