Defense Technology International - September 2007 - (Page 40) PATROL VEHICLES ARMORED BELGIAN MOD JORIS JANSSEN LOK/DEFENSE TECHNOLOGY INTERNATIONAL Rheinmetall is filling an order from Germany for 274 GFF Category 2 vehicles with the Bv206S. for vehicles in the second series. Ceramic panels are used only on the roof. No details are available about the steel composition or its impact on vehicle weight. The new armor passed a live test at the WTD 91 proving ground in Meppen, Ger- Dingo 4 X 4 from Krauss-Maffei Wegmann is deployed in Afghanistan and the Balkans. in the new Airbus A400M aircraft, of which Germany has ordered 60. Wisent mission modules include basic transport, command and control, explosive ordnance disposal, and logistics support, along with more specialized versions for command, control, communications and intelligence. Payload capacity is 5,000 kg. (11,000 lb.) for the 6 X 6 vehicle; 9,000 kg. for the 8 X 8 version; 15,000 kg. for the 10 X 10 and 25,000 kg. for the tractor-trailer. On June 21, Krauss-Maffei Wegmann announced that it, too, received an order from the BWB to deliver its GFF 4 Grizzly prototype. The Grizzly has space for 10 fully equipped soldiers. Krauss-Maffei Wegmann says its payload “exceeds by more than 50%” the 3 tons required in the request for proposal. The driver’s cab and crew compartment form an integral safety cell that protects against IEDs, ballistic threats, projectiles and mines. The vehicle will also be available in multiple versions, including ambulance and command post variants. The vehicle is based on Iveco’s 6 X 6 Trakker chassis but adapted to meet the needs of the German army. The modular system, developed by Krauss-Maffei Wegmann, permits the construction of a smaller 4 X 4 model as well as an 8 X 8 type of correspondingly higher payload, the company claims. “The Grizzly meets the increased requirements established by land forces in performance capability, mission flexibility and crew protection,” says Frank Haun, chairman of Krauss-Maffei Wegmann. I To read one of our many weblog posts on MRAPs or watch an exclusive video on the BvS10 Viking, go to DTI’s homepage, aviationweek.com/dti and click on “Extras for this issue” under “DTI Interactive.” www.aviationweek.com/dti stone in its effort to build two prototypes for its new Wisent family of modular medium to heavyweight trucks. The 8 X 8 chassis for the first prototype was completed in June. Rheinmetall was awarded a contract last year by the BWB to build two Wisent JORIS JANSSEN LOK/DEFENSE TECHNOLOGY INTERNATIONAL The height of the Gavial multipurpose vehicle from Rheinmetall and Panhard allows it to be carried inside helicopters. many. This involved detonating a 50-kg. (110-lb.) IED-type charge on both sides of the vehicle: one on the right side aimed at the driver’s cabin; the other striking the mission module. Competition to supply the GFF 4 will likely be between Krauss-Maffei Wegmann’s Grizzly and Rheinmetall’s Wisent, which are due to start comparative testing in November in the hands of German defense procurement agency BWB. Rheinmetall recently met the first mile40 prototypes. The company is proposing a concept that uses exchangeable mission modules. “There was no ready solution to meet the GFF 4 requirement on the market anywhere, so we designed a new vehicle, including the chassis, from the ground up,” says Neidhardt. The Wisent, named after a large European buffalo, can be configured in variants ranging from 6 X 6 to 10 X 10, as well as a tractor-trailer combination or container carrier, he claims. The vehicle is transportable DEFENSE TECHNOLOGY INTERNATIONAL SEPTEMBER 2007 http://www.aviationweek.com/dti http://www.aviationweek.com/dti
For optimal viewing of this digital publication, please enable JavaScript and then refresh the page. If you would like to try to load the digital publication without using Flash Player detection, please click here.