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22 Sep 14. Supacat launched a concept vehicle for the ATMP Mk IV at Landforces 2014. The All Terrain Mobile Platform (ATMP) has a distinguished history, having served in Bosnia, the Gulf Wars and Afghanistan, and remains without equal as a highly mobile and highly reliable workhorse. The Mk IV concept vehicle is being displayed at Landforces 2014 and is being offered to armed forces within the region.
Michael Halloran, Managing Director, Australia, said: “When we looked around the market, we found that there is nothing that combines the payload, mobility and robustness of the ATMP, so in developing this concept vehicle we decided to look at maintaining the fundamental strengths of the platform while updating the human interface and the automotive and communication systems.”
The result is an easily transportable, go-anywhere workhorse that can carry over 1.5 tons of payload. The open, flat back is easily configured for multiple uses and makes the ATMP extremely useful. The platform is equally at home in the desert, jungle or littoral environments.
Nick Jones, one of the founders of Supacat, is in attendance at Landforces 2014. He said:
“One of the interesting things to see over the years has been the number of different uses that people have found for the ATMP. It has been used for everything from forward base control, to firefighting to agriculture.”
The ATMP is powered by a diesel engine driving a 6×6 drive train. The mobility is significantly enhanced by 4 wheel Ackermann steering and skid steering. The ATMP can be transported within or below a range of air platforms providing instant mobility support for airborne and air-mobile forces on the ground.
23 Sep 14. Lockheed Martin’s Havoc 8×8 Armored Modular Vehicle successfully completed the Nevada Automotive Test Center’s challenging Butte Mountain Trail course, one of the most severe off-road test tracks in the world. Teamed with Patria, Havoc is Lockheed Martin’s entry in the U.S. Marine Corps’ Amphibious Combat Vehicle (ACV) Phase I program.
The mile-long course has nearly 1,000 feet of elevation change and extremely rugged, rocky stretches that have damaged and disabled numerous vehicles over the years.
“Over the course of 10 days of testing, we performed more than 40 test runs up and down the mountain while demonstrating the vehicle’s ride quality and crew comfort,” said Scott Greene, vice president of Ground Vehicles at Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control. “Not once did the Havoc fail. And we were told numerous times that this course has stopped many vehicles over the years, including tanks.”
The testing, funded and conducted by Lockheed Martin, was undertaken to validate the company’s solution to the Marine Corps’ need for a survivable and robust wheeled, amphibious vehicle. The Marine Corps will conduct its own series of automotive, amphibious and protection tests of 16 Havoc vehicles once the ACV program is under way. The program’s Request for Proposal is expected in early 2015.
“Our passengers were complementary of the Havoc’s handling, ride quality, acceleration and braking throughout the demo while at a fully armored weight,” said Patrick Shepherd, Havoc program manager at Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control. “The most highly appreciated design features they noticed were how quiet the vehicle interior was and the smoothness of the Havoc ride throughout the demonstration.”
Havoc is a highly protected multi-mission, fully amphibious expeditionary ground combat vehicle which represents an evolution of the Patria 8×8 Armored Modular Vehicle, a battle-tested design used by armed forces globally. The modular design allows a wide range of weapons, sensor and communications options to address evolving mission and affordability requirements. Havoc features exceptional mobilit