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12 Feb 16. Widely regarded as the ‘Swiss Army Knife’ of combat engineering vehicles, BAE Systems’ Terrier has been fitted with new technologies and systems by its defence engineers. The updated vehicle offers a new telescopic investigation arm and the ability to wade through two metre wave surges.
The telescopic investigation arm extends over 8m from the vehicle – one of the longest in the world available for such a vehicle – allowing crews to probe and unearth buried devices from a safe distance. Additionally, the vehicle can now be exported with a rock hammer, ripper and earth augur – hugely extending its capabilities. The hammer can split rocks and penetrate concrete, while the ripper can tear up roads or runways, preventing their use. The earth augur can drill holes for use in combat engineering.
Terrier will also be able to wade through significantly deeper waters, withstanding up to two metre wave surges. Rory Breen, Export Sales Manager for BAE Systems Land (UK) said: “The greater wading depth and surge protection will make Terrier even better suited for use in coastal or low-lying areas, where it can play an important role in disaster relief as well as combat situations.
“Along with the new telescopic arm and other attachments , Terrier remains the most technologically advanced and flexible combat engineer vehicle in the world. Due to the modular nature of the vehicle, it could also be quickly adapted for a range of other situations, such as clearing paths through jungle or thick foliage.”
Terrier’s existing capabilities include complete remote control from up to 1km away, along with a variety of lifting, grabbing and moving capabilities. Its front loader system can lift weights of up to five tonnes and can shift 300 tonnes of earth per hour. In addition, its recently trialled sub-surface mine plough can penetrate to recognised safe depths while travelling at up to 15km/h, quickly creating a path free of mines and improvised explosive devices.
Terrier was designed to provide the British Army with maximum flexibility from a single vehicle, allowing them to reduce their equipment and logistic footprint. BAE Systems’ engineers continue to develop new modular attachments, meaning that Terrier customers can upgrade their vehicles to meet new requirements without changing platforms.
11 Feb 16. Honeywell Develops Virtual Reality Technology for Future DARPA and U.S. Army Ground Vehicles. Honeywell (HON) has signed an agreement with the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) to provide the Ground X-Vehicle Technologies (GXV-T) program with a virtual reality instrument panel that replaces glass windows with display technology from Honeywell. As part of the GXV-T program’s goal to explore new vehicle technologies that could improve survivability, agility and mobility for the next generation of military ground vehicles (such as tanks, armored vehicles and more), this virtual reality instrument panel concept from Honeywell could provide drivers with an enhanced, clearer 360-degree view outside the vehicle. In addition, it could enable safer and more efficient missions.
“The development of virtual window technology is a significant shift in the concept of design for military ground vehicles. No longer would drivers of these ground vehicles need to rely on the view through the windows alone; this technology would provide them with improved awareness that could impact the survivability of a new, more agile ground vehicle solution,” said Carey Smith, president of Defense and Space at Honeywell Aerospace. “Honeywell is a leader in advanced cockpit display technology, so we were able to leverage our extensive background in display technologies, coupled with advanced visualization research, to meet the needs of DARPA’s GXV-T program.”
Using Honeywell’