Each army necessarily has a standard utility off-road platform that is used for different purposes – medical vehicles, machine-gun nests, and radar equipment are based on it. The most famous platform of this type was the US Army’s HMMWV, the civilian version of which, the Hummer, is regularly seen on the streets. Let’s find out the most popular models of military trucks.
In English terminology, this type of vehicle is called MLUV (military light utility vehicle). This class appeared during the Second World War, although prototypes existed before. Early examples of modern MLUVs were, of course, the famous Willys MB, as well as the Bantam BRC40 and the Soviet GAZ-64.
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The era of HMMWV is over. At the end of 2015, a nearly 10-year competition to replace obsolete Humvees ended with the victory of an SUV from Oshkosh, one of the world’s leading manufacturers of military equipment. Many Oshkosh trucks are already in service with the US Army. The cost of one base car is about $ 250,000, weight – 6400 kg, speed – up to 110 km / h, engine – 6.6-liter GM Duramax with 300 hp. At the moment, there are 4 basic chassis options and more than 30 varieties, depending on the purpose.
Most of the world’s MLUVs are still very similar to the classic HMMWV. Spanish URO VAMTAC has been produced since 1998; a total of 4,000 of these SUVs were built, 2,000 of which serve in the Spanish army, and the rest were exported to the Dominican Republic, Ghana, Morocco, Malaysia, Pakistan, etc. The car in the more powerful S3 version is equipped with a 6-liter Steyr engine with 188 hp, accelerates to 135 km / h and can carry a wide variety of equipment.
The Italian “Hummer” was developed by Iveco, primarily known for its trucks, but also has a large military unit. The design was so successful that several companies from around the world acquired a license from Iveco. The most successful export option turned out to be with the UK: the licensed Panther CLV became a larger contract for Iveco than, in fact, with the Italian army. The car is equipped with a 195-horsepower Iveco F1D engine, weighs 6.5 tons and accelerates to 130 km / h on the highway.
Hawkei PMV – the SUV that won the competition to replace the aging Land Rover Perentie used by the Australian Army prior to 2015. The main developer was the military company Thales Australia, Boeing and the Israeli Plasan also took part in the creation. The name Hawkei comes from the Latin name Acanthophis hawkei (a genus of deadly snakes found in Australia and New Guinea). The car weighs 7 tons, powered by a 268 horsepower Steyr M16 engine and currently has four basic variants.
Komodo is the main off-road vehicle of the Indonesian army, developed by the local company Pindad and entered service in 2012 to replace Humvee. Depending on the configuration, the SUV weighs 5800 – 7300 kg, is equipped with a 200-horsepower diesel engine, has 7 official configurations (plus options), speeds up to 110 km / h.
Agrale is almost the largest South American manufacturer of agricultural, cargo and utility equipment, as well as military vehicles. Marruá is the MLUV family, which entered service in 2005 and is in service with Brazil, Argentina, Ecuador, Ghana, Namibia, Paraguay and Suriname. The platform is universal – there are both civilian versions and several dozen military ones. The platform is relatively light compared to other machines of this kind – 2460 kg with a 132-horsepower MWM engine.
Nimr is a fairly large company formed with the cooperation of the authorities of the UAE and Algeria. There are six basic modifications for various purposes. The car is powered by a 6.7-cylinder, 296-horsepower, Cummins ISBe 300 engine, it weighs 9 tons. Currently works in the armies of the UAE, Algeria and Libya.
