WDS 2022: CLS readies Light Reconnaissance Vehicle 20 for user trials

The LRV-20 is now ready for trials with potential customers. (Andrew White)

Calidus Land Systems (CLS) has completed internal evaluation and testing of its 4x4 Light Reconnaissance Vehicle 20 (LRV-20), and the platform is now ready for evaluation by potential customers, company representatives told Janes at the World Defense Show (WDS) in Riyadh.

Speaking to Janes at the WDS, CLS operations director Rashed Ahmed Al Mazrouei said that the LRV-20 had been designed to support reconnaissance and border security missions.

First unveiled at IDEX in 2021, the LRV-20 features a commercial off-the-shelf chassis and is designed and manufactured in the United Arab Emirates. Measuring 1.89 m in width, a single LRV-20 can be carried as an underslung load beneath a UH-60 helicopter, while a pair of LRV-20s can be carried in the cargo hold of a CH-47 helicopter, Al Mazrouei noted.

With a gross vehicle weight of 3,450kg, the vehicle has a maximum speed of 160 km/h and a range of 750 km on a single tank of fuel.

According to Al Mazrouei, the vehicle has been optimised for maximum mobility in arid environments, with low ground pressure, differential locks, adjustable suspension, a tyre inflation system, and a long range fuel tank.

The vehicle can be equipped with a variety of armaments, including a pair of light machine guns on either side of the vehicle in addition to a ring-mounted 12.7mm heavy machine gun or remote controlled weapon station for top cover.

According to Al Mazrouei, the vehicle can be reconfigured to carry a crew of two and three or four passengers, depending on end-user requirements.