Details emerge of the ARMIS and Fortress Mk 2 vehicles from Arquus

Arquus has revealed details of its ARMIS range of tactical and logistics trucks, as well as its latest protected mobility vehicle, Fortress Mk 2, via its online exhibit that was opened on 8 June in lieu of the cancelled Eurosatory exhibition.

Fortress Mk 2 is a development of the original Fortress, itself a high-mobility variant of the Bastion 4×4 protected mobility vehicle. An Arquus spokesperson told Janes on 10 June that the vehicle is designed to provide increased protection, while retaining the mobility of the original Fortress vehicle.

This rendering shows the Fortress Mk 2 from Arquus. The vehicle is designed to offer the user increased protection over its predecessor. (Arquus)

The spokesperson explained that new, lighter armours are used to increase protection to STANAG 4569 level 3, over the level 2 protection that is carried by the original. This, the company said, enables the gross vehicle weight to be maintained at the 14.5 tonnes of the original Fortress. The V-shaped hull is combined with an axle ground clearance of 0.42 m, which together reduce the drag coefficient in the event of a mine blast beneath the hull.

Fortress Mk 2 also provides for increased firepower over the original Fortress, and has been optimised for the Hornet remote weapon station (RWS). The original vehicle can carry manually operated protected weapons stations, and an RWS only with some adaptations. The Fortress Mk 2 has a 300 Amp alternator to help power the RWS, and other improvements including cable management, a control station inside the vehicle, and mount optimisation.