HIPPO Multipower will push an electric-powered version of its 6x6 All Terrain Support Vehicle (ATSV) as a candidate for the British Army’s Robotic Platoon Vehicle (RPV) programme, Rob O’Connor, international business development representative at HIPPO Multipower, revealed to Jane’s at DSEI 2019.
The amphibious ATSV-E is a clean-sheet design that the company claims will provide “an extremely low acoustic and thermal signature” when stealth is required.
Computer rendering of the HIPPO Multipower ATSV-E. (HIPPO Multipower)
The vehicle features a steel hull and body measuring 3.6 m long with a width of 1.5 m or 1.7 m wide when fitted with narrow or wide tyres, respectively. It can be internally transported by a CH-47 heavy lift helicopter and, when fitted with narrow tyres, carried within a V-22 tiltrotor aircraft.
The vehicle is equipped with an electric drivetrain powered by batteries that are charged by a diesel engine. It can carry a 900 kg or tow a 2,000 kg load, as well as export 5 kW of power.
“The change from the hydraulic motors of the ATSV to the electric motors of the ATSV-E brings with it a number of opportunities,” O’Connor said.
“The most important is that it allows the end user to operate the vehicle under pure electric power. This enables near silent operation with virtually no thermal signature, critical when stealth is required.”
O’Connor explained that the ATSV-E can be rapidly configured for a variety of tasks, including fire support; tactical resupply; intelligence, surveillance, target acquisition, and reconnaissance (ISTAR); casualty evacuation (CASEVAC); and engineering and disaster relief. The vehicle can be delivered as a manned, unmanned, or optionally manned platform.
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