[imagesource: MyBroadband]
As war is waged around us, introducing a new armoured vehicle capable of shooting drones out of the sky makes sense.
The impressive six-wheeler version of the MAX 3 Double Cab went on display recently at the 2022 Africa Aerospace and Defence Show, equipped with SVI Engineering’s intelligent anti-drone solution.
The Pretoria-based armoured car specialists unveiled the MAX 3 as a new variant built atop the Toyota Land Cruiser 79 chassis and powered by the firm’s proven 4,5-litre V8 turbodiesel engine.
It looks mean and it behaves even meaner:
The new variant of SVI’s bullet-resistant vehicle range is set apart by a nifty upgrade from the standard two axles to three.
This third axle makes it possible to increase the gross vehicle mass (GVM), allowing the fitment of various weapon systems, cargo-carrying options, and field ambulance concepts, including an anti-drone system, per MyBroadband:
“In modern warfare, drones are used not only for reconnaissance but also as weapons capable of destroying key infrastructure or attacking soldiers on the ground,” SVI stated.
Its anti-drone system uses radar to locate, identify, and track incoming hostile drones. This information is relayed to the battle management system (BMS) connected to an automated grenade launcher.
“The BMS determines the trajectory and distance of the drone, intercepting and disabling it through close-proximity grenade explosions,” SVI said. “The final step is to retrieve evidence from the drone. For this task, an off-road motorcycle is provided, allowing personnel to reach the wreck quickly over rough terrain.”
That’s quite the ordeal imagined there.
TimesLIVE notes that the MAX 3 Six-Wheeler replaces the soft-skin body of the donor Land Cruiser 79 with a combat-ready hull designed in-house and manufactured from armoured steel plate:
This provides the ultimate protection:
The construction of the multi-role vehicle provides a minimum protection level of EN1063 BR6 (assault rifles) with additional protection against anti-personnel grenades.
One can also upgrade the bruiser to level BR7.
You wouldn’t want to be on the wrong side when this armoured cruiser enters the field.
[sources:mybroadband×live]
