[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.

Image: MyBroadband

“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.”

Image: MyBroadband

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:

Image: TimesLIVE

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&timeslive]