The first batch of the Army’s ‘go anywhere’ armoured support vehicles has been rolled out to front line troops in Afghanistan.
The seven tonne, £600k, ‘Husky’ uses the latest technology and smart design to protect troops from roadside bombs, rockets and small arms fire. It is equipped with a a machine gun.
Bought from US firm Navistar Defence, as part of a £120m contract; the first 123 vehicles have been fitted with specialist technology and pushed out to front line units for immediate use.
The Husky is designed to undertake a range of tasks including acting as a command vehicle, using its one tonne payload to transport essential supplies, and a variant will be used as a highly protected ambulance. It will replace the Pinzergauer and Vector vehicles which are being phased out.
WO1 Colin Goodrich, who is responsible for introducing all new vehicles into Afghanistan said: “This is going to make a huge impact on the guys on the ground. When the Pinzergauer and Vector vehicles were first introduced, they were the right vehicles for the job, but the threat against them changed over time. The Husky vehicle now provides us with armoured protection against RPG (Rocket Propelled Grenades), IEDs (Improvised Explosive Devices) and small arms fire. It offers the level of protection necessary to meet the threat against it.
“The first 123 vehicles have been issued to units and the initial feedback has been extremely positive. It is an awesome bit of kit, which is extremely easy to drive. Crews now have a level of comfort and protection which just wasn’t achievable in the vehicles it replaces”.