Dutch company DEFENTURE will unveil its new Air Transportable Tactical Vehicle (ATTV) during the upcoming Eurosatory defence and security exhibition in Paris.
Fifty ATTVs are currently on order for the Royal Netherlands Army Special Forces Regiment (SFR) and Defenture will show one of its ATTV prototypes which is currently being used for trials. Once in service, the ATTV will replace the Mercedes Benz G280CDI which is the current main ground mobility vehicle being used by Dutch Special Forces including those operating in Mali. Defenture has recently joined forces with General Dynamics European Land Systems (GDELS) which has agreed to market the ATTV on behalf of the Dutch company and which sees its wheeled vehicle portfolio being widened by adding this tactical vehicle.
Speaking to MT, Defenture CEO Gerard Rond explained that Defenture is a joint venture which includes one of his own companies, Rondo Trading Company, as well as X-Motion Engineering, which is well known for its off-road 4X4 technology. Also part of Defenture is the VDL Group, an Eindhoven based automotive consortium which will perform series production of the new SOF vehicle. TenCate Advanced Armour has meanwhile been subcontracted to provide its protection solutions for the ATTV.
Designed to be carried as an internal load in a Boeing CH-47 CHINOOK, the ATTV has been designed in close cooperation with the SFR’s interservice center of excellence for special operations and should be able to carry a payload of up to 1,800 kilogrammes. Powered by a 200hp Ford 3.2 litre 5 cylinder diesel engine, the four wheel drive ATTV has a V-shaped hull and a maximum gross weight of approximately 4,500 kilograms. The vehicle’s main armament will likely consist of a heavy machinegun or a 40mm Heckler & Koch automatic grenade launcher.
In partnership with GDELS, Defenture will also demonstrate its latest heavy fuel engine ATV which is aimed at a requirement for some 30 new ATVs which are needed as part of the SFR’s latest mobility concept. The Roosendaal based unit now uses Suzuki King Quad 750 AXi 4x4 all terrain vehicles (ATV), 16 of which were purchased and which are used for reconnaissance and flank protection.
Pieter Bastiaans