US Army takes honours
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El The US Army's new High Mobility Multi-Purpose Vehicle (Hummer) was the star of the earthbound vehicles at this year's Farnborough International Air Show.
Hummer was making its first public appearance in the UK. It is being used to replace a number of different vehicles in the US forces, including the M151 Ueep) family, all M274 (Mules) and all 11/4 tonne Gaina Goats. A total of 60,000 Hummers are on order from AM General.
The Hummer is powered by a 6.2 litre V-8 Detroit Diesel engine, driving through an automatic transmission. The all-wheel-drive vehicle has a ground clearance of 404mm (16 inches), yet the vehicle's overall height has been kept down to 1.75m to give it a low silhouette.
The aluminium-bodied Hummer is available in 15 different configurations; the unladen weight of the basic version is 2,315kg.
Camberley-based Asvec (UK) also exhibited a new allwheel-drive vehicle at Farnborough in the shape of the Merlin launch vehi which is based on the newly developed POWR-4. There are two power options for the POWKT 4, either the 61kw (82bhp) Perkins 4.236 diesel engine or the Chrysler 360 V-8 petrol engine, producing 127kw (170bhp).
POWR-4 is designed with a payload 01 1.5 tonnes and, in its Merlin guise, is fitted with a welded tubular ladder frame built from 115nun diameter main members.
One of the more esoteric vehicles at the show was the All American Engineering Model 3401, which is used as a launch vehicle for remotelypiloted surveillance aircraft. The Model 3401 is based upon a Bedford TM 4-4 converted to take a 9 metre (31 foot) launcher boom built by Flight Refuelling.
Simon-Gala of Thetford launched a multi-purpose vehicle-mounted access platform used for the cleaning of aircraft and airport buildings. The platform is mounted on a Deutz engined vehicle, which can be driven from the platform (when it is retracted) at around 5km/h.
The latest version of the Range Rover-based 6x4 Rapid Intervention Vehicle from Carmichael Fire Equipment was on show at Farnborough. Carmichael revealed it has already received 36 orders for the vehicle from the Ministry of Defence.
Finally, on the Marconi stand there was a Ford Cargo 2417, being used by the company as a chassis for its container-based tactical battlefield surveillance equipment.