03-08-2008, 21:17
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חבר מתאריך: 20.12.07
הודעות: 13
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Israel prepares to put Wildcat through its paces
International Defence Review
Israel prepares to put Wildcat through its paces
Melanie Rovery and Kate Tringham
Key Points
· The new Wildcat armoured wheeled vehicle is due to be trialled by the Israeli military.
· The platform was developed to meet Israel Defence Force requirements for armour protection.
The Israel Defence Force (IDF) is set to begin a two-month follow-on trial of the new Israel Military Industries (IMI) Wildcat armoured wheeled vehicle (AWV) in mid-August.
This latest round of trials will include performance, mobility, safety and human factors engineering. The vehicle will also be taken through: various day and night scenarios on the road; tactical tests; transport regulations compatibility; and maintenance tests. If the trials are successful, the Wildcat will receive certification to enter the full-scale development and serial-production phases.
Wildcat was originally launched by IMI in 2005 and was developed to meet the requirements of the IDF, which has assisted and advised in development, production, integration and test phases. It is intended to undertake tasks in urban warfare, low-intensity conflicts and operations other than war. Features include: mobility; high vehicle and crew survivability; all-around visibility; modular and flexible armour configurations; and variable-role capability.
The Wildcat offers three interchangeable levels of protection, depending on user requirements. The Kit A Modular Ballistic Armour Protection packages protect against 7.62 mm armour-piercing (AP) fire (STANAG 4569 Level 3), while the Kit B protects against improvised explosive devices (IEDs), 14.5 mm AP and artillery fragments (STANAG 4569 Level 4). The Kit C hybrid armour package includes explosive reactive armour (ERA), offering protection against shaped charges, 14.5 mm AP and artillery fragments. In its basic form, the Wildcat is protected against Anti-Mine blast in accordance with STANAG 4569 Levels 2b, 3a.
With its gross vehicle weight now raised to 18,000 kg, the Wildcat is powered by a Cummins 325 hp engine mated to Allison Transmission. The AWV has a fording capability of 1.5 m and a maximum speed of 100 km/h.
It has a V-shaped monocoque hull enclosing a 4x4 truck chassis produced by Tatra in the Czech Republic. The crew compartment is air-conditioned with mine-blast-resistant seating and the powerpack is fitted inside a protective compartment to receive the same protection as the crew.
Additional systems can be fitted, such as an IMI Iron Fist active-defence system; IMI WAVE stabilised remotely operated weapon station; day and night-vision cameras; anti-mine collapsible seats; automatic fire-detection and suppression systems; nuclear, biological and chemical protection suites; and a smoke grenade-launching system. The Wildcat can be transported by air via a C-130, C-17 or A400M.
The vehicle is claimed to give the crew good situational awareness via its elevated side windows, and is fitted with eight firing ports, while rear and side ramps enable easy mount/dismount.
© 2008 Jane's Information Group
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