Thursday, February 20, 2014

Havoc 2.0....what makes it improved?


Upfront.

Get over it.  You know I've been beating the drums about the need for a new Marine Corps troop transport (the MTVR is not and will not cut it and the AAV is getting long in the tooth) so a focus on the revived MPC is happening on these pages.

Which brings me to this.  When Lockheed Martin responded to my query about them continuing to participate in the MPC contest, the response was a fiery yes and that Havoc 2.0 is a go.

Havoc 2.0?

Bravado or an inadvertent slip that the already formidable Patria AMV...already modified for Marine Corps use... was receiving even more tweaks?

After chewing on this for a bit, I've come to the conclusion that it was a slip and that Lockheed Martin is seeking to improve on the one area where they could be considered inferior to the BAE offering.  Swimming.  Below are two pics.  One of the standard AMV and below that the Havoc.

Patria AMV undergoing swim tests in Finland 2002.
Havoc undergoing sea test 2013.
Most easily observed is the larger and better shaped swim vane for the proposed USMC model.

Considering the vehicles strengths...combat proven, excellent mobility, architecture designed for growth, IED protection and impressive load carriage/growth...the only thing missing is probably its rating in the swim test.

This is a guess but I fully expect the 2.0 to involve improvements to the vehicles swimming.  What might that include?  I haven't the foggiest but when I find out so will you.