A new BAE Systems all-terrain vehicle which can reach more places and carry more cargo than any other vehicle of its kind, is making its debut at DSEI in London this week.

The new vehicle, called “Beowulf,” is based on the Company’s revered Viking BvS10 fighting, troop-carrying and logistics vehicle that was initially designed in Sweden for the UK Royal Marines. Beowulf has a payload capacity of eight tonnes and built-in flexibility with special role cabins in the rear car to carry a combination of personnel and cargo. The vehicle can traverse through water, swamps, snow and soft sand; and climb 45-degree slopes. Beowulf features increased crew comfort and visibility, and is easy to maintain and support, resulting in reduced operational costs.

“We know from more than 40 years of all-terrain vehicle experience that there is a need for an unarmoured vehicle that can reach places other systems cannot, carry a high payload and do it around the clock regardless of weather conditions,” said Tore Akser, platform manager at BAE Systems Hägglunds, a subsidiary of BAE Systems, Inc. in the United States.

BAE Systems sees Beowulf as a successor to its Bv206. More than 12,000 of the glass-fibre bodied vehicles were built and the majority are still in service with military and emergency services in more than 40 countries around the world. Beowulf is well placed to meet a recently declared requirement from the UK Royal Marines for approximately 230 vehicles, in a range of variants to replace the Marines’ 350 Bv206s.

Though aimed primarily at the military market, Beowulf is also expected to attract interest for carrying out civilian missions in areas difficult to access.

Raytheon
15.09.2015