Oshkosh Defense has unveiled the Special Purpose All-Terrain Vehicle (S-ATV): a concept vehicle designed to meet the needs of specialist forces.
The vehicle was shown for the first time at the US Marine Corps-sponsored Modern Day Marine exhibition, which was held in Washington, DC, from 27 to 29 June 2023.
The S-ATV was designed to demonstrate the transportability, speed and resilience necessary to meet new and evolving threats, according to the company. It is lighter than a Joint Light Tactical Vehicle (JLTV) but just as agile, the company says, while being optimised to carry a larger payload on unconventional reconnaissance missions, affording soldiers manoeuvrability in the most difficult terrain.
Primarily by foregoing protection, the total weight of the S-ATV has been reduced to 6.3 tons, with a payload of just under two tons specified. With (presumably) the same diesel engine as the JLTV (developing around 200 kW), mobility has been increased. According to the manufacturer, the top speed of the S-ATV is 145 km/h. A roll bar protects the crew.
The S-ATV’s modular design allows rapid reconfiguring of the seating and upgrading to accommodate a variety of weapons, ballistic protection and blast protection using integrated, ready-to-go mounts, Oshkosh states. The vehicle can be transported as an internal or slung load on helicopters such as CH-47s or CH-53s and in fixed-wing aircraft from the C-130 upwards.
Gerhard Heiming
