The latest in BAE Systems’ mine-protected vehicles, the RG35 family of vehicles, is on display this week at the Eurosatory exhibition in Paris.
“The new RG35 vehicle is a direct response to lessons learned from operations in Iraq and Afghanistan–soldiers need an effective level of protection without sacrificing mobility, payload and firepower,” said Chris Chambers, vice president and general manager of BAE Systems Tactical Wheeled Vehicles discussing the new vehicles.
Johan Stein, managing director of BAE Systems’ Land Systems South Africa, said: “We’ve integrated four decades of expertise and experience into this family of vehicles.”
The new RG35 comes as a 4×4: a mine protected, multi-mission tactical wheeled vehicle that can easily be modified for different missions. A 6×6 version combines tactical mobility with a high level of survivability and high capacity volume under armor, offering a new class cross-over combat vehicle.
The RG35 can be equipped with light and medium turrets, or with indirect fire weapons. The RG35 4×4 variant, on display at Eurosatory, features the light-weight Self Defense Remotely Operated Weapon (SD-ROW), which enables forces to engage hostile targets while remaining under armor and the weapons ensure operators don’t come to harm from the environment or snipers during the day or at night.
Johan Jooste, international business development, told Defense Daily the RG35 SD-ROW turret and the Tactical Remote Turret (TRT) are on display to show their functions and how they integrate on the multi-service, multi-mission vehicle.
“Both turrets are aimed at the affordable end of this market” so customers would have the “luxury” of remotely operated turrets, Joost said.
Potential customers are “more and more discerning because of access to information,” he said. Potential buyers “do a lot of window shopping,” studying and considering before narrowing their list of possible acquisitions and visiting manufacturers. Vehicles are expensive so customers don’t want to make mistakes.
Companies such as BAE Systems have to prove that their vehicle, or system or whatever the product is, works, Joost said. Once potential customers have seen a static display, ultimately they would want to see a demonstration and finally a trial in their home country before making an acquisition.
For example, the RG35 4×4 is potentially expected to go to trials in the United Arab Emirates this month.
If customers want to visit, the BAE Systems facility in South Africa can access a testing site to show what the vehicle is capable if the customer wants to visit.
Savings can be achieved over the life of the vehicle by using commercial-off-the-shelf equipment such as displays, software subsystems, and commonality of parts across a family of vehicles, he said. However, “you can’t use inferior materials for turrets.” Other ways to increase affordability are to go back to the manufacturing processes and simplify them.
Of course, he said, a major way to save is first to make sure to understand user requirements. “Don’t design what is not needed.”
Today’s operational environment and tight budgets means that there’s a lot of emphasis on a vehicle’s ability to conduct multiple missions, and with that, Joost said, comes protection.
“We really make sure to meet the protection standards with the lessons learned in Iraq and, Afghanistan,” Joost said. “Our previous generation of vehicles is in more than 50 countries and battle proven,” Joost said. The RG 35 exemplifies what BAE Systems has learned over the past 10 years and in looking to a future that balances mobility, protection and multi-purpose capabilities.