I am amazed that what is essentially a trail rig has been selected as the Para-Rescue Vehicle of the future.
I just wonder how its going to fit into the Para-Rescue mission of landing at one location, fighting their way to the objective (up to 50 miles away) and then driving to a pickup point 50 miles in the opposite direction.
Its at IDEX and I'm sure it got plenty of attention from Middle Eastern countries looking for gear for their Special Operations Teams...no doubt DHS is trying to find a way to justify purchasing the same vehicle for their people (not counting the Border Patrol...they already operate a version of it) but the real question is what will the Rangers and Special Forces select for their next ride?
Storm SRTV is one of the contenders competing for SOCOM's GMV1.1 program. Too bad it won't fit inside V-22. On the other hand, Marine is planning to withdraw ITV/LSV from inventory starting at 2017. Who knows.
ReplyDeletereally? i hadn't heard that the itv was going to be withdrawn in 2017
DeleteMight be why Polaris is pushing a 120mm Mortar configuration for their 6x6 Ranger ATV. That has to be awfully close to V-22 compatible.
DeleteThere is as another variant of the SRTV that is V-22 capable and I expect it to be a strong contender for the SOCOM ITV requirement soon to be competed.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.bccdod.com/?page_id=118
the V-22 is just two small a platform to demand internal vehicle carriage. i hope they keep the regular size (if the Rangers pick it) and they simply go with internal carry in '47s and '53s.
DeleteFYI
ReplyDeleteAccording to Marine Corps combat vehicle roadmap (a PPT doc shown at last year's NDIA annual amphibious warfare conference, the corps bought 271 ITV/LSV to date (out of approx. 700 vehicles in the original plan). The initial exist/divest date is marked at 2017.