Phantom Badger. Boeing's entrant into the SOCOM Internally Carried Vehicle Contest.

via Land Warfare

Boeing has unveiled a new ground tactical vehicle designed to be internally transported in a V-22 Osprey tiltrotor to meet a US special forces’ requirement for highly mobile, V-22 Internally Transportable Vehicle (ITV).
Unveiled to reporters for the first time at Phantom Works near St Louis on 21 May, the new ‘Phantom Badger’ vehicle has been developed using the expertise of MSI Defense Solutions, which employed vehicle technologies originally developed for NASCAR racing.
Designed by the Special Pursuits Cell at Boeing Phantom Works, the Phantom Badger is Boeing’s proposal for a US Special Operations Command (SOCOM) request for proposal for a V-22 ITV, with a selection expected to be made by the end of the year.
Phantom Works programme manager for combat support vehicles, John Chicoli, said the vehicle addressed a gap for a vehicle that was able to be internally transported in a V-22 but which provided greater levels of protection and comfort than a smaller ATV.
‘There is a gap out there. This is a real tactical vehicle and doesn’t look like an ATV at all,’ Chicoli noted. ‘This features a high use of COTS and we have done a lot of work with special operation warfighters to look at what they require from a tactical vehicle.’
Boeing recently submitted its proposal for the SOCOM V-22 ITV requirement, which initially seeks two vehicles each with the ability to purchase eight additional units for testing.
The Phantom Badger has undergone testing at Fort Bragg and the Nevada Automotive Testing Center, with Chicoli claiming it features Humvee levels of mobility.
However, due to the nature of the requirement, and given that a number of companies are expected to respond to this latest RfP, Boeing was unwilling to disclose specific vehicle specifications such as speed, range, fuel capacity or weight.
The vehicle features four wheel steering, enhanced shocks and suspension developed by MSI, and mission-specific modules fitted behind the front two seats. These can be changed within 30 minutes, allowing special forces operators to quickly re-role the vehicle.
The vehicle can be loaded mission-ready onto a V-22 with 6 inches of space on each side.
While the prototype vehicle features a carbon fibre hood, Boeing has since decided this has been ‘over-engineered’ and has moved instead to fibre glass. Boeing claims Phantom Badger is relatively comfortable for a vehicle of this kind, allowing troops to stay fresh during the ride.

Meh.