Armored car "Nomad" (Kazakhstan / South Africa)
Construction of new equipment will be deployed in accordance with existing agreements between Kazakhstan Engineering and Paramount Group (South Africa). Several years ago, the army of Kazakhstan acquired a number of Marauder armored vehicles from Paramount Group, which later received good reviews. The operating experience of the purchased equipment has shown the need to continue cooperation with the supplier. The result was the emergence of several new agreements of one kind or another.
General view of the Maverick armored car
The existing international agreements signed in recent years have already led to the emergence of the Kazakhstan Paramount Engineering plant, which will have to build the required equipment. It is assumed that the Kazakh enterprise will assemble armored vehicles from self-made and foreign components. In accordance with current plans, the Arlan and Nomad armored cars and the Barys armored personnel carrier, developed by South African specialists, will be launched in the next few years.
One of the new serial armored cars should be the Nomad. This will be a licensed and slightly modified version of the Maverick car, which has already received a certain fame and has entered service with various law enforcement agencies from several countries. To date, the Maverick serial armored vehicles have entered the service in South Africa, Azerbaijan, Brazil and Gabon, where they are used by police units. Now the list of operators of such equipment should be replenished by Kazakhstan.
The Maverick armored vehicle project was developed by the Paramount Group in the middle of the last decade. In 2008, the equipment entered serial production, deployed in accordance with the received orders. It is known that the company-developer has created and produces several major modifications of the armored car, designed to solve certain problems. So, depending on their wishes, the customer can purchase an armored car for the police or police units, the carrier of an assault ramp, or a blasting machine. In all cases, the armored car of the base model is used as the basis for the equipment, on which the corresponding set of additional equipment is mounted.
The main task of the Maverick / Nomad armored car is the transportation of personnel, cargo or special equipment. In addition, it can be a carrier weapons or special systems of one purpose or another. In this regard, the armored vehicle receives advanced protection against small arms, and also has the ability to protect the crew and troops from some explosive devices. In this case, the design of the machine applied ideas and solutions aimed at ensuring the highest possible increase in internal volumes while maintaining a high level of protection.
The main element of the Maverick machine is an armored hull, the design of which is based on solutions that are also used in other Paramount Group projects. Double-layered spaced booking and glazing are used, the ballistic protection of which corresponds to 3 level of standard STANAG 4569. Under the protection of such armor, the crew is free from the risks of being hit by small arms of various types, up to heavy machine guns. The possibility of protection against 12,7-mm bullets without an armor-piercing core. In this case, the grille is able to withstand only 7,62-mm bullets of intermediate cartridges. On the roof of the hull an armored casing of the air conditioner is placed, the protection of which allows it to withstand shelling from a weapon that uses the cartridge 7,62x51 mm.
It is alleged that, at the request of the customer, the armored car may receive additional means of protection. Hinged booking modules are available that improve ballistic protection, as well as special devices to strengthen the grille, glazing, etc. Depending on customer requirements, hinged modules in the form of solid panels with openings for firing or screens can be used.
The armored car is intended for police units, which allowed the authors of the project to simplify its design by eliminating powerful mine protection. Similar parameters of "Nomad" correspond only to 1 level STANAG 4569. The bottom of the hull and chassis can withstand the explosion of a hand grenade or other explosive device of comparable power. No means of enhancing mine protection.
Like other armored vehicles of the Paramount Group, the Maverick / Nomad has a hull bearing structure and is not equipped with a separate frame necessary to accommodate elements of the power plant or chassis. All units of the machine are attached to the bearing body, being inside or outside of it. This design feature has allowed to simplify the construction, as well as reduce the size and weight of the machine.
The layout of the armored car was determined in accordance with the basic requirements for characteristics and purpose. The hull is built according to a bonded design. The engine compartment and the habitable compartment are located inside the box-shaped housing and are separated by the necessary partitions. In front of the hull are the engine compartment and crew jobs. All other volumes are given for the placement of troops, cargo or special equipment.
The armor case received a characteristic and recognizable form, formed by a large number of sheets of different shapes and sizes. The frontal part of the body has an upper sloping sheet with two bulletproof glass, bottom mated with a slightly protruding front unit of the engine compartment. A rising lid is provided with a grille to supply air to the radiator. On one side of it are sloping zygomatic sheets. The sides of the hull are made of three armor plates, while the central one is placed vertically, the upper one with a slope inward, and the lower one with a collapse outward. The roof and the bottom are placed horizontally and consist of the minimum required number of sheets. At the same time in the stern of the roof there is a protruding casing of the climatic equipment. The aft of the hull has an upper sheet tilted forward and a vertical lower part.
As a police armored car, Maverick should provide good visibility for the crew and fighters in the troop compartment. To do this, the car receives a large number of bulletproof glasses, providing all-round visibility with minimal dead zones. An overview of the front hemisphere is provided by two large rectangular windshields. Two more glasses of complex shape are available in the front doors of the enclosure. On the upper sheets of the boards, three windows are installed, under which there are embrasures with flaps. One glass is on the aft door.
For access to the car and disembarking the crew are encouraged to use several doors. The driver and the commander, located next to him, must use the front side doors. Before the rear axle on the sides there are two large doors. The stern leaf is also equipped with a door.
Lighting equipment and part of the grid
Maverick / Nomad armored car can be equipped with various types of power plants that meet customer requirements. The project involves the use of a diesel engine with a power of about 285 hp. The engine must be connected to an automatic transmission, the type and characteristics of which are also determined by the customer. Due to this, a potential buyer can independently choose a complete set of equipment in accordance with the required performance characteristics and other factors. The machine is equipped with a chassis with the wheel formula 4х4. The use of 365 / 85 R20 or 395 / 80 R20 tires is envisaged. For additional protection, the wheels are equipped with armored wheels covering the rim. The lower aggregate of the yoke has a triangular shape in plan, which allows it to perform certain functions of the dozer blade. At the same time, he wedges between the elements of the obstacle and pushes them apart.
The developer offers a wide range of optional equipment suitable for installation on armored cars. It is possible to complete the machines with various means of communication and control, a system of protection against weapons of mass destruction, means of navigation and position tracking in space, lighting equipment, etc. There is an automatic fire extinguishing system that can eliminate fire in the engine compartment, habitable compartment or inside the wheel arches. Also, an armored car can receive weapons and special equipment necessary for solving certain tasks of a police nature. In front of the roof of the building it is proposed to install lighting equipment of the required type, first of all, flashing beacons or searchlights.
To install some systems, the roof of the armored car has a shoulder strap. It can be installed armored turrets with a set of viewing devices or combat modules with the required weapons. Declared the possibility of picking an armored vehicle with weapon systems of caliber up to 27 mm. In addition, a police armored car can be a carrier of a water cannon designed to quell riots. Of particular interest is the modification of the machine with the assault ladder. In this case, a platform with aft ladder for lifting and swinging front part is mounted on the roof of the hull. Such equipment allows special forces soldiers to overcome barriers or climb to the windows of the desired floor of the building.
Overcoming an obstacle with the help of a yoke
The crew of the Maverick armored car consists of two people and is located in front of the habitable compartment. In the troop compartment placed space for 12 fighters with weapons. Depending on the task, the crew and troops can remain inside the vehicle and use weapons or special equipment, or the troops dismount and work with the support of the armored car.
The length of the vehicle is determined at the level of 6,1 m, width of 2,545 m, height - 2,9 m. Curb weight, depending on the configuration, reaches 13 t. With a payload of up to 2 t, the combat mass of the armored car can exceed 15 t. 100-120 km / h and power reserve at the level of 700 km. There is the possibility of overcoming various obstacles. The armored car can climb a wall with a height of 350 mm and cross a trench 0,6 m wide. The maximum lift surmounted by the machine is 60%, it is also possible to roll up to 35%. Without training, "Nomad" is able to pass water barriers to wade at depths up to 0,4 m.
The armored vehicles created by the South African firm Paramount Group have already passed the necessary tests both in the Republic of South Africa and in the territory of Kazakhstan. According to the results of all the necessary checks, conclusions were made about the prospects of such machines. The main result of all these works was the appearance of an agreement on the deployment of three types of licensed production equipment. To date, the specialists of the two countries have jointly completed the preparation of a manufacturing enterprise, and also began assembling a new technology. A number of Arlan armored cars (originally Marauder) have already been assembled, and in the foreseeable future, the first Maverick will leave the assembly line. In the future, the product range of the Kazakhstan Paramount Engineering plant will have to be replenished with the Barys armored personnel carrier, which is the Mbombe 8 chassis with a Russian-made Baikal combat module or other weapon systems.
Assault ramp carrier
The assembly of licensed equipment will be carried out in the interests of the armed forces and law enforcement agencies of Kazakhstan. The main objective of the current program is the gradual replacement of outdated military equipment, released in the years of the USSR. In addition, in the future, the management of the new plant is planning to enter the international market. Armored vehicles of the South African development and the Kazakh assembly will be offered to some foreign countries, primarily from the CIS. Allegedly, some foreign countries have already shown interest in the fruits of cooperation between South Africa and Kazakhstan.
Not all countries that need to upgrade their fleet of armored vehicles have the opportunity to independently create and produce the required vehicles. Kazakhstan solved a similar problem by contacting the Paramount Group company from the Republic of South Africa for help. The delivery of a certain number of ready-made armored cars and the beginning of the assembly of similar equipment under license have already become the result of such international cooperation. In the future, it is planned to expand the production of two other types of protected machines needed by the army and security forces. It is expected that by the end of this decade, the customer will be able to fully get the results of military-technical cooperation he needs.
On the materials of the sites:
http://paramountgroup.com/
http://kpe.com.kz/
http://kolesa.kz/
http://bnews.kz/
http://army-technology.com/
http://bmpd.livejournal.com/
- Ryabov Kirill
- Paramount Group
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