RG21
Photo by: Keith Campbell
South African armoured and mine-protected vehicle company BAE Systems Land Systems South Africa (LSSA) launched its latest product at African Aerospace and Defence (AAD) 2014 at Air Force Base Waterkloof, south of Pretoria, on Wednesday. It is the RG21 4 x 4 mine-protected vehicle.
"It's about affordability, supportability and protection," explained LSSA business development and communications director Natasha Pheiffer. "We saw a gap in the market. MRAP [mine-resistant ambush protected] vehicles are often big and heavy. This is lighter (it weighs 14 t) with a less aggressive look, useful in peacekeeping. Unlike our other vehicles, it does not have a monocoque hull. It is based on a full Iveco truck chassis."
The RG21 will cost less than half the price of a standard 4 x 4 MRAP. The use of the Iveco chassis will mean that there will be no need for specialised support for the vehicle. The global Iveco network can be used instead. "Iveco is widely represented in Africa, South America and other regions that we are interested in," she pointed out.
The company undertook a lot of market intelligence studies before launching the project. Concept studies were launched some 18 months ago and the computer-aided design process commenced at the start of this year. The first prototype is on display at AAD 2014.
The RG21 will come in armoured personnel carrier (APC), ambulance and command versions. "The interior of the vehicle is very modular," she noted. "We can take the seats out and can fit basically anything in it." The vehicle can also be supplied in right-hand-drive and left-hand-drive versions.
The first prototype is an APC, but it will be converted into an ambulance. The second prototype will be a command vehicle, which requires greater electrical power and will have a different seating layout.
Despite its affordability, the vehicle still enjoys high levels of protection, such as on the original Casspir. It has already been successfully landmine blast-tested. Its protection level under each wheel is 21 kg (hence the designation RG21) and the protection level under the hull is 14 kg.
"We're not aiming at Stanag [North Atlantic Treaty Organisation standards] certification, because that will drive up costs. But if a client wants it, we can do it," she observed. It has been tested at South Africa's Gerotek vehicle test complex and has passed all its safety tests.
Currently, the RG21 can be fitted with remote weapons stations carrying machine guns of up to and including 12.7 mm calibre. The recoil forces from larger calibres have not been tested yet.
"I do really believe that this could go global, but certainly our markets would include Africa and South America," affirmed Pheiffer. "We very much looked at the 'truck in a box' concept. It can be manufactured by pretty much anyone, anywhere."