Engineering News

Specialist South African mine-protection and demining company Denel Mechem has announced the development of a new multipurpose truck fitted with a new mine-protected cab. The new truck is based on a Powerstar drive train and is aimed at civil and military operators in regions where there are high risks of landmines and improvised explosive devices (IEDs) – either conflict or immediate post-conflict zones.

Civilian operators need to be able to transport aid materials, medicines, food and water in these environments, while military operators need to move many of the same types of goods, plus troops, spare parts and ammunition. The company is also targetting the new vehicle at the South African National Defence Force, which needs to replace its current range of Samil trucks.

The new Denel Mechem truck can already be provided in standard, water, fuel and medical support versions. The new vehicle is fitted with the new mine-protected cab as standard. This provides significantly improved protection from IEDs, landmines and fire from 7.62 x 51 mm automatic rifles.

The cab meets the requirements of North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (Nato) Standardisation Agreement (better known as Stanag) 4569 Level 4A. (Stanags are also used by many countries outside Nato, because of their convenience.)

The level of protection provided by the cab can be varied to meet the requirements of the customer. If the customer also desires, the new cab can also be modified to fit on nearly all makes and models of 4x4 and 6x6 trucks and other heavy-duty vehicles.

Denel Mechem has production facilities at Lyttelton in Pretoria. The company is part of the State-owned Denel defence industrial group. It provides demining and logistical support to UN and African Union peacekeeping forces in ten African countries.