Army News, opinions, editorials, news from Iraq, photos, reports - Army Times

Fast off-road vehicles tested in Afghanistan

FORT LAUERDALE, Fla. — The Army’s Rapid Equipping Force is testing three high-speed, lightweight, off-road vehicles in Afghanistan designed to quickly move soldiers and equipment through mountainous terrain.

The Specialized Reconnaissance Assault Transport System (SPRATS) vehicles were delivered to Force units in Afghanistan in December; after testing, the vehicles are expected to join operational units there.

Developed by BAE Systems, the 3- to 4-ton SPRATS can carry four soldiers and 1 ton of cargo on and off-road at speeds up to 100 mph.

“It is an interim light tactical vehicle designed to meet a specific mission profile space. It is low weight, high mobility and has lots of speed,” said Jeffrey Earley, a BAE business-development director, said at the winter 2008 Association of the U.S. Army show here. “Speed is important because of the need to escape and deal with the kinds of missions that are going on in Afghanistan. It [the SPRATS] is more lightly protected than a Humvee because of the speed and mobility it has. It is for an off-road kind of environment up in the hills.”

The SPRATS has a litter carrier for ambulance work, and future models will likely be built with weapon stations as well, Earley said.

The vehicle has an Allison transmission, a 400-amp alternator, and a 6.5 V8 turbodiesel engine.

“The Humvee has a rigid suspension in a flexible cab. This [SPRATS] is the reverse; it has a flexible suspension in a rigid cab,” Earley said.