General Dynamics UK unveils representative prototype of Scout SV

15 September 2011 by General Dynamics - defenseWeb

At DSEi 2011, General Dynamics UK unveiled a representative prototype of Scout SV, the reconnaissance variant of the Specialist Vehicle (SV) family. The company produced the prototype only 15 months into the SV Demonstration Phase contract, which was awarded to General Dynamics UK by the Coalition Government in July last year.

The presence of this representative Scout prototype clearly demonstrates how quickly the SV programme is advancing, and how close the British Army is to receiving the first SV demonstration vehicles for testing, General Dynamics said. General Dynamics UK expects to deliver these first vehicles in approximately 15 months' time.

This representative prototype of Scout SV is composed of a test bed base platform and the Engineering Demonstration Unit (EDU) turret developed by Lockheed Martin UK, a subcontractor to General Dynamics UK.

"Showing this representative Scout SV prototype at DSEi 2011 demonstrates our dedication to delivering SV to the British Army as soon as possible," commented Dr. Sandy Wilson, president and managing director of General Dynamics UK. "The fact that we can show the vehicle only 14 months into the programme is a testament to the capabilities of our team."

The interior of the vehicle is fully equipped, giving visitors to DSEi 2011 the opportunity to see how Scout SV is will look inside. The base vehicle features the drivers' station with seats, control handles and control screens, as well as the spall liner which lines the entire passenger compartment of the vehicle to counteract the effect of high-explosive anti-tank (HEAT) shells. The EDU turret features commanders' and gunners' stations, also fully equipped with seats, control handles and screens, with one screen for the gunner and two for the commander.

In another milestone, the SV team has made the commanders' and gunners' screens operational. Live images from the primary and secondary sights integrated into the turret will be streamed to the screens inside the turret for the duration of DSEi. Visitors can also see the rear of the breech of the CTAI 40mm cannon and the 7.62mm coaxial machine gun from inside the turret.