AEC Militant

     Notes: These vehicles were replaced by the Bedford TM 6-6 and other trucks.  They are a further development of the AEC Matador series used in World War 2.  Nicknames for the Militant include the Milly or Milly Tant, and the Knocker, named for the rhythmic knocking sound of its slow-revving engine. The primary development came in the cab, which was enlarged; the Militant was designed for use as an artillery tractor. The cab also got a steel frame, unlike the wood frame of the Matador. The engine was also upgraded, and became an AEC 150-horsepower diesel. The transmission is manual, and can be balky; it has six forward and one reverse gear. The Militant is notably difficult to steer, as the truck is heavy, has a long wheelbase, and does not have power steering; steering is particularly difficult as low speeds and on challenging terrain. Most Militant Mk 1s were 6x4. Suspension is by semi-elliptical leaf springs with hydraulic shock absorbers, with the rear bogie’s leaf springs being inverted. Three wheelbase variants were built, Long, Medium, and Short Wheelbase. The load area for the LWB is 5.49x2.32 meters, the length of the load area of the MWB is 5.09 meters, and for the SWB, 4.52 meters.

     They have a cabover type cab, drop metal sides, and a removable drop tailgate.  Most of them are equipped with a 7-ton capacity winch that has 76.2 meters of cable; this winch was designed to help emplace and tow artillery guns, but proved adept and robust at recovering other trucks.  Some have a HIAB 4-ton crane to the rear of the cab.      

     The Mk 3 adds a cab heater and a more powerful engine, an AEC AV 760 diesel developing 226 horsepower, coupled with a manual transmission with six forward and one reverse gear. The suspension is upgraded, with double acting shock absorbers and an articulating rear bogie. Steering on the Mk 3 is power assisted, and the Mk 3 is much easier to maneuver than the Mk 1. The winch was made standard. The load area is increased to 6.25x2.34 meters. Just as the Mk 1 received the nickname of Milly, the Mk 3 was known as the Nellie.

     In the 1970s, many Militants were sold off to civilian concerns, ranging from collectors to heavy recovery specialists. Some Mk 1 Militants were in service with the Army as late as 1985, and some Mk 3 Militants were in service until the mid-1990s.

Alvis Aquatrack

     Notes: This large amphibious tracked carrier is currently in use by the Filipino Marines.  The Aquatrack is a large, rectangular tracked vehicle with a boat-type hull, powered by two propellers at the rear in Kort nozzles when in water.  It can operate fully loaded in rough waters up to Sea State 5, and in plunging surf of up to 3.05 meters.  The Aquatrack can also traverse marginal terrain, such as mud, soft sand, frozen ground, or swamps.  The hull is very tough, being thin but made of nickel-chrome steel to withstand corrosion.  It has five separate watertight compartments which can be sealed from one another, and the Aquatrack has a low center of gravity.  The driver’s cab is in the front of the hull and has seating for four, with access from a roof hatch or from the rear of the compartment, and large windows to the front and smaller ones to the sides.  The roof hatch of the cab has a weapon mount strong enough to take weapons of up to .50/12.7mm size.  The rear compartment is large and carries the cargo, with fold-down seating for up to 40 fully equipped troops.  The deck of this compartment has a non-slip coating and rollers to assist in loading and unloading large cargoes; a vehicle the size of a Land Rover, plus 28 troops, may fit inside.  The rear has a large ramp and a door, and there are windows near the top of the sides of the compartment.  The suspension is a modified form of that used on the M113 series, but is wider and much longer.

Alvis Stalwart

     Notes: This is an amphibious 5-ton truck used by Austria and Sweden, and once used by Britain. Production stopped in 1971, and they have also become quite sought-after civilian and collectors’ vehicles.  A winch with a capacity of 4.99 tons is mounted at the front.  It is propelled in the water by water jets; these water jets include nozzles which turn 180 degrees to allow the vehicle to move in reverse in the water.  The base vehicle is known as the FV622; with a loading crane of 3 tons capacity, the designation becomes FV623.  The FV623 was primarily used by the Royal Artillery to transport ammunition pallets. The FV 624 will not be detailed here; it is a fitters vehicle for REME. Other variants include a tanker truck (mostly for fuel), and a mine-deploying vehicle fitted with the Ranger antipersonnel mine system.

     Power for the Stalwart is provided by a Rolls-Royce B-81 Mk 8B gasoline engine developing 220 horsepower. The transmission is manual, with five forward and 5 reverse gears, and a power take-off to the waterjets. Steering is power assisted. The Stalwart is 6x6 with all independently suspended wheels. The suspension and drive system are complex and need a lot of preventative maintenance. The Stalwart features a true 6x6 drive, with all wheels turning at the same speed.  This is an advantage over rough or muddy terrain, but on roads, particularly on high speed turns, leads to premature wear and tear. The Stalwart is capable of towing 10 tons on roads, but off-road, 7.5 tons is the maximum.

Bedford TM 4-4

     Notes: This vehicle has been produced by Great Britain since 1980.  It is a medium 4x4 truck of cabover design used by England, Bahrain, Abu Dhabi, and Oman.  The cab has a hatch on the roof with a light machinegun mount, and has a heater.  The hatchway is large enough for two people to stand in it, and the hatch itself is made of fiberglass. The cargo body is steel with a wooden floor, removable drop sideboards and tailgate, and may be fitted with seats down the center (facing out) or NATO containers and pallets.  Powering the TM 4-4 is a Bedford 8.2/205TD 8.2-liter turbocharged diesel developing 206 horsepower, and coupled with a Turner M6-47026 manual transmission with six forward and one reverse gear. Steering and brakes are power assisted. Depending on the appointments, the TM 4-4 may tow a 6-ton one-axle trailer or a two-axle 8-ton trailer, 10 tons, or the equivalent. Options include an 8-ton capacity winch with 75 meters of cable, and a 3.65-ton capacity cargo-loading crane.  Variants include a dump truck and tanker. 

Bedford TM 6-6

     Notes: The TM 6-6 is a larger, 6-wheeled version of the TM 4-4 described above, and uses many of the same components of that vehicle.  The cab is identical to the TM 4-4, a cabover design with a hatch on the roof with a light machinegun mount, and has a heater.  The hatchway is large enough for two people to stand in it, and the hatch itself is made of fiberglass. The cargo body is of the same construction as the TM 4-4, but is 2.27 meters longer, and is steel with a wooden floor, removable drop sideboards and tailgate, and may be fitted with seats down the center (facing out) or NATO containers and pallets.  A sore point is the engine; it is a Bedford 8.2/205TD turbocharged diesel, and at an output of 206 horsepower, makes the TM 6-6 underpowered. The suspension is heavier with 6x6 drive. Variants include a platform body for carrying containers and pallets, and a version with a 10-ton capacity winch in the front and rear for self-recovery and for loading pallets.  Another variant has an Atlas 3.65-ton-capable crane for loading cargo. The TM 6-6 is used by Great Britain and Abu Dhabi.

Foden Low Mobility Vehicle

     Notes: This is a heavy 8x4 truck used by the British Army.  It is designed primarily for on-road use and has poor off-road mobility.  The vehicle is very long at over 10 meters in length, and most of this is the cargo body.  The cab is mounted over the engine, and has a heater and roof hatch with a machinegun mount.  The vehicle is powered by a Rolls-Royce 220 Mk III 220-horsepower diesel, coupled with a Fuller manual transmission with nine forward and one reverse gear.  The transmission tends to be balky and difficult to shift. The steering is power assisted. The suspension is 8x4; the front suspension uses semi-elliptical leaf springs with shock absorbers, while the rear suspension uses the same leaf springs with fully articulated wheels.  The tanker variant uses a sealed tank body with five separated compartments; it is able to carry five types of fuel, and comes with five hose reels and pumps. Other variants include a dump truck, a DROPS truck and a tractor truck.

Foden Medium Mobility Vehicle

     Notes: This is a heavy 8x8 truck in British service that is related to the Foden 10-ton truck listed in the NATO Combat Vehicle Handbook.  It is also related to the German MAN HX series. It is a cabover design, which is primarily meant to tow the FH-70 155mm howitzer, though cargo carrier versions do exist.  (These are usually used to carry ammunition pallets for the FH-70 howitzer.)  A recovery vehicle version is also made.  The cab roof has a hatchway in the center with a weapons mount.; this cab has space behind the seat for 600 kilograms of gear. The hatchway is big enough for two soldiers to stand in it or and strong enough for two to sit on the roof. The cargo area in the cargo version has a hardwood floor, drop sides, and a 3.6-ton loading crane. The suspension is 8x8; the front suspension uses parabolic leaf springs with shock absorbers, while the rear four members of the suspension uses trapezoidal leaf springs with radius rods; the rearmost wheels have an anti-roll bar. The engine is a MAN D2066 turbocharged diesel with 440 horsepower, coupled with a ZF 12 AS2301 AS-Tronic automatic transmission with 12 forward and 2 reverse gears. Steering and brakes are power assisted. The MMV can ford 75 centimeters or 1.5 meters with preparation (largely requiring an extended exhaust and air intakes).

     A variant called the Integrated Armored Cab (IAC) adds light armor for the cab and mounting points for slat/bar armor on the front and sides of the cab. The IAC cab also has an air conditioner and an NBC Overpressure system.

*The AV listed applies only to the cab; the rest of the vehicle is AV1. The cab floor has an AV of 3Sp.

Leyland DROPS Logistics Support Vehicle

     Notes: As the name suggests, this is a PLS/DROPS (Demountable Rack Offload and Pickup System)-type vehicle for the transport of large containerized or palletized loads.  As such, it is not designed or equipped to carry troops, but a figure for a jury-rigged arrangement is given below.  The cab has shock-absorbing seats for two people, and it can be given additional bolt-on armor protection.  There is space in the cab for the crew’s gear. The truck has a Multilift Mk 4 load-handling system capable of loading or unloading containers or pallets up to 15 tons to assist in loading cargo.  The containers to be loaded are normally enclosed in flatrack frame pallets to facilitate grappling and loading, but this is not strictly necessary – it just makes unloading or loading easier.  (NATO standard containers do not normally need the flatrack.) The Leyland DROPS truck is powered by a Perkins Eagle 350LM turbocharged diesel developing 350 horsepower. This is coupled with a ZF 8 HP 600 automatic transmission with six forward and one reverse gear. Steering and brakes are power assisted. Suspension is 8x6 with semielliptical leaf springs and shock absorbers, which are double acting on the front axles.

     This truck has seen combat use in Bosnia with both British and Malaysian forces.  In 1999, modifications began to equip these trucks with antilock brakes; by 2001, this ABS program was completed. 40 DROPS trucks used by the Royal Marines were also modified to be able to ford up to 1.5 meters of salt water. This truck may tow 20 tons.

*The AV listed applies only to the cab; the rest of the vehicle is AV1. The cab floor has an AV of 3Sp.