Ready For Combat

Today I'd like to show you some army vehicles I photographed at the exhibition organized by the special forces. There were quite a few interesting ones and I took the time to inspect them thoroughly as these are special vehicles you don't see every day. If you see them passing by, there's no way to look at them in details for sure.

When I saw this one, I was already thinking what am I going to write about this as my knowledge of combat vehicles is zero 😂. As I'm not dumb, immediately went to the table to see what brochures are available there, hoping to find some that have a description, which can help me do some research at home.

After rearranging the brochures, I took this photo and now I can tell you that you are looking at a Supacat HMT Extenda Mk2, High Mobility Transporter 😎. Yeah, Google can work miracles. But jokes aside, it's cool that we can learn this way.

Here's a link to their website if you want to know more and a link to the YouTube video.

The HMT 400, HMT 600 and HMT Extenda platforms provide the base vehicle on which a range of mission or role requirements can be integrated. Since its introduction into service in 2004, the HMT base vehicle has been adapted in various configurations for many specialist roles. There are now close to 1000 in service worldwide.

The HMT’s open architecture provides for various levels of protection and great variety in the roles and missions for which it can be configured. The hamper is designed as a modular system to enable rapid conversion for a variety of missions. The vehicle can be supplied with an optional mine blast and ballistic protection kit and can be fitted with different communications, ISTAR and force protection equipment to suit a wide range of operational roles. source

One thing I noticed right away was the seat belts. I've never seen these types as normal cars for civilians don't have this type or seat belts, but in combat it is needed. Most of the combat vehicles you see in this post had this type of seat belt.

What you see in this photo is the place where the fuel cans are stored. There were six on this side of the vehicle and another six on the other side. All empty I suppose as storing fuel in the middle of the crowd is never a good idea. Just like the ammunition boxes were empty and none of the guns had a cartridge clip. Safety first and above all.

Next was this monster.

I tried to take a decent photo of the interior, but was not exactly possible. Would have been nice to get in and take a bunch of shots, but I did not want to attract attention. Better keep a low profile.

This brochure was on the table, but I think this model is not what you see on the photos. What you see on the photo is actually a Saur-2, a Romanian make Amphibious.

source

The Saur-2 armored personnel carrier was developed by ROMARM of Romania as a private venture. It was aimed to meet a possible requirement of the Romanian Army. ROMARM has considerable experience developing and producing wheeled armored vehicles.

This APC has a welded steel armor hull. It provides all-round protection against 7.62x39 mm armor-piercing rounds. Add-on armor can be fitted for a higher level of protection. Front arc of this vehicle with maximum level of protection withstands 14.5 mm armor-piercing rounds. The Saur-2 also has some degree of protection against landmines and improvised explosive devices. It withstands blasts equivalent to about 6 kg of TNT anywhere under the hull. This APC is fitted with NBC protection and automatic fire suppression systems.

The Saur-2 can be armed with various turrets or remotely controlled weapon stations with up to 30 mm caliber weapons. One of the prototypes was fitted with Oerlikon 25 mm cannon and coaxial 7.62 mm machine gun.

This armored personnel carrier accommodates a total of 11 troops, including the crew. Troops enter and leave the vehicle via rear ramp. In case of emergence occupants leave the vehicle via roof hatches. There are some firing ports provided for the troops in order to fire their individual weapons.

The Saur 2 armored personnel carrier is powered by a turbocharged diesel engine, developing 360 hp. Engine meets EURO III emission requirements. It is mated to an automatic gearbox. Vehicle is fitted with a central tyre inflation system, which improved mobility over difficult terrain. This APCI is also fitted with a self-recovery winch. The Saur-2 is fully amphibious. On water it is propelled by two waterjets.source

This was another interesting one.

The flag of the United States was there, which did not surprise me as my country is a NATO member, but what came next was a bit of a surprise.

The door of the vehicle was not open and I obviously wanted to take a look inside. A locked door means a locked door, so I turned to the guy standing next to the car and asked if it's ok to take a look inside. He did not speak Romanian as he was American. Ok, switching to English, not a big deal 😂. So he said I can open the door, have a look inside, but no photos. I wasn't happy about that, but understood the request and respected it. He told me this is a vehicle for 5, which means 4 seats (2 in the front, 2 in the back) and one where the hatch is. There were two computers in the front, the car was full of buttons and all kinds of gadgets, so it was a shame I was not allowed to take photos, but I'm not complaining. Had a nice chat with the guy at least.

Another beast you only want to see in peacetime. I could not figure out much about this vehicle or where it came from, but the guys handling it were speaking German, so I suppose it was from a German NATO unit.

No one was interested in this piece, however, it's one of the most important ones. It's a mobile kitchen, that serves for cooking. I know the army has dry food packages, but you can't live on those forever, so cooking is a must at some point.