Flyer: an agile American 4x4 will replace the worthy AR90?

22/03/18

On the horizon of the supply of military vehicles is a platform emerging that puts versatility and innovation at the center?

It really seems so, as shown by the means we will treat, the new one Flyer of General Dynamics, which has the credentials to apply for now as a replacement for the VAV (Fast Assault Vehicle) concept with the WMIK (Weapon Mounted Installation Kit) equipment a reality so far set up on the AR 90.

In fact we know that the vehicles for special interventions, the VAV - Land Rover Defender AR 90 - seem to have reached the end of the operational life and that the Army General Staff is evaluating - and the operation seems already underway - the replacement by entrusting the exploratory investigation to an elite unit of the Italian Army, the 9 ° paratroopers regiment With Moschin, which certainly will not discount this new 4x4 but rather, will try to bring out any problems in operational use by identifying the most suitable configuration for our Armed Forces.

We all know that the United States is investing a huge share of GDP in military spending and that many Nato guidelines are forced by the US. Among these guidelines there is the commitment, for Alliance countries, to produce similar models that, in many cases, provide for a similar configuration but set up independently according to operational needs. One could thus explain the similarities between the Italian VTMM Bear and the French HIGuard rather than the LMV Lynx and several vehicles included in the American MRAP (Mine Resistant Ambush Protected) concept.

General Dynamics is a US giant that designs and builds special equipment for civil and military uses, such as radar or submarine or aircraft systems, but also innovations that gravitate around tanks. With the cessation of production of the HMMWV (High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle) known under the name of Hummer H1 and the nickname of Humvee, which took place in 2010, the US Army entrusted in part to the successor Oshkosh Defense, a company of the State of Wisconsin, the task of producing for the homeland of the tanks which, although operationally adaptable, left a void in the lower category of lighter tactical vehicles , but still versatile and air-transportable like the old Jeep was Willys.

From 2013, General Dynamics gave life to the project Flyer 60 and 72, where the name already recalls the lightness of these means. In fact in the basic versions, the ground mass of the Flyer 60 stands at around half a ton, which becomes two for the bigger version, the 72 Flyer that could be considered the Hummer substitute, even if the doubts are not lacking. Features that allow their economic engine of automotive origin, a turbodiesel of only 2.0 cc L (longitudinal) from 195 cv, GM DOHC JP8 euro 5, housed behind the Flyer, to reach about 160 km / h maintaining a low center of gravity and leaving the imposing and protruding tires have the task of not touching the body in the extreme off road, which is completely protected.

I Flyer 60 and 72 remember in a sense those harmless spiders of fresh water with long legs and very small body that climb quickly everywhere and if any of you are fond of trial 4x4 can associate the Flyer to the stunning images of those super light vehicles that can scale spectacularly huge muddy boulders. However the recall of the forms of the Flyer the Dune Buggy is notable, and someone has also let the term Go Kart nicely escape, even though the measures of the multirole are considerably greater.

The substantial difference between the 60 and 72 versions is the width, respectively 60 inches (1,5 m) for the smallest and 72 inches (1,8 m) for the largest. Interesting feature for aviation transport. The LA 60 also has only 4 seats against the 9 of the 72, but both have a load capacity of 2 and a half tons and an economical operating range on the road of just under 600 kilometers.

How they are presented i lightweight overseas with central guide

Both the 60 and the 72 are designed to offer the option open or armored - open or armored - but both have a tubular bearing structure that could remind the frame of a formula one to which everything else is assembled. This frame does not derive from any other vehicle but has been specially designed by the GD & Flyer Defense LLC for these two means. The upper part is a tubular cage probably made of alloy or titanium (costs aside) and its functions, in addition to those of roll bars, are numerous as well as the versatility of these two vehicles. In fact, in addition to allowing the insertion of doors or ballistic panels in kevlar, in the upper part can accommodate a turret 360 ° able to withstand the stress of a machine gun cal. 50 fixed to the structure.

A dress for every circumstance

On these vehicles everything can be put and removed, like the 9 seats with high containment with 5 belts, but perhaps the most striking feature is the position of the guide positioned centrally and advanced in relation to the two front seats . In fact, with the driver at the helm, the operators placed on the left and right of the latter can attach to the structure of the front doors an 7,62 machine gun with a mesh of bullets contained in two boxes positioned outside the doors. The rear seats can be turned to reverse to ensure control when moving the vehicle. Above the roll bar it is also possible to apply a sled to slide two Nato uniformed wounded door stretchers, without this necessarily involving an outfitting as an ambulance.

The technical characteristics

Both of them Flyer they have, on the back side, the double independent telescopic suspensions with springs, while on the front the suspensions are always two on each side but only one with springs. Its structure is however leveled according to the terrain. There are also four disc brakes with ABS system and an automatic 6 gearbox that can also be used sequentially.

The road traction is rear in 4x2 mode on the 72 version, while the 4x4 insertion takes place manually or due to the difference in revolutions between the two axles, ie when the phonic wheels on the 4 wheels transmit a speed difference to the control unit. The 60 version instead has the permanent 4x4 traction and maybe, even if the news is not certain, it could have the front traction generated by an electric auxiliary motor.

The lengths for both vehicles are slightly more than 4 meters and a half and thanks to the increased tires run flat there does not seem to be stability problems during roll, at least in the version Open, where watching videos you can appreciate large side drifts always controllable on bumpy despite the tendency to understeer due to the higher masses present posteriorly.

It should be emphasized that i Flyer they are to be considered more of work tools rather than motor vehicles, at least as we understand them. They are in fact very snappy and are suitable for touch-and-escape or patrol missions.

They can easily tackle slopes in the order of 60% and aim parallel the front wheels on a high obstacle more than half a meter without problems in overtaking it, rather than crossing fords at the threshold of 70 cm, but considering the amount of components they are compounds, I do not know how they can be waterproof internally. They still have a standard front winch and two 12 volt alternators and probably even two batteries.

This seems to be the concept that General Dynamics wanted to achieve with i Flyer which, however, if not previously set up, must necessarily be followed by some logistics unit that allows them to modify their assets. The conflict in the Middle East, as we have already repeated several times, has also given way to advanced studies on fighting, just think of modern tactical equipment or the use of drones sent in advance before moving men and vehicles rotated.

The details of the installation

They are really reduced to the essential minimum and the instrumentation is very spartan but solid with the switches covered with rubber sheaths for waterproofing. Remember that of the motor boats and the starting happens by moving a switch after connecting the battery directly from the dashboard. A display is positioned on the dashboard to maintain contact with the command post, but perhaps an IR visor can also be detected. The external surfaces allow you to store backpacks or material that remains visible, albeit fixed with self-locking straps. In fact there is no kind of luggage rack and the passenger compartment is reserved only for the military housing. The cover of the under body is composed of a plate that makes the bottom of the Flyer deliberately resistant, but flat, with sole. The armored kit provides a windshield frame and four heavy doors that should be at a level of B6 armor, but the data is not certain. The central guide with lateral instrumentation perhaps disorients the conductor, compared to similar vehicles but with lateral guidance, and then turns out to be very open as a structure and it is evident by observing the images, a connotation in favor of lightness but which has produced some legitimate questions.

Why a non-Italian vehicle?

A good question that probably many will ask. It is good to underline that i Flyer they will likely only have an operational role in elite wards, so the future of AR is still under discussion. As we know in the Italian-American Fiat FCA Group, since 2014 all the car brands represented by Chrysler have merged and among these there are Jeep and Dodge, historic SUV manufacturers in the USA.

It is hard to believe that Italy did not have the interest and the ability to offer a off road worthy replacement for Fiat Campagnola. Indeed, the Iveco MASSIF was, albeit very late, a valid, albeit little understood, response to the void subsequently occupied by the Land Rover Def. It is plausible that this lack is to be attributed to economic maneuvers planned as early as the end of the 80s. With globalization underway in the new century, we have seen unprecedented trade in commodities, large corporate annexes and massive holding companies dictating market laws. In this context, which I consider questionable, Italian 4X4s currently seem to have DNA Yankee, as in the case of Chrysler Jeep Renegade, Compass e Cherokee, which, if properly militarized and set up perhaps with a few more seats, could be valid 4x4 substitutes for the ARs in service in the Armed Forces and perhaps even more suitable and versatile for the services of "safe roads". After all, from what we learn from the news on the MUV (Multy Utility Vehicle), the substitute in experimentation of the VM90, the new multirole should be relegated only to domestic operations, leaving the honor of weapons outside the area to the tactician Lince LMV. This perhaps suggests that i Flyer, to which the Defense has shown interest, could they cover the tasks of reconnaissance cars in a conflict area?

The Land takes leave

As perhaps many of you will already know that the historic Land Rover from the 2016 Defender it is output of production while leaving huge quantities of spare parts for the long-lived models in circulation. In this regard, from the English headquarters, no press reports have yet been received on the next model, but there are only some very interesting prototypes online.

Having to say goodbye sooner or later the 90 ARs from 2.4cc, which I consider to be the most apt motorization, I remember that the Defender it did not, however, pass unscathed from numerous objective criticisms from the military. It is therefore questionable whether Italy can, or should, still opt for an Anglo-Saxon multi-role, rather than resorting to the FCA brands or perhaps seeing a valid alternative in the Fiat professional sector, such as the military outfitting of the new Fiat. Full Back 4x4?

Flyer, an idea not just American

It is not to be considered a real novelty the Flyer 60 and 72 if not in some of its tactical peculiarities and perhaps in the wearability of surfaces depending on the use. Beyond in fact of the Dune Buggy (American but of Volkswagwen conception), similar vehicles were produced by Polaris Industries rather than by the French Panhard with the VBL or the Turkish Ural but also by KIA with the KLTV.

To a certain extent the option to choose the most suitable vehicle for work could be extended - perhaps with a survey - to the non-commissioned officers and graduates in Spe who, being more than others in contact with the operational means all day, would surely have the right professionalism and clearer ideas to recommend the identification of an ideal 4x4. Perhaps that at the 9 ° regiment With Moschin Is this happening right?

Difficult information

What amazes me the most is observing how in other European states, including Switzerland, but also the United States, a request for free domain information is immediately sent an almost flattered response to the interest shown to them. On the other hand, the same companies publish Online almost all the news - even the military ones not classified  - while in Italy, unfortunately, despite an unparalleled quality of national production, often the opposite happens in civil environments, assisting to discharge barrel or receiving perhaps misleading information ...

Gianluca Celentano

I have always been particularly attached to the paratroopers brigade thunderbolt, allow me an affectionate greeting to all the boys on duty, especially the infantrymen of the 9th!

(photo: Ministry of Defense / General Dynamics / web)