Foxhound (Originally: Ocelot) is a British armored vehicle now in service as a replacement for the Snatch Land Rover. The goal with the Foxfound was to provide better protection against improved explosive devices (IEDs) due to certain failings experienced during the Iraq and Afghanistan wars where the Snatch Land Rover was inadequate.
It performed official duties in Afghanistan in June, 2012, with five Foxhounds deployed. Foxhound made its debut in Afghanistan where it was transported via C-17.
Foxhound’s manufacturer is Force Protection Europe and Ricardo PLC and in 2010 they won a £180 million order from the British Ministry of Defence (MOD) to deliver 200 Foxfound armored vehicles along with spare parts to the British army.
In 2011, an additional 100 vehicle order was placed for the Foxhound increasing the total purchase order of these vehicles to £400 million. The contract was finalized in 2012 and an additional £30m order was placed for 25 more Foxhound armored vehicles. On the 5th of April 2013, Ricardo PLC confirmed the order from General Dynamics – Force Protection Europe for 76 Foxhound vehicles.
They confirmed the entire order from the British MoD to be 376 – to date.
Features
Its design allows for modular configurations – hence the standard configuration has no armaments. However, the vehicle is typically configured with 1 x 7.62mm as its main armament.
Its v-shaped hull is intended to keep its passengers safe from the threat of improvised explosive devices (IEDs) with its “pod” based design. This is the most protected part of the vehicle.
The vehicle is powered by a Steyr M16-Monoblock Diesel engine (6 cylinder, 160kW) – connected to a ZF – 6HP28X 6 speed automatic gearbox – and it can reach speeds of 50MPH in 19.75 seconds. It has a maximum speed of 82mph. Due to design, the engine can be replaced within 30 minutes.
It has a maximum payload of 2,000kg, and weighs 7,500kpg and has a range of 600km.
It has a crew of 2 + 4 passengers.
Other features
The modular design includes a “pod” where the passengers of this vehicle are protected from blasts and explosions. This is the most protected part of the vehicle and this allows for the Foxhound to be much safer than its Snatch Land Rover counter-part
From the British Army’s own website:
“The Foxhound is at the cutting edge of protected patrol vehicle technology and provides unprecedented levels of blast protection for its size and weight. These patrol vehicles underwent final testing in the dusty and hot conditions of the Helmand desert before being deployed on operations.“
Images
ocelot
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ocelott armored vehicle
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