US Army's Hi-Tech Pick-Up
#1
06-05-2001, 12:06 AM
Join Date: Jul 2000
Location: The Lone Star State
Posts: 58
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
US Army's Hi-Tech Pick-Up
US Army's Hi-Tech Pick-Up
US Army truck designers have gone gadget-crazy to produce a pick-up that would leave James Bond's cars standing.
Bulletproof glass, grenade launcher, laser gun and the ability to foil pursuers with oil slicks and smoke screens, are all part of the fully-loaded SmarTruck.
An onboard personal computer, built-in night-vision, and even a spike dispenser to help throw off pursuers means the SmarTruck might even outsmart Bond's most accessory-laden machines.
"Actually, the idea did stem from the James Bond concept," said Germaine Fuller, project engineer at the National Automotive Center (NAC), which developed the Ford F-350 pickup as a prototype.
Double O heaven
But rather than going into the battlefield, Michigan-based NAC designed the SmarTruck with urban warfare in mind - against enemies such as terrorists and criminals.
"The reason we were thinking about urban warfare is because the army increasingly is being pulled into policing duties," said Mr Fuller.
It might even see duty as a super-secure ferry for dignitaries and diplomats.
But its weapons - the laser and percussion grenades - are designed more to clear obstructions and temporarily stop enemies than to cause serious bodily harm.
Shaken and stirred
It also has front-and-back dazzling lights, which are so bright that the NAC says "the enemy" cannot look directly at the vehicle.
The SmarTruck was designed to be secure.
It has Kevlar-like armour and an onboard bomb-detection unit.
And just to keep thieves at bay, it even has door handles that can stun with a high-voltage electric shock.
*********************************************
Notice that this is posted on a BBC site.
Additional Data
Skyhawk
[This message has been edited by Skyhawk (edited 06-04-2001).]
US Army truck designers have gone gadget-crazy to produce a pick-up that would leave James Bond's cars standing.
Bulletproof glass, grenade launcher, laser gun and the ability to foil pursuers with oil slicks and smoke screens, are all part of the fully-loaded SmarTruck.
An onboard personal computer, built-in night-vision, and even a spike dispenser to help throw off pursuers means the SmarTruck might even outsmart Bond's most accessory-laden machines.
"Actually, the idea did stem from the James Bond concept," said Germaine Fuller, project engineer at the National Automotive Center (NAC), which developed the Ford F-350 pickup as a prototype.
Double O heaven
But rather than going into the battlefield, Michigan-based NAC designed the SmarTruck with urban warfare in mind - against enemies such as terrorists and criminals.
"The reason we were thinking about urban warfare is because the army increasingly is being pulled into policing duties," said Mr Fuller.
It might even see duty as a super-secure ferry for dignitaries and diplomats.
But its weapons - the laser and percussion grenades - are designed more to clear obstructions and temporarily stop enemies than to cause serious bodily harm.
Shaken and stirred
It also has front-and-back dazzling lights, which are so bright that the NAC says "the enemy" cannot look directly at the vehicle.
The SmarTruck was designed to be secure.
It has Kevlar-like armour and an onboard bomb-detection unit.
And just to keep thieves at bay, it even has door handles that can stun with a high-voltage electric shock.
*********************************************
Notice that this is posted on a BBC site.
Additional Data
Skyhawk
[This message has been edited by Skyhawk (edited 06-04-2001).]