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Capt Richard Langlois DND/Cpl Chris Connolly
4WD's With Attitude
First of the G-Wagon fleet arrive in Kabul
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Photos by Budd Stanley, additional photos courtesy of the Canada: Dept. of National Defence/Library and Archives Canada
Lynx
The Lynx was Canada’s first proper Armoured Reconnaissance vehicle, along with the Daimler Dingo.
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Photos by Budd Stanley, additional photos courtesy of the Canada: Dept. of National Defence/Library and Archives Canada
Otter
While Ford built the Lynx, GM based the Otter off their proven military platform that also included many utility vehicles.
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Photos by Budd Stanley, additional photos courtesy of the Canada: Dept. of National Defence/Library and Archives Canada
Ferret
Canadian Forces Ferrets patrolling in Cyprus during the UN Peace Keeping mission.
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Cpl Tina Gillies
Coyote
The Coyote is a heavy Amoured Recce vehicle more capable of withstanding IED attacks in Afghanistan.
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Sgt Dennis Power
C6 mounted on a G-Wagon
The G-Wagon gave troops an armoured skin over the soft skinned VW/Bombardier Iltis. However, even the light armour proved ineffective as IED’s just got stronger.
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Photos by Budd Stanley, additional photos courtesy of the Canada: Dept. of National Defence/Library and Archives Canada
TAPV
The new TAPV armoured vehicle will soon replace the short-lived G-Wagon.
Story & photos by Budd Stanley, Additional photos courtesy of the Canada Dept. of National Defence/Library and Archives Canada
I love my 4WD’s, but having served in the military in my late teens, I must say, military all-terrain vehicles are some of the coolest 4WD’s on the planet. If you think about it, the 4WD’s we all drive today are a direct result of these vehicles. Yes the Jeep is the obvious predecessor to the modern 4WD, however even the Jeep took many traits from military vehicles that were already in service.
I recently talked to Captain Howard Hisdal of the British Columbia Dragoons, the regiments historian, about the history of Canada’s 4WD’s, Armoured Reconnaissance in particular. He explains that Armoured Recce vehicles are not attack vehicles, but are used as convoy escorts and rear area security. During heavy combat situations they will sit back to relay information back to command.
When not involved in direct combat, the Armoured Reconnaissance is used to scout unknown terrain and infiltrate enemy lines to flush out and observe enemy forces. While Armoured Reconnaissance forces are lightly armoured and equipped with light weaponry, picking fights will only prove fatal. Their job is to travel 40 to 50 km a day through hostile terrain to gather intelligence and coordinate strikes by artillery or infantry units. The whole purpose of these vehicles is to get in and get out fast and provide defensive fire when needed.
Canada has employed an Armoured Reconnaissance Corp since the First World War, where it placed large metal armoured sheets on either side of a farm truck and mounted machine guns. The vehicles were even sponsored by the Eaton’s company as well as the city of Ottawa. After the war, the Armoured Corp was disbanded and not properly reinstated until the German Blitzkrieg proved that armoured vehicles would once again be called upon. So, lets look at some of Canada’s meanest all-terrain vehicles since that time.
Ford Lynx/Daimler Dingo 1940 -1945
While the Canadian Forces have been using a myriad of vehicles since they first swapped the horse for a tin can powered by an internal combustion engine, we’re going to start with the go-to vehicle for the Armoured Reconnaissance force during the Second World War. Derived from the British Daimler Dingo (Canadians operated Dingo’s during the Dieppe invasion), the Ford Lynx was designed and built by Canadians in Windsor, Ontario. The Lynx was powered by a 3.9L (239 ci) Ford flathead V-8 and was impressively fast for that time despite weighing in at 4,250 kg (9,370 lb). With technology increasing at an incredible rate during the war, the Canadians needed a fast and maneuverable armoured vehicle to gather intelligence over any terrain. As a result, the Lynx features a very short wheelbase of only 2,057 mm (81-in.) making the vehicle very maneuverable in tight spaces and featured a fully independent suspension.
Canada had a standing rule with all vehicles sent to war, that was that they must all be 4WD capable. It sounds like a given today, however during the war, the Canadian vehicles were looked upon with admiring eye’s by many of our allies, and many were lent out to other forces. As with most equipment during the war, Lynx’s were left in Europe after the war, sold to other allied countries. The result is very few working examples are left surviving to this day.
Specs:
- Main Armament: .303 in Bren gun or a .55 in Boys Anti-tank Rifle
- Engine: 2.5L 6-cylinder Daimler petrol 55 hp
- Operational Range: 320 km
- Top Speed: 89 kmh
Otter LRC 1942 - 1945
While the Lynx was Fords contribution to armoured reconnaissance, GM would later introduce the Otter LRC (Light Reconnaissance Vehicle). Like the Lynx, the Otter was a 4WD wheeled armoured vehicle that was built in Oshawa, Ontario, based on the British Humber Mark III. The Otter was not as quick on its feet as the Lynx, being heavier, less powerful with GM’s 3.5L (215 ci) straight-six and longer 101 in. wheelbase. However, what the Otter lacked in performance, it made up for with fighting ability, armed with both a hull-mounted Boys anti-tank rifle and a Bren light machine gun mounted in a small open-topped turret.
Specs:
- Main Armament: .55 in Boys anti-tank rifle
- Secondary Armament: .303 in (7.7 mm) Bren light machine gun
- Engine: GMC 6-cylinder gasoline 106 hp
- Top Speed: 75 kmh
Ferret 1954 – 1981
With Otters and Lynx’s being left behind on the battlefields of Europe, Canada was left without an Armoured Reconnaissance vehicle here at home during peace time. With the success of the Dingo during the war, Daimler then started building the next generation of scout cars in 1949, creating the faster more stable and better-armed Ferret. It was built from an all-welded monocoque steel body, making the vehicle lower but also making the drive extremely noisy inside as all the running gear was within the enclosed body with the crew. Powering the Ferret was a Rolls Royce inline-six engine good for 130 hp.
The suspension was fully independent with coil springs and run flat tires, allowing crews to continue to move when the tires were shot out. An interesting feature was the five-speed automatic gearbox that had the ability to use all five gears in reverse, making the Ferret particularly astute in tight quarters and urban environments.
Specs:
- Main Armament: 7.62mm GPMG and .30 M1919 Browning machine gun
- Secondary Armament: none
- Engine: Rolls Royce B60 4.3L I-6 petrol 130 hp
- Operational Range: 310 km
- Top Speed: 93 kmh
Cougar 1977 – 2005
After a long wait between new equipment procurements, the Canadian government finally modernized the Armoured Reconnaissance Corp with the modern AVGP (Armoured Vehicle General Purpose). This was based on the six-wheeled version of the Swiss MOWAG Piranha I, and built by General Motors of Canada under license from MOWAG. Armoured Recce received the “Cougar” variant that is powered by a 275 hp Detroit Diesel two-cycle turbo-charged diesel engine. These early versions were also amphibious vehicles, equipped with propellers and trim vanes in the rear.
The Cougar gave the Armoured Corp much greater performance and firepower. A C6 7.62 mm machine gun and 66 mm smoke grenade launchers backed up a medium velocity 76 mm cannon. For the first time, a 6x6 drivetrain was used giving the big Cougar 4x4 to the rear on-road and excellent all-terrain abilities in 6x6, even if they tended to be a little tippy as Capt. Hisdal recalls.
Specs:
- Main Armament: 76 mm L23A1 gun
- Secondary Armament: C6 7.62 mm machine-gun and 66 mm smoke grenade launchers
- Engine: 275 hp Detroit Diesel 6V53T two-cycle turbo-charged diesel
- Top Speed: 100 kmh
Coyote 1996 - present
With the Cougar getting on in age, an upgrade was needed. The Canadian Government turned to the MOWAG design once again, this time employing improvements the Canadian Forces had learned in the field. With GM Defense being taken over by General Dynamics Land Systems, the Coyote’s were still Canadian built. They did away with the amphibious drivetrain but kept the boat-like hull, which proved a survivable shell for IED attacks in Afghanistan.
The Coyote mounted a 25 mm M242 Bushmaster chain gun and two 7.62 mm C6 general-purpose machine guns. The vehicle was designed for use in the reconnaissance role and as such had a sophisticated suite of electronic surveillance equipment including radar, video, and infrared night vision equipment. An upgraded version of the Detroit Diesel 6V53T is mounted next to the driver in the hull. Power is delivered via full-time four-wheel drive on the rear wheels with selectable eight-wheel-drive for harsh terrain.
Specs:
- Main Armament: M242 25mm chain gun
- Secondary Armament: C6 7.62mm machine gun, Grenade Launchers
- Engine: Detroit Diesel 6V53T, 275hp
- Suspension: 8×8 wheeled
- Operational Range: 660 km
- Top Speed: 120 kmh
Mercedes Geländewagen 2003 - present
Todays Canadian Forces Mercedes Geländewagen (aka G-Wagon, G-Class) is about the coolest production based 4WD military vehicle going, depending what you think of the Humvee. The G-Wagon is a militarized version of Mercedes already capable G-Class, albeit without the bling. No, don’t even expect to find carpets in these G’s as the Armoured Recce vehicles are a stripped down, no frills workhorse for military needs.
The G Wagon is powered by a 2.7-litre, 5-cylinder, turbo-charged common rail diesel engine that ironically still keeps the beauty cover. The Canadian G’s come equipped with intake snorkels, grille guards, a dual battery system, run flat tires, combat capable wheels and a slave cable junction used to jump start a vehicle, among many other cool features.
However, after only 11-years in service for the Canadian Forces, the G-Wagons days are numbered. Brought in to replace the Iltis in the Afghanistan war, giving its crews armoured protection from small arms fire, the number and strength of IED’s being deployed against Canadian Forces soon also rendered the G-Wagon ineffective in protecting its crew. In Afghanistan, the majority of work was left to the much larger Nyala, which was capable of withstanding the ever more powerful IED attacks. We’ll get more in depth with the G-Wagon in another issue.
Specs:
- Main Armament: C6 7.62mm machine gun
- Secondary Armament: None
- Engine: Mercedes 2.7L Turbo Diesel I-5, 275hp
- Suspension: Solid axle front and rear 4×4 wheeled
- Operational Range: NA
- Top Speed: NA
The Future of Armoured Reconnaissance
As mentioned, the G-Wagon proved vulnerable in Afghanistan and was replaced with the Nyala’s. Likewise, the British also showed up in Afghanistan equipped with soft-skinned vehicles (Snatch Land Rover Defenders) that were quickly replaced with the much larger and much more armoured Foxhound. The modern battlefield requires a modern vehicle, so the G-Wagon is already being phased out as Canada’s Light Armoured Recce vehicle, as the military is now turning to a new vehicle called the TAPV. The Canadian built TAPV will be a heavier armoured alternative to the G-Wagon, slotting in between it and the Coyote.
The TAPV will be powered by a Cummins QSL diesel engine providing 365 hp, a top speed of 105 kmh and a range of 644 km. The TAPV will have independent 4WD with a central tire inflation system. The vehicle is built with a V-shaped hull, provides protection against mine and IED blasts, and should start being deployed to regiments within the next couple months.
There you have it, Canada’s long list of bad ass 4WD’s, with a 5x6 and 8x8 thrown in for good measure. However, while all these vehicles are extreme off-roaders to say the least, I must admit, I really do like the G-Wagon the most. And the good news is, with the TAPV coming online; the G’s are going to be for sale soon. Gets me thinking, what about you?