TITUS 6x6 APC - IFV Nexter Systems

Wheeled 6x6 Armored Personnel Carrier / Infantry Fighting Vehicle - France

The TITUS (Tactical Infantry Transport & Utility System) is a new generation of 6x6 armored vehicle personnel carriers designed and manufactured by the French Defense Company Nexter. The vehicle was unveiled at DSEI 2013, the International Defense & Security event in London, United Kingdom, in September. Through its unrivaled level of modularity based on combat missions kits, operational environment kits, and a wide family of variants, Nexter TITUS® is able to fulfill the full range of missions from Infantry transport to combat missions, combat support and combat service support functions, in any kind of type of commitments likely to occur in a hybrid conflict. At DSEI 2013, Philippe Burtin, the chairman and CEO of Nexter, said that that the Titus family took two years of internal development and investment by the company and provided a cost-efficient wheeled armored vehicle solution. The TITUS Nexter has been designed to meet the military markets of the Middle East and Asia. TATRA TRUCKS Inc. and NEXTER SYSTEMS have agreed to further strengthen their cooperation for the new state-of-the-art TITUS®, the multirole armored vehicle based on a modified 6x6 TATRA TRUCKS chassis. Under the terms of their agreement, signed at IDEX exhibition in Abu Dhabi, TATRA TRUCKSwill be responsible as prime contractor for the preparation of the bids and the integration of the TITUS®vehicles earmarked for the Czech and Slovak armed forces, with the support of NEXTER SYSTEMS, acting as design authority. TITUS® is the ultimate armored vehicle designed by Nexter in order to meet all the constraints of modern hybrid warfare. Continuing a famous long lineage, including Leclerc (MBT), VBCI (IFV) and ARAVIS® (highly protected 4x4), all combat-proven in many theatres of operation, Nexter combined the best of its experience and technology in TITUS®. By its modularity, TITUS® family is dedicated to every unit, facing different threats in an evolving environment. TITUS® is the multi-mission armored vehicle of the XXIst century. From Infantry transport to combat support and combat service support functions, from Peace Keeping Operations to Counter-Insurgency, TITUS® brings technology into the heart of the action. The first batch of six Titus armored vehicles was delivered to the Czech army in May 2023. 

Titus APC & IFV variants:

Other variants of Nexter TITUS include a target acquisition vehicle, command post, ambulance, and self-propelled 120mm mortar vehicle with other variants such as urban area, mobility support and recovery, and re-supply vehicles available on request.

Armament

The Nexter TITUS ® can be equipped with any kind of Remote Control Weapon Station from 7.62mm to 20mm, and 40mm Grenade Launchers as well, depending on the level of threats and type of missions. At DSEI 2013, the Nexter TITUS was fitted with a Nexter ARX20 remotely controlled turret located on the front left side of the top of the hull. The ARX20 remotely controlled weapon station (RWS) developed and built by Nexter mounts the 20mm 10M621 automatic gun, and fires 20x102 NATO ammunition at a rate of 750 rds./min. A 7.62mm coaxial machine gun is mounted to the right of the main armament and a bank of four smoke grenade dischargers is mounted at the front of the turret. The new weapon station offers greater range and effect, compared to common RWS operating 12.7mm weapons while offering reduced weight and improved compactness, compared to equivalent 25-30mm turrets. The ARX20 is particularly effective in asymmetric warfare operations when engaging a vehicle-mounted armed with a 14.5mm heavy machine gun or 23mm cannon. One swivel weapon station for a 5.56mm machine gun is mounted on each side rear top side of the hull.

Design and protection

The layout of the Nexter TITUS is very similar to MRAP (Mine Resistant Ambush Protected) category vehicle with the engine at the front, the crew compartment in the middle, and the troop's area at the rear. The APC (Armoured Personnel Carrier) version of the TITUS Nexter has seating for ten dismounted troops, a commander station, and a gunner and driver in the front. The front part of the vehicle and the windows provide protection against small arms firing and shell splinters, Level 1, STANAG 4569 and Level 2 for the crew and soldiers compartment able to withstand a 50 kg IED blast. The TITUS can be fitted with add-on armour to increase the protection to Level 3 for the engine bonnet and armored glasses, and Level 4 for the crew and soldiers compartment, with IED protection of 150 kg blast, increased by the original Nexter SAFEPRO® design. The TITUS is also equipped with SAFEPRO® seats to increase the motorized infantryman's survival. It protects the lower limbs with the foot-rest, the pelvis and the spine with the patented seat system and the nape and the head with the headrest and 4-point harness. The SAFEPRO® seat limits shocks suffered by the infantryman in case of an explosion of blast-effect mines or IEDs. The front part of the hull is equipped with a large windscreen which enables the crew to have wide forward visibility towards. One single door is available on each side at the front of the hull, with a small bulletproof on the upper part. Each side of the troop's compartment is equipped with three small bulletproof windows and firing ports, which are covered when the add-on armor is fitted on the vehicle. The infantrymen enter and leave the Nexter TITUS via a hydraulic rear door that opens downwards. The 8x8 vehicle TITUS provides a load capacity of up to 4t and has an internal capacity of more than 14.4 m³. There is a storage capacity of 2.4m³ inside and 1.5m³ outside.

Mobility

The Nexter TITUS® offers exceptional mobility through its Tatra 6x6 chassis coupled with a Cummins 500 Hp engine coupled to an automatic gearbox with 6 forward and 1 reverse speeds. The vehicle has front and rear wheeled steering with Allison automatic transmission offering 6x4 drives on roads with full 6x6 drives over difficult terrain. The chassis consists of a central backbone tube and independently suspended swinging half-axles. The TITUS can run at a maximum road speed of 110 km/h with a maximum cruising range of 700 km. The TITUS can cross a vertical step of 650 mm and a fording depth of 1.2m without preparation. The vehicle is able to negotiate a slope up to 60% and a side slope to 30%.

Accessories

The Nexter TITUS is fully integrated within the C4I network through the last generation of electronic combat equipment, as the Nexter Battlefield Management System FINDERS® provides situational awareness, enhanced by a perimetric camera system, and reconnaissance robot (NERVA® LG), allowing safe dismounting. The TITUS is fitted with four cameras providing 360° coverage. Standard equipment of the Nexter TITUS includes an air conditioning/heating system, air exchange, and NBC protection system.