BAE Systems South Africa has launched the RG21 4x4 mine protected vehicle at AAD 2014 1709143.

Starting from a commercial vehicle, the host vehicle has been evaluated and customised with the support and experience of Iveco Defence Vehicles, resulting in a cost-effective vehicle with enhanced maintainability and reliability.

“Protecting soldiers is the top priority for any force and doing so cost effectively provides a great benefit to our customers,” said Johan Steyn, managing director of Land Systems South Africa at BAE Systems. “The design concept used means this new vehicle can be manufactured and supported by local partners in any country.”

The RG21 provides users with a wide range of configuration options including availability in left or right hand variants. The vehicle provides users with a modular interior layout due to the interchangeable mounting rail system. The wide range of mission interfaces available in the vehicle allows end users the opportunity to reconfigure the base vehicle for different roles with kits. The RG21 also features superior protection levels of 21kg under any wheel and 14kg under the hull.

Designed for cost, manufacturability, and supportability, the RG21 will provide the optimum level of off-the-shelf capabilities of proven mine protected vehicles. The vehicle incorporates a high level of design maturity due to the large amount of commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) items used in the driveline and powertrain. The COTS equipment in the RG21 also allows for the use of a wide range of commercial service centres around the globe.