DVD 2018: Alcon selected by Patria for braking systems of heavy armoured vehicle range.

Alcon Components Ltd, a global specialist for brakes and clutches, has been selected to be the principal supplier of braking components for Patria’s heavy armoured vehicle range. Patria is one of the global market leaders in the production of modern armoured wheeled 8x8 vehicles, supplying seven different customer nations. In addition to the established Patria AMV 8x8 product range, Patria have developed the AMVXP and the Patria 6x6, launched on 11 June at Eurosatory 2018. Alcon braking systems are to be incorporated into both the AMVXP and the Patria 6x6 products, whose unrivalled performance and mobility are setting new standards for all future armoured wheeled vehicles.

Alcon braking system (Picture source: Alcon)

Alcon has worked closely with Patria to determine the specific requirement aligned to vehicle specification, usage profiles and operating environment, developing a bespoke system matching the needs of these high performance defence vehicles. With the high-end performance of the AMVXP creating conditions close to that of a rally car in terms of disc and pad temperature cycling, Alcon were required to draw on their pedigree of providing braking solutions for the top echelons of motorsport to develop exclusive caliper and disc mounting concepts; a fusion of those seen on heavy commercial vehicles and high-performance motorsport. Alcon worked using state of the art analysis technology to design performance products whilst remaining within the strict weight targets set by Patria.

Alcon braking solutions have been sought out by some of the world’s finest Special Forces OEMs. Amongst 18 defence and security equipment OEMs currently using or assessing Alcon systems, Supacat, the designers of the Jackal vehicle, BAe, Ricardo and Jankel have turned to Alcon to obtain bespoke braking systems that fully meet the demanding requirements of the challenging, high-performance, modern-day battlefield.

Kari Grön, Senior Vice President Engineering at Patria Land said: “Our top of the range products are used in extreme conditions and they need to deliver the very best performance. In addition to the performance, braking systems are safety critical elements of the vehicle and therefore we have selected Alcon as a reliable partner who can develop the best components to ensure that the braking systems fully meet our demanding requirements.”

Jonathan Edwards, Sales Director at Alcon said: “Alcon’s selection by Patria is an unqualified confirmation of Alcon’s status as a company that provides the finest bespoke braking systems to the global defence market. This project defines our philosophy of working closely with customers to develop a product that specifically meets their requirements.” He added: “In addition to our bespoke products, the recent release of our CIR55 caliper ensures that Alcon can offer the global defence market state of the art, production-ready braking solutions for heavy 8x8 type platforms.”