Bovington, UK. 29th June, 2013. Jackal is well-armed light patrol vehicle which is presently in service with the British Army in Afghanistan. The primary role of the vehicle in the British Army is deep battlespace reconnaissance, rapid assault and fire support - roles where mobility, endurance and manoeuvrability are important - and it has also been used for convoy protection.
The Jackal is well-armed light patrol vehicle which is presently in service with the British Army in Afghanistan. The primary role of the vehicle in the British Army is deep battlespace reconnaissance, rapid assault and fire support - roles where mobility, endurance and manoeuvrability are important - and it has also been used for convoy protection. According to the Ministry of Defence, the Jackal "was built to meet the British Army's specific requirements for an agile, well-armed, light patrol vehicle." The vehicle's suspension system provides a more stable firing platform while moving and the 1 metre ground clearance allows it to clear large obstacles. The high levels of off-road mobility let troops avoid conventional routes which may be subject to ambush or enemy reconnaissance. The vehicle is based on the HMT (High Mobility Truck) 400 high-mobility 4×4 design developed by a former subsidiary of Supacat, now built under licence from Lockheed Martin. The chassis is built by Universal Engineering Ltd, the engine by Cummins, the transmission by Allison, the suspension shock absorbers by Fox Racing Shox and the electronics package by Fujitsu and Smartgauge Electronics. The blast and ballistic armour packages, and the blast mitigating seating were designed and built by Jankel Armouring Ltd. The vehicles can be fitted with a range of weapons, such as a mm Heavy Machine Gun, mm General Purpose Machine Gun (GPMG) and 40 mm Automatic Grenade Launcher. The Jackal is capable of maintaining off-road speeds of up to 49 mph (79 km/h) and can reach a top speed of 80 mph (130 km/h). The MoD says that the vehicle hull incorporates the latest armour protection and is considered to be among the best in the world. The HMT 400 mine blast and ballistic protection system was developed for Supacat by Jankel Armouring Ltd. It features armour plating beneath the crew compartment and on the vehicle sides, as well as attenuating seats that absorb shock from any mine blast.
Size: 4500px × 3000px
Location: Tank Museum, Bovington, Dorset UK
Photo credit: © Niall Ferguson / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: afghanistan, army, bovington, british, jackal, military, reconnaissance, tankfest, vehicle, wheeled
