Gurkha makes Hummer look like toy
MILITARY TRUCKS: If you’re in need of a bullet-resistant armoured vehicle, Terradyne gets the job done
Ispent time with some real military vehicles recently, but I can’t show them to you, nor can I reveal any specific specs.
I’m not hiding any special knowledge. You can go to Terradyne’s website for what’s publicly available. I’ll only say forget all the movies you’ve seen and the video games you’ve played because standing next to a row of these things in a 30,000-square metre warehouse, surrounded only by the ripping and wheezing of welding torches, is stunning. I was momentarily speechless.
Terradyne Armored Vehicles is a Canadian company located in Markham, Ont. They’ve been supplying military and law enforcement around the world with armoured vehicles since 2011. In late 2014, they launched a civilian version of their military Gurkha truck.
Army and armylike vehicles have been mainstream since Willys Jeeps first found their way onto our roads. But those Jeeps would be swallowed whole by these incarnations. The first time I saw a Hummer H1 thundering down a highway more than 20 years ago, its elbows high, I remember thinking, “Now, that looks stupid.” I didn’t understand then (and still don’t, to be honest) the need for so much Schwarzenegger swagger. They reined it in a little in subsequent versions, but pretending it wasn’t supposed to be a warlike vessel was like spraying air freshener in an outhouse.
Terradyne manufactures vehicles that are exported all over the world. The vehicles start life as either a Ford F-450 or F-550, rebuilt from the chassis up. Units are handmade to customer specification, with the firm turning out three units a week employing two shifts. Everything is complicated, from weight distribution to maintenance availability to the vast range of weather and landscapes they must be able to perform in. With an anticipated life span of 15 to 20 years, they are expected to last. While there are competitors in the category, Terradyne is the only manufacturer that complies with Transport Canada’s strict testing guidelines. They also do their own testing, like putting a bomb under the rear axle. Pricing starts at about $325,000, though don’t bother trying to order one for British Columbia. Fortified vehicles for civilians are outlawed, though you could purchase a non-armoured version of the RPV.
While their military applications are a given, the debate on their presence in more police forces is getting heated. Showing up in something so overwhelmingly aggressive outside of a war zone sends a distinct message. The Winnipeg police force recently acquired a Terradyne Gurkha. They’re not the only ones. With increasing fire power in civilian hands, it’s a tempting solution. But news clips from tinderbox situations like Ferguson, Missouri, showing police in armoured vehicles present a military, rather than police, presence. Your politics probably form your opinion on that topic.
In the warehouse, I’m shown two panels of reinforced steel, the first hit with multi-hit armour piercing rounds and the second with a 20 mm FSP round. On each, the first layer has an entry hole, while the second layer has absorbed the round leaving behind a raised metal pimple.
The foray into the civilian class of armoured vehicle is a recent venture. Starting in 2014, Terradyne began making available a street version, the RPV built from a Ford F-450 chassis. “We retain the OEM designed geometry in the drive train and suspension components,” says sales manager Lucus Witzke, “we don’t exceed the front or rear Gross Axle Weight Ratings and we don’t alter the chassis to manage the added weight of the armoured body. The end result is a vehicle that performs within the OEM specifications which is critical from a safety and reliability perspective.” It also means the warranty stays in place.
Unlike their warrior big brothers, the civilian RPVs are bullet resistant, not bullet proof. This provides handgun and fire protection.
But what are they like? They’re pretty easy to drive. They have a remarkably normal turning radius, though stock wheels have been replaced with 41-inch monsters. It’s a two-piece military wheel that takes a top speed of 110 km/h to respect the limits on the tires. The base RPV weighs in at nearly 5,900 kg (13,000 pounds), with a gross vehicle weight rating of 7,480 kg (16,500 pounds). You can feel the weight as you drive, much as you would a large trailer.
The interior is stripped down according to a customer’s needs, but the company is happy to load in the rock star requirements. Entertainment systems, custom paint colours — it’s all yours if you can start your budget at $280,000. Who buys these? A ballplayer is on the list, because it’s just the thing for the guy who has everything, and doesn’t want anyone to take it from him.