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Background
— Armoured Patrol Vehicle Candidates — Dingo 2 |
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The Dingo 2 is the next generation of Krauss Maffei Wegmann’s “All-Protected
Carrier Vehicle”. Like the RG-31, the Dingo is based on
the Mercedes Unimog truck. But, where that South African vehicle adapts the Unimog running gear to a
monocoque hull, the German Dingo encases the truck’s frame in armour. A belly pan deflects mine blast
while minimizing the ‘blast traps’ formed by the ladder frame.[1] The crew compartment is a separate
steel capsule. The engine cover and rear deck are arranged to blow open or off.
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KMW refers to the belly pan as a ‘deflector system’ and this composite plate is shock-mounted to the frame
(mine blast energy is absorbed by mechanical deformation and deflection). The concept seems to be successful.
Dingos are in service with the German Bundeswehr and Austrian Bundesheer (which ordered 20
Dingo 2s in 2004 ) – both armies deployed Dingos as part of their ISAF contigents. Israel
expressed an interest but, the largest Dingo user is Belgium (which ordered 220 Dingo 2s to replace
M113s ). Naturally, this vehicle has drawn the attention of the
CF.
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Popular as the Dingo APCW is, KMW’s approach to mine- resistant vehicles is not with- out critics.
Armour plate adds 4.4-t to the total weight of the Dingo while the conventional frame contributes
nothing to protection. A counterpoint is that modular vehicles are less rigid than are
monocoques. [2]
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KMW Dingo 2 All-Protected
Carrier Vehicle – Specifications
| Complement: |
1+5 (short 3.25m wheelbase version) |
Powerplant:
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160 kW (218 hp) 4.8 litre Mercedes OM924
4 cylinder turbo diesel (Euro 3 compatible) |
| Transmission: |
8 fwd, 6 rev semi-automatic Daimler Chrysler |
| Max speed: |
90 km/h (highway) / 0-50km/h 18 seconds |
Protection:
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(ballistic) 7.62 API (Armour Piercing Incind.)
(landmine – no details but includes EFP AT) |
| Usable payload: |
3500 kg (usable payload) |
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KMW offers the Dingo 2 in short (3.25m) and long (3.85m) wheelbase models and in a range of
variants including ambulances, logistics, and missile launchers. Personnel carriers /patrol vehicles are equipped
with remote weapons stations which will take a 7.62 or 12.7mm machinegun, or a HK GMG 40mm grenade launcher. Commonality is a key advantage for the impressive Dingo 2
but the CF has no Unimogs in service. [3]
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[1] Avoiding ‘blast traps’ is the simplest method of minimizing the effects of anti-tank mines.
Welded-steel monocoques present a smooth face whereas the nooks and crannies of a ladder frame often form
blast-trapping right angles. KMW’s ‘deflector system’ covers the frame from axle to axle. The
composite belly pan also provides protection against the latest Explosive-Formed Penetration (EFP) anti-tank
mines.
[2] It might also be said that the V-shaped monocoque is a one-trick pony. Rigid, shaped steel armour deals with
blast through redirection. By contrast, a composite fibre blast panel will also deform, absorbing the mine’s
pressure front energy before regaining its original shape. For makers of conventional monocoque vehicles,
the answer to EFP mines is to double-up hull protection with a second, composite plate.
[3] In the past, the CF employed small numbers of Unimogs in Europe. The trucks
were very popular compared with the standard LSVWs.
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