GB Viking being Upgraded to Warthog in 2010

[Cross]

As a result of the recent tragic death of Lt Col Thorneloe, I've read a couple of reports on the Viking.

Here's an MoD article:
http://www.mod.uk/DefenceInternet/De...IsOnItsWay.htm

The Viking will be replaced by the Warthog in 2010.
The Warthog will come in 4 varients, including troop carrier and command vehicle.
The Warthog will carry 14 instead of the Viking's 12.
It's much more heavily armoured than the Viking. The Viking weighed about 10,000 Kg, I think the Warthog is 18,000 Kg before weapons/add ons etc.

I think the Viking includes units 328 and 703 in the British OOB, though there may be others.

Currently the Viking is listed as available to 2020. Though the article says they will come back to Britian and continue to be used for training (home guard).

Also, the Viking is listed as a "snow vehicle". which may be a bit misleading to those not familiar with the vehicle.

Just a 'heads up' Don.

cheers,
Cross

ps. If anyone's interested in the current British OOB, theres a nice MoD brochure on the the British Army vehicles and Equipment here:
http://www.army.mod.uk/documents/gen...12.PDF_web.pdf

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[Imp]

If it gets the snow bonus worth listing as, must be the fastest snow vehicle in the game though.

[redcoat2]

The Warthog would probably deserve a snow bonus as well. When it was tested at the Nevada Automotive Test Center it reportedly did well in all climate/terrain conditions – from hot dusty desert to Arctic snow (the full range of conditions in A-stan).

[Cross]

Originally Posted by redcoat2

The Warthog would probably deserve a snow bonus as well. When it was tested at the Nevada Automotive Test Center it reportedly did well in all climate/terrain conditions – from hot dusty desert to Arctic snow (the full range of conditions in A-stan).

Yes, they both deserve a snow bonus.

My reference was regarding the point you just made, that they are called "All Terrain Vehicles" by the Army (snow/sand/mud/water).

I was just concerned that someone may think they are just for snow; particularly as they look a lot like those vehicles you see on the Antartic/Artic.


cheers,
Cross

[redcoat2]

Originally Posted by Cross

Yes, they both deserve a snow bonus.

My reference was regarding the point you just made, that they are called "All Terrain Vehicles" by the Army (snow/sand/mud/water).

I was just concerned that someone may think they are just for snow; particularly as they look a lot like those vehicles you see on the Antartic/Artic.


cheers,
Cross

Yes. I understood your original point and wholeheartedly agreed with it.

I just added a comment that the Warthog may also qualify for a snow bonus - like the Viking.

[Imp]

My point & why it is probably listed as a snow vehicle was that they are few & far between. Listing as such means you know its worth buying for snow as gets reduceded MP costs & using in the dessert etc its the same as any vehicle.

[redcoat2]

Maybe there is an ‘historical’ reason for the Viking BVS10 being listed as a ‘snow vehicle’. It was a replacement for earlier British BVs (the BV202 and BV206) used by troops who would have been deployed to northern Norway in the event of a Soviet attack. Since the earlier troop carrying BVs (obat07/ Unit 296) were - quite rightly - classed as snow vehicles the Viking may have been listed in the same way.

The MoD purchased 143 Vikings in all (including 20+ purchased as replacements). Only a small proportion of them were deployed to A-stan.

The Dutch have also purchased the BVS10 – but it appears to be missing from obat28. The Dutch Royal Marines have used them since early 2006 (first deliveries in late January).

[PlasmaKrab]

Remember that all of those up and including the Viking*) are designed by Hägglunds of Sweden, specifically as snow vehicles. Some pre-Viking (heh) examples are already in the UK OOB.
Since they snow-vehicleness is mainly due to their wide all-rubber tracks, it means that they simply have better ground pressure than the average tracked vehicle, which gives them better crossing abilities on all soft terrains like snow, sand or mud.

Since "snow vehicle" in SP is a unit class instead of a move class, they have to be of this unit class to benefit from their snow-crossing abilities.
Now what I don't know is whether class 162 units also have improved crossing abilities on other non snow-related soft terrains such as soft sand, volcanic sand, mud or swamp.

If some really fear that players shun these vehicles in non-snow cases for fear they somehow depend on snow to run, better copy them to another class. Any APC/truck class should do the trick. Since the Vikings are primarily used by the Marines (right?) one of the amphibious classes (#33 & 34) could be used as well.

Or just take the existing Bv formations and rename them to something not mentioning snow at all. Which is already not a problem in the UK OOB.

*Apparently the Warthog is the Bronco ATTC by Technologies Kinetics of Singapore by another name.

[redcoat2]

Yes. The original Bandvagn (Bv) was designed by the Swedish military and Volvo as a tracked snow vehicle. Hägglunds (who are now part of BAE Systems) have since developed BVs as amphibious ATVs that can be used in any climate.

I looked up Unit Class 167 in the manual and it mentioned their snow movement bonus. I don’t think they are better over sand, mud and swamp.

BVs have been used by the militaries of at least 16 countries: including Canada, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, the UK and the US (i.e. the M973 SUSV). Many of the troop carrying BVs in the game have been classed as snow vehicles, but I’ve noticed that weapon carrying BVs are usually classed as something else (i.e. SP Mortar, Light SP ATGM etc). Presumably they won’t get Unit Class 167 snow terrain abilities.

The Warthog is basically a Bronco with British modifications. One of the main modifications will be extra armour. The MoD have obtained test hulls from the manufacturer and some boffins have been testing them by blowing them up with IEDs and mines. The tests will show how the vehicles can be uparmoured without losing their mobility. The Warthog may also be given TARIAN protection against RPGs – now that the kits are being rolled out.

The Warthog will undergo extensive Army trials in the UK before it is deployed to A-stan in the second half of 2010 – to iron out any problems.

[Lt. Ketch]

I loved how the picture in the article captioned, "Warthog will be powered....and will be able to move through water" showed one going through all of three inches of water. I don't doubt the vehicles capabilities. I just think they could of had a more impressive photo.