The Viking BVS10 was introduced into Afghanistan three years ago. It is the latest in a series of highly manoeuvrable, versatile, amphibious vehicles manufactured by BAE Systems Haggslunds of Sweden. It was modified to defend against small arms fire and rocket-propelled grenades (RPGs) and therefore most of the weaponry such as machine guns and smoke grenade dischargers is on the top of the vehicle (1). Bar armour provides extra protection. It has a 5.9 litre Cummins turbo diesel engine (2) at the front that allows it to reach a maximum of 65 kph (40mph) on roads. The rubber tracks (3) allow the Viking to travel over soft terrain such as desert, snow or mud because its load is evenly distributed over all four tracks, all of which are driven. The body (4) is made of armoured steel and rounded edges and smooth contours are... [read full story]
