Say hello to Terrier, a tank that has been designed by British defense and aerospace firm BAE Systems. The tank has been designed so that it is capable of meeting the challenges put forward by modern warfare off and on the battlefield. The tank is versatile when it comes to its applications and can clear mines, cause quite a destruction along with being capable of digging trenches. It has been, owing to its versatility, named as ‘Swiss Army Knife’ of combat vehicles. It can check for buried explosives in the field and can even tear apart solid concrete by making use of a rock hammer that can stretch for over 8 meters away from its main body via telescopic arm.
It is a manned vehicle but can be operated via remote control for areas that are deemed too dangerous from a kilometer away. It was originally launched back in 2013 as part of a $520 million project with the UK’s Ministry of Defense and was aimed at helping out British Army in carrying out tasks that pertained to digging, heavy lifting, drilling and path clearing. Over the months, it has been improved and the tank is now capable of making its way through deep waters and can survive waves of 2 meters, can clear mines on the go and thus, is capable of operating in harsh environments.
Rory Breen is a sales manager for BAE Systems and said, “The greater wading depth and surge protection will make Terrier even better suited for use in coastal or low lying areas, where it can play an important role in disaster relief as well as combat situations. Along with the new telescopic arm and other attachments, Terrier remains the most technologically advanced and flexible combat engineer vehicle in the world. Due to the modular nature of the vehicle, it could also be quickly adapted for a range of other situations, such as clearing paths through jungle or thick foliage.”
It can be driven at speeds of above 70km/h. Similar to the arm of a JCB digger, Terrier’s front-loader system is capable of lifting weights that are over 5 tonnes and can shift 300 tonnes of earth in an hour. If you’re thinking that this tank sounds good but is only intended for ‘engineering’ purposes, think again. The vehicle can be equipped with a machine gun and smoke grenade launchers for its own defense. According to BAE Systems, the Terrier was manufactured in order to provide the army with enhanced flexibility from a single vehicle, thus allowing them to minimize the equipment and logistic footprint.
