Monday, March 25, 2013
The “Spotlight on Army Equipment” series explores the range of tools used by the Canadian Army, including vehicles, weapons and communications equipment. Check back often to learn more!
Ottawa, Ontario — The Canadian Army is acquiring 500 Tactical Armoured Patrol Vehicles (TAPV) to fill a variety of roles in operations at home and abroad.
TAPV will have two variants, the General Utility and the Recce. They will be highly mobile, highly protected, and the majority will be equipped with a Dual Remote Weapons System. A portion of the fleet that will be used for driver training and limited domestic tasks will not incorporate the weapons system.
The Army will acquire 307 of the General Utility variant, which will be able to play a role in operations across Canada in support of security tasks, such as international summits or events, assistance after natural disasters, and sovereignty operations.
The Recce variant of TAPV, although identical to the General Utility variant in mobility, protection and firepower, has a larger bank of auxiliary batteries to allow it to conduct silent watch activities for longer periods of time.
The Army will acquire 193 of this variant, which will work with the Light Armoured Vehicle Upgrade (LAV UP) Recce in patrols of two (one of each vehicle) to conduct both long and short range surveillance tasks. These two-vehicle teams will replace the current Long Range Surveillance System which is mounted on the Coyote, providing superior mobility and protection for future surveillance and reconnaissance operations.
On international operations, the Army will use both TAPV variants for command and control, liaison, force protection, patrols, convoy escort, and the transportation of troops and VIPs.
The TAPV offers a high degree of protection for its occupants, an important factor for expeditionary missions, given the prevalence of the use of mines and IEDs. The use of these weapons is expected to continue into the future, which will mean an ongoing requirement for this kind of highly protected vehicle.
The TAPV also incorporates cross-country mobility. This enhanced mobility enables it to operate in a range of environments, including dry plains, mud fields, snow, and ice conditions. This capability affords additional IED protection as it provides the crew with flexibility in choosing routes. In fact, the TAPV can avoid roads altogether, making it harder for opposing forces to predict routes and place IEDs accordingly.
First deliveries of both variants of the TAPV are expected to begin in 2014.
