Timoney Technology Limited of Ireland is an Irish company which designs, develops and manufactures powertrains and independent suspension systems for heavy duty trucks, motor coaches and military vehicles. Timoney designs and develops a variety of standard armoured and soft skin mobility systems for military, commercial and specialist applications, principally utilising an independent suspension technology. Founded on the principles of automotive system development, and with 50 years experience in the commercial and defence vehicle sectors where Timoney Technology have developed solutions for a wide range of operational requirements.
Timoney Armoured Vehicles
Timoney designed 4×4 wheeled APC’s, designated Marks I, II, II (all prototypes). Five Mark IVs and five Mark VIs were also built for the Irish army.
During 1975, 123 Timoney Armoured Personnel Carriers Mark V were subsequently built under license by Beherman Demoen as the BDX in Belgium. The BDX was then used by the Belgian Air Force and the Belgian Gendarmerie. Further licence agreements and direct sales have resulted in deliveries to the UK, Argentina, Middle East, Africa and the Far East. Pre-owned examples were sold to Mexico where they are still in service.
Bronco All Terrain Tracked Carrier
In 1994, Timoney was contracted by Singapore Technologies Kinetics to develop the power pack and drive train for the Bronco ATTC. The system included front and rear axles, an integrated transfer box and the track system final drive units. Timoney has been the sole supplier of these components since the vehicle entered series production in 1999 following a contract award from the Singapore Armed Forces. The Bronco resembles an enlarged BvS 10.
Australian Bushmaster Troop Carrier
A pre-production Bushmaster
In 1999, Timoney Licensee, ADI Ltd was awarded a contract to manufacture 350 infantry mobility vehicles for the Australian Defence Force. This vehicle is called the Bushmaster and is based on the Timoney MP44. Its hull design provides high levels of ballistic and mine protection. Outstanding mobility and crew comfort are achieved by use of a Timoney independent suspension system. The majority of Australia’s Bushmasters are to be allocated to the Army, though 12 are operated by the Royal Australian Air Force’s Airfield Defence Guards.
The vehicle has been more recently selected by the Dutch military for peace keeping and internal security roles. In July 2006 the Dutch Government announced an urgent purchase of 25 Bushmasters to equip Royal Netherlands Army units operating in Afghanistan.
Crusher Unmanned Ground Combat Vehicle
Timoney Technology developed the traction and suspension system for the unmanned Darpa UPI Crusher vehicle. The suspension has an unprecedented 800+mm of wheel travel and is equipped with full ride height control, and temperature and load compensation. The wheel hubs are driven by direct mounted traction motors and are equipped with a central tyre inflation system, which, when combined with the suspension afford Crusher unparalleled mobility in all terrains.
CM-25 and CM-31
The Cm-25 4×4 and CM31 6×6 IFV, both in APC and SAM configurations, were produced in limited numbers for the ROC Army and are based on the Timoney Mark 8. They have been replaced in production by the CM-32.
CM-32
The CM-32 Armoured Vehicle, currently under production (mobile-gun platform variant is shown).
The CM-32 8×8 IFV is a further development of the 6×6 CM31. The Taipei Times reported that the AIFV has been chosen by the ROC military as its next wheeled armoured fighting vehicle. The AIFV is being built under license in Taiwan with a full transfer of technology.
Reports in September 2003 stated that Taiwan would be going ahead with its decision to procure a locally developed and manufactured 8×8 IFV. The project was launched in 2002, at a cost of NT$700 million (US$21.9 million).
Mass production started in 2007, with an initial order for 600 units. It is estimated that up to 1,400 CM-32s may end up being in operational service.
On 11 January 2005, Taiwan officially named the 8×8 “Yunpao” (“Clouded Leopard”) at a ceremony attended by President Chen Shui-bian.
Rheinmetall
In October 2010, Rheinmetall MAN Military Vehicles agreed to cooperate with Timoney Technology; Timoney would make independent suspension and transmission systems for new types of RMMV vehicles. The first example is the Wisent.
YugoImport-SDPR
Serbian defence vendor YugoImport-SDPR selected Timoney’s T900 modular driveline system for its Lazar-3 8×8 armoured fighting vehicle and the T700 modular driveline system for the 4×4 MILOSH light armoured utility/transport vehicle.
