Currently in Norway on Exercise Trident Juncture, Ranger Glavinskas, of the Royal Irish Regiment, gives us a tour of his vehicle – the Husky. The Husky is a variant of the MXT-MVA modified to satisfy the UK MoD’s Tactical Support Vehicles (TSV) requirements for the British Army. The MXT-MV (Military Extreme Truck – Military Version) truck was introduced in 2006. Part of International Truck’s Military Vehicles line, it is an International MXT extensively modified for military duty, transportable by C-130.
The Husky is a protected support vehicle, providing a highly mobile and flexible load carrying vehicle. Equipped with a machine gun, Husky joins its sister vehicles Wolfhound and Coyote as part of the tactical support vehicle programme. Some vehicles are fitted out as specialised recovery vehicles or fitted with a heavy machine gun or grenade machine gun. The Husky has been designed for a range of missions, including transporting food, water and ammunition, and acting as a command vehicle at headquarters.
Specially designed to meet U.K. urgent operational requirements in Afghanistan, the lighter and more mobile Husky is built to navigate the rough Afghan terrain, while offering added protection from ballistics fire, mines and roadside bombs. A contract for 262 vehicles was signed in April 2009, and a September 2010 follow-on contract brought the total to 351 vehicles. Integrated with U.K. specific systems by Dytecna, the vehicle accommodates a four-person crew and is equipped with a MaxxForce® D 6.0 L V8 engine, Allison five-speed automatic transmission, and also incorporates Plasan Sasa’s armouring solution.
