The Ocelot is a British armoured vehicle that is scheduled to replace the United Kingdom’s Snatch Land Rover with British forces. It received the service name Foxhound, in line with the names given to other wheeled armored vehicles in current British use, such as Mastiff and Ridgeback, which are based on the Cougar. Unlike mine-protected vehicles based on existing commercial chassis, Ocelot is based on modular flexibility. This imaginative, new-from-the-ground-up design integrates V-hull, blast-protection technology with a demountable protected crew pod that allows multiple configurations for different roles. In essence, the Mastiff and the Land Rover fire-support kit have sired an agile prodigy: the Ocelot. The goal in replacing the Snatch Land Rover was to improve protection of personnel against improvised explosive devices (IEDs).
The Ocelot light protected patrol vehicle (LPPV) is designed by Force Protection Europe and the automotive engineering company Ricardo. Following the acquisition by General Dynamics in December 2011, the Ocelot is marketed as part of General Dynamics Land Systems vehicle portfolio. This is smaller than most Mine-Resistant Ambush-Protected (MRAP) vehicles, but larger than the Humvee replacement vehicles being developed through the Joint Light Tactical Vehicle (JLTV) program. It can weigh up to 7,500 kilograms (16,500 lb), powered by a Steyr M16-Monoblock diesel engine (6-cylinder, 160 kW[7]), connected to a ZF 6HP28X 6-speed automatic transmission, it reaches a speed of 50 mph (80 km/h) in 19.75 seconds, and has a maximum speed of 82 mph (132 km/h). Its wheels function independently, so the vehicle’s other wheels should continue to work if one is blown off. It is claimed that the engine can be removed and replaced in 30 minutes.
