German company Armoured Car Systems GmbH (ACS) announces that forces of a NATO army have selected ENOK 4.8 AB as their new light, air transportable vehicle. Together with local partner, the company prevailed in the face of intense competition. Of course, we cannot go into detail about the exact specifications of the vehicle and the specific operational scenario. The USPs of ENOK 4.8 AB were advantageous for getting the contract. The very modular body concept gives the armed forces never seen flexibility. The basis of the ENOK 4.8 AB is military chassis from Mercedes-Benz. This chassis stands for robustness, reliability as well as worldwide service and spare parts supply.
The Enok (Raccoon Dog) Light Armoured Patrol Vehicle (LAPV) is a light armoured vehicle of the Bundeswehr, mostly in use with the German Army. It is a significantly further developed Wolf SSA, based on the Mercedes-Benz G-Class. The Enok LAPV was adopted in 2008 and a first batch of 247 vehicles has been ordered by the Bundeswehr. Another batch of 84 improved Enoks (Enok 6.1) with increased armor and weight (6.1 tonnes) were ordered in January 2015. 49 of them are determined for the Kommando Spezialkräfte. In August 2018, the German Bundespolizei ordered modified Enok 6.1s along with remote controlled weapon stations as protected vehicles for airport security tasks.
LAPV ENOK 5.4 (“Light Armoured Patrol Vehicle”) is an armoured patrol vehicle for 2 to 4 people. It belongs to the German Armed Forces category of Armoured Command and Multipurpose Vehicles (Geschützte Führungs- und Funktionsfahrzeuge, or GFF). The vehicle is used by various NATO armies and has proved its worth in various combat missions. ACS has defined and structured the manufacturing processes and procedures for these vehicles accordingly. The result is that the ENOK 4.8 AB offers not only high quality but also excellent price-performance on the European market.
The powertrain of the ENOK/LAPV 5.4 is based on that of their existing Mercedes-Benz G 280CDI off-road vehicle with special protection, which ensures the best possible supply logistics. The vehicle is available in two variants: with five doors and fully armoured crew and cargo compartments, or with four doors and an armoured crew compartment and unprotected rear body structure. With the ENOK/LAPV 5.4, Mercedes-Benz is demonstrating its expertise in highly manoeuvrable, highly protected all-terrain vehicles at a new level. The three parameters of agility, protection and payload define the magic triangle that Mercedes-Benz has realised to perfection with this vehicle.