A Polish consortium has delivered the final of AERO 4×4 light air-dropped vehicles for Polish Army Airborne Brigade Sosabowski. A total of 80 vehicles, 120 special trailers, and specialist training were delivered to the Polish Army. The final vehicle was delivered to the 6th Airborne Brigade on October 31, a little less than four years after the first contract for the vehicles was awarded to the consortium led by Kafar Bart?omiej Sztukiert. Poland received the first vehicles in 2019 and they performed their first “combat drop” in June 2020, during the international exercise Defender Europe 2020.
The Aero 4×4 light air-dropped vehicles for the Polish army will be built in a joint effort from a consortium of four Polish firms (Auto Podlasie, Auto Special Modlniczka, Hibneryt, and Kafar Bart?omiej Sztukiert) after winning design competition organized by the Armaments Inspectorate under the Polish Ministry of National Defense (MON). Based on the Toyota Land Cruiser design, the AERO vehicle and the trailer are intended for transporting equipment and supplies via airdrop, in the foot patrol as well as for towing artillery weapons systems weighing more than 1.000 kg, a platform for the assembly of weapons or carry out casualty evacuation tasks.
The vehicle has a top speed of 100 kilometers an hour, and its “Run Flat” tires give it the ability to continue driving even after being shot through. Aeros 4×4 are reminiscent of pick-up trucks and weigh 1.8 tons and features a 4.2-liter diesel engine with 131 KM power. The Aero’s body is 3.6 meters long, 2.1 meters wide and 2.3 meters tall. Aero 4×4 can be transported by helicopters with an attached platform or inside transport aircraft. Due to its weight, it will need two parachutes and a landing area of 700 square meters for a safe airdrop. The light air-dropped vehicle can be transported by a helicopter, and is adapted to be dropped from the C-130 or C-295M aircraft.
The Polish Army 6th Airborne Brigade serves as the air-mobile unit ready to conduct operations at a high state of readiness. The Airborne Brigade is equipped and trained to carry out rapid landings either as paratroopers or through insertion by helicopters. Three Aero 4×4 vehicles can fit in a single C-130. The vehicle was also used by Polish soldier during activities related to the migration crisis on the Polish-Belarusian border, where it was appreciated by users due to its “mobility, off-road capability and versatility of applications.”
