The surest way to invincibility may be exactly what the SVI MAX 3 Variant is all about. Take an already indestructible Toyota Land Cruiser and literally make it bulletproof. The slick suicide-door setup on the six-wheeler will likely come at a hefty price in the millions though.
SVI are well versed in the world of armoured vehicles. Originally formed in 2004 as an innovative mechanical engineering firm specialising in armoured vehicles and products, the automotive refitter has produced several vehicles fit for military and civilian use. The company utilizes a quality management system certified to ISO 9001:2015 by TÜV Rheinland standards which ensures world-class offerings. Their latest creation has now launched at the Africa Aerospace and Defence Show (AAD2022) in Pretoria and takes a standard Land Cruiser and puts it on a cycle of steroids!
Related: SVI launches 8-seat version of Cruiser-based bulletproof Max3
A Land Cruiser underneath
Like the standard version of the MAX 3, this new variant is built on Toyota’s trusty Land Cruiser 79 chassis and likewise retains the Japanese firm’s proven 4,5-litre V8 turbodiesel powertrain which puts out 151 kW and 430 N.m from factory. What sets the MAX 3 Six-Wheeler apart, of course, is the upgrade from the standard two axles to three.
DRIVEN: Toyota Land Cruiser 79 LX V8 double cab 70th Anniversary
The addition of a non-driven third axle means the MAX 3’s Gross Vehicle Mass (GVM) can be safely increased to 5 500 kg which enables the armoured vehicle to be used in numerous applications.
The conversion process to create a MAX 3 entails removing the soft-skin body of the donor Land Cruiser 79 and replacing it with a hull designed in-house and manufactured from an armoured steel plate. The construction of the multi-role vehicle provides a minimum protection level of EN1063 BR6 (assault rifles) with additional protection against anti-personnel grenades. The vehicle is furthermore upgradeable to BR7 which can withstand even more assault barrages.
Although the drivetrain is standard, the MAX 3 gains wheels and tyres with an improved load rating as well as upgraded suspension and an additional rear anti-roll bar. The MAX 3 Variant Six-Wheeler furthermore features a track-width correction and disc brakes all around.
No hostile drone strikes with the SVI MAX 3 Variant
The six-wheeler version of the MAX 3 Double Cab displayed at AAD2022 is also fitted with an intelligent anti-drone solution. In modern warfare, drones are used not only for reconnaissance but also as weapons capable of destroying key infrastructure or attacking soldiers on the ground.
The anti-drone system offered by SVI employs radar to locate, identify and track incoming hostile drones. The information is relayed to the battle management system (BMS) connected to the automated grenade launcher (AGL). The BMS determines the trajectory of and distance to the drone, intercepting and disabling the pilotless device via close-proximity grenade explosions.
While that bakkie-bed mounted motorcycle looks perfect for a weekend adventuring off of the beaten path, it is actually part of the SVI MAX 3 VARIANT package in order to retrieve evidence from the downed drone. Watch the system at work in the embedded video below.
