“An amphibious, obnoxious little shit of a creature.”

Catherine Wellon:

Field Notes and Personal Diaries, Volume 1

University of Victoria Press,

2207

While the new Redkat IFV more than adequately fills a great number of second-line roles, and even a limited number of first-line ones, the Wellon Army recognised that there were a considerable number of roles for which the vehicle selected for the FWCV programme would be overkill. They therefore ran a parallel programme for a Forward Liaison Vehicle and much to the disgust of various military vehicle manufacturers named NWV as the winner of the FLV competition as well as the FWCV. In practise it was no contest, the degree of commonality between the two vehicles was just too great to ignore, the Tirat was simply a stretched version of the Redkat’s Command Module, the greater wheelbase giving it the stability that the Command Module lacked on its own and the space to be customised for the FLV role.

Like the Redkat the Tirat immediately spawned a whole family of variants and may in fact become NWV’s most profitable vehicle line if current trends continue.

Index

FV842 Tirat Forward Liaison Vehicle

FV8421 Tirat-A Armoured Ambulance

FV8422 Tirat-L Logistics Vehicle

FV8423 Tirat-S Security Vehicle

FV8424 Tirat-E Electronic Warfare Vehicle

FV8425 Tirat-C Command Liaison Vehicle

FV843 Tirat-P Internal Security Vehicle

FV8431 Tirat-PC Command Vehicle

FV8432 Tirat-I Incident Control Vehicle

FV8433 Tirat-R Riot Vehicle

FV8434 Tirat-N Special Liaison Vehicle

Variants

The Tirat is produced in two basic forms, the FV842 military variant and the FV843 paramilitary variant. The prime differences between the two are a lower level of armour on the paramilitary vehicle and the deletion of certain military specific sensors. Less visibly the FV843 family lacks the NBC filtration system of the FV842. The two variants each have their own families of role-specialised variants.

FV842 Tirat Forward Liaison Vehicle

The baseline variant of the Tirat has the driver, commander and gunner stations of the Redkat Command Module, but immediately behind them the Tirat fits a passenger section with space for four fully equipped troops. The vehicle can be accessed by the commander or gunner’s hatches, by two small side doors into the troop compartment or by a large rear ramp. The troop seats can be rapidly folded flat to the floor to allow up to one tonne of cargo to be carried. The basic vehicle mounts the Redkat’s Class B1 turret with its VR5 GMG, 30mm AGL and Verlet Defender, though for lower threat environments the B2 or the Verlet Sentry Remote Weapon Mount can be substituted. Firing ports are provided to the sides and rear (one each).

INDEX

FV8421 Tirat-A Armoured Ambulance

The Tirat-A was the first Tirat variant to be fielded, meeting an urgent need for an armoured ambulance in the Field Ambulance units of Wellon’s reserve forces, which had been using unarmoured range-truck variants. Able to take two stretchers or three seated patients along with a med-tech the prime difference between the Tirat-A and the baseline Tirat is the fitting of a bulged rear-door in place of the ramp, this was necessary to give sufficient space to carry a stretcher longitudinally. The baseline Tirat-A is unarmed, but vehicles sent to the French arm have been retrofitted with the Verlet Sentry for self-defence. Vehicles with this modification are classified as the FV8421 Mod 1.

INDEX

FV8422 Tirat-L Logistics Vehicle

The Tirat-L is outwardly similar to the baseline Tirat but has a beefed up suspension allowing it to carry up to 2 tonnes of cargo. The load-bed has a cargo roller system to aid rapid on- and off-loading and, while four very basic troop seats are carried clipped to the roof, standard practise is for any passenger to ride on the floor. The baseline vehicle mounts only a Verlet Sentry (operated by the vehicle commander) but some FV8422s on the French Arm have been seen with the Class B1 turret. It is thought that these are field-conversions rather than an official modification programme.

INDEX

FV8423 Tirat-S Security Vehicle

The Tirat-S transforms the Tirat into a light combat vehicle. Intended for use by Wellon’s WMP units, the Tirat-S has been designed for convoy escort, route-opening and perimeter security. It has also been adopted by the base security units of both the RWAF and RWN. The FV8423 mounts the Redkat’s Class A turret and has an augmented sensor suite in comparison to the baseline vehicle.

INDEX

FV8424 Tirat-E Electronic Warfare Vehicle

The Tirat-E has been procured for use by WEWS units attached to light and second line forces. The Black Arrow Electronic Warfare System is highly classified but is known to have both passive SIGINT/MASINT capabilities and an active jamming capability. However the practicalities of modern warfare mean that on-board jamming systems are rarely used and that the Tirat-E more often serves to coordinate the use of expendable artillery-delivered jammers. The Tirat-E carries two WEWS electronic warfare operators in addition to the driver and commander and mounts the Verlet Defender as its only weapon. It is recognisable by the considerable number of antennae carried in comparison to the baseline vehicle.

  INDEX

  FV8425 Tirat-C Command Liaison Vehicle

Wellon initially had no plans to procure a command version of the Tirat, but type-classified a version developed by NWV under company funding in order to be able to provide a full range of Tirat variants to foreign customers. As Tirat use spread the RWAF was first to order the Tirat-C, rapidly followed by the RWN and the Army reluctantly followed as it recognised the utility of a command vehicle using the same hull as the other variants. The Tirat-C has the improved sensor suite of the Tirat-S, it mounts the Class B1 Turret and carries two command staff in addition to the driver and commander.

 INDEX

FV843 Tirat-P Internal Security Vehicle

The Tirat-P is the baseline paramilitary Tirat. It features side-mounted folding riot shields (3 metre high, 4 metre long armourglass screens capable of being locked at 90 degrees to the vehicle) and a turret mounting a sonic stunner and a 30mm grenade launcher (normally armed with a mix of baton, gas and paint marker rounds). Four dismounts are carried in addition to the driver, commander and gunner. The Tirat-P is rapidly displacing older armoured vehicles within the special duties units of the national Royal Wellon Constabulary and they are common sights on the streets of Point Sterling and other communities where a particularly robust approach to policing is necessary.

INDEX

FV8431 Tirat-PC Command Vehicle

The Tirat-PC is the command vehicle variant of the Tirat-P and carries the military grade sensor suite of the FV-842 augmented by an extending sensor mast mounted in place of the turret. The mast carries an instrument pod holding multiple cameras, directional microphones and other sensors. It is rumoured the instrument suite also has an NBC reconnaissance capability and extensive communications monitoring capability.  The Tirat-PC has the riot shields of the Tirat-P, but replaces the dismounts with two command staff.

INDEX

  FV8432 Tirat-I Incident Control Vehicle

The Tirat-I ICV is designed to support Police SWAT teams during sieges and hostage-taking incidents. It is identical to the Tirat-PC, but the camera pod has been redesigned to mount a remotely operated sniper rifle in addition to the sensor suite. NWV will configure the pod to mount the purchaser’s choice of sniper weapon.

INDEX

FV8433 Tirat-R Riot Vehicle

The Tirat-R is a pure Riot Control vehicle. The turret of the baseline Tirat-P is augmented with a powerful water cannon and the dismounts of the Tirat-P are replaced by tanks holding water, foaming agent and dyes. Standard practice is to use foam as much as possible, water jets to discourage active stone-throwers and indelible dies to mark particular troublemakers for snatch squads or for later pick-up. The sonic stunner and grenade launcher are generally reserved for armed rioters or cases where officers are in immediate danger (this is also true in the case of the Tirat-P). So far the Tirat-R has only been seen on the streets of Point Sterling, but it is known that they have been more widely procured.

INDEX

FV8434 Tirat-N Special Liaison Vehicle

While numbered in the FV843 series as a paramilitary variant, the Tirat-N (-N indicating Non-Governmental Organisation) is actually armoured to the standards of the FV842 series military vehicles, although completely unarmed. NWV targeted a very specialised market with this vehicle, aiming it purely at those organisations whose operations occasionally sent civilian personnel in harms way. The initial target market was relief organisations such as Zapamoga, but sales have also been made into the diplomatic security market and demand from media organisations for vehicles capable of carrying front-line camera crews threatens to outstrip supply. The standard vehicle has only civilian grade fittings, but military grade communications, sensors and the NBC filtration system of the military Tirat are available to the right customer. The ICRC&C has procured several dozen vehicles with the bulged rear door of the Tirat-A ambulance. The Tirat-PC’s sensor mast has proven popular with media organizations (even if fitted as standard with a downgraded sensor suite) and in many cases has been upgraded by in-house or contract technical specialists after delivery. Standard Tirat-Ns are turretless, but the British Colonial Office’s Facilities Security Group purchased a batch of 10 fitted with the Class B1 turret for use on the French Arm.

INDEX