A Ukrainian team of engineers led by Oleksandr Kuznetsov, PhD in Technology, assisted by the Streit Group, has developed and built the world's first multi-purpose, hybrid powered, amphibious APC vehicle.
The new vehicle, named Storm, was developed with support from the Streit Group, which provided financial assistance, materials, and facilities for the development of the first prototype.
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The Storm APC is designed tolerant to waves as high as 1.5 m (3.3 feet). It can reach a top speed of 140 km/h on road and sand, and is able to drive non-stop for 18…36 hours.
The Company says, “The vehicle has Finnish-supplied armor. The shock absorbers, which withstand loads up to 65 tons, were ordered from Australia. The electric battery was made according to our drawings at the same factory in China that makes batteries for Tesla cars. A company based in Sharjah made to our order rubber tracks that are stronger and more convenient to operate than existing counterparts. A damaged conventional [steel] track cannot be repaired, only replaced. Our tracks can be repaired by replacing a damaged portion of the track. This reduces the cost by almost 70% as compared to other market brands."
However, despite the innovation, potential customer interest, and support provided by international partners, the Company that created the Storm technology admits it had been unable to bring the project to completion in Ukraine.
"We could not do this all in Kyiv. In Ukraine, our idea was taken as bizarre. There was no support nor funding provided. Economic and administrative conditions are much better in the Emirates. We quickly found partners who provided us with facilities and technical support, but did not interfere with the process at all," says Mr Kuznetsov.
"We arrived in September, spent a few days to get the company registered and started working. There [in the Emirates] there is no need to pay any taxes, even 5% VAT, because our production is located in a free economic zone. When the vehicle was sent to the exhibition, customs officers helped us with paperwork. In general, we were helped a lot there," he said.
The designers say their vehicle has generated much interest, and they expect the prototype would be improved by adding Ukrainian-developed armaments such as the KB LUCH "Sarmat" [gun fire control system].
"There is a great market for these vehicles, and so we are looking to launch series production, but unlikely in Ukraine,” O.Kuznetsov said.
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