First hybrid powered military vehicle ready for action

What is claimed to be the world’s first modern hybrid-drive military vehicle, the Scarabee, has been shown in production, sales-ready form by French manufacturer, Arquus.

Arquus, formerly Renault Trucks Defence, is part of the Volvo group and produces most of the French army’s vehicles.

The Scarabee light armoured vehicle is designed to be air-transportable. The eight-tonne armoured car can be slung under a helicopter or carried in the cargo hold of a C130 Hercules-sized plane.

The Scarabee’s makers say it’s compact and nimble, hard for enemy forces to detect and shoot at, and can hide or take cover behind small obstacles.

The driver sits in a central position and the Scarabee’s independently steered rear wheels, allow U-turns as tight as 11m.

It can travel sideways crab-like, with the rear axle parallel to the front.

“That unique capability allows (it) to surge from cover and back without having to manoeuvre, or to keep facing the enemy when moving to his side,” says Arquus.

Power comes from a 224kW rear-mounted 300hp V6 diesel engine, and the Scarabee’s power-to-weight ratio of 40hp per tonne allows speeds up to 130km/h in all conditions and strong acceleration.

Its hybrid powertrain which includes a 70kW electric motor means it can run in an all-electric mode.

”(It) has the stealthiest acoustic footprint on the market when in 100% electric mode,” says Arquus. “Its high-capacity (12kWh) li-ion batteries enable the Scarabee to travel the last kilometres to target silently and get as close as needed to the enemy without getting detected…”

It also allows very long, silent watches with all systems on, including air conditioning. The Scarabee can “approach, observe, analyse, and get back to safety before transmitting its reports to the commanding unit without starting the diesel engine,” Arquus says. “These new capabilities completely redefine reconnaissance missions.

The vehicle can recharge its batteries very quickly with the thermal engine running at idle and making very little noise.

The parallel hybrid drive allows both engines to operate in “boost mode” to accelerate even faster, the  electric motor delivering a 75kW boost to the diesel.

The Scarabee can carry weapons including automatic guns, 40mm grenade launchers and a wide range of missiles.