According to official information from the Army (ET) late last year it has been received the first prototype of the “Vehículo de Exploración y Reconocimiento Terrestre” (VERT), designed and developed at the request of the Army Logistics Support Command (MALE). The VERT is based on the High Protection variant of the Galician company UROVESA 4x4 VAMTAC family, to which a specific design has been done to allow the assembling and integration of a number of recognition, exploration and communications means, among which its telescopic mast, which incorporates a pan & tilt gyrostabilizer system to avoid vehicle-motion effects, and is topped with a system consisting of a set of television and infrared cameras, as well as different laser technology equipment.The development of this system responds to the need to provide ET Cavalry reconnaissance units with a very versatile vehicle equipped with the most modern means of locating and identifying potential threats and, if confirmed as enemies, to facilitate accurate data to allied forces to neutralize them.The project was initiated and supervised by the Terrestrial Platforms Technical Section of the Procurement Department of the MALE, in collaboration with the Cavalry Training and Doctrine Command and the “España nº 11” Cavalry Regiment, who is part of the Cavalry Brigade "Castillejos II”, which is based in Zaragoza, who have provided their life experience and vision as future users of the system.This prototype of the ET joins another with which the Galician company UROVESA, in collaboration with Navantia, has developed the aforementioned latest generation of advanced observation sensors, in addition to being responsible for the work of integration into the new 4x4 platform and made performance testing, even though it hasn’t the same design as the final version. "This has served as a technology demonstrator; It was ceded to the companies so they could investigate with him and perform the systems integration tests" as referred Section chief, Col. Luis Oraá.Also tests have been focused on integrating the new command and control system for small units, also known by its English name “Battlefield Management System” (BMS) in both prototypes, to ensure that communication between them is possible.It would also be a very important novelty the confirmation that he would have chosen to give the vehicle a self-protection Mini Samson Remote Controlled Weapon Station (RCWS) system equipped with a 12.70 m/m machine gun, the official information refers to, presumably in the station name has danced a letter, a machine gun MiniSamsum 12.70 m/m. Remember that this weapon system, which is operated from inside the vehicle without being exposed, is from the Israeli firm Rafael and is already in service in ET equipping the RG-31 vehicles.The forecast is that, if the prototype responds as expected in 2016, other VERT could be produced and therefore ET would create the first section with this material. (Julio Maíz Sanz).GTD has provided to Navantia the stabilized pan & tilt sensor package that has been integrated on the VERT prototype. Being responsible for upgrading the functionality of the technology demonstrator to that required by the final configuration to enter in service in 2016.
