WASHINGTON — Northrop Grumman unveiled its six-passenger Hellhound Light Reconnaissance Vehicle prototype at the Association of the US Army exhibition today.
The vehicle was designed from the ground up with the crew and mission in mind so that it could be used by in organizations such as light infantry, border police, National Guard or first responders, Pat Murray, Northrop’s business development director for mission solutions and readiness, said at the unveiling.
This particular variant is designed for the US Army's light reconnaissance vehicle acquisition program, something the service says it's serious about acquiring in the near term as part of its Combat Vehicle Modernization Strategy that it rolled out at AUSA.
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"Hellhound addresses multiple Army war-fighting challenges faced by land forces today [and is] designed to maximize off-road capability to regain the advantage of maneuver and provide protection through speed and agility, protection for things like roadside bombs or IEDs," Murray said.
Another challenge the vehicle seeks to address is delivering more on-board power, she added.
"The power demand has grown to the point where current ground vehicle energy systems do not meet the needs."
Northrop is using a modular energy system in the vehicle from German company JENOPTIK, which produces systems capable of generating producing 100 kilowatts of "exportable, stable power," Jeff Wood, Northrop’s director of vehicle modernization, said.
"To jump to 100 kilowatts opens new opportunities that we are beginning to explore," he said, such as "directed energy weapons that we would once only see in Star Trek are now quite possible."
The power will "open new opportunities in powering expeditionary command post or key infrastructure as part of disaster response teams," Wood said, and allows for new and more powerful sensor suites in the vehicle.
The vehicle at the show was also equipped with a large ATK M230 LF 30mm cannon mounted on an EOS R400 weapon station. The weapon "provides light vehicles with unprecedented access to firepower normally reserved for much heavier vehicles," Wood said.
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Jen Judson is an award-winning journalist covering land warfare for Defense News. She has also worked for Politico and Inside Defense. She holds a Master of Science degree in journalism from Boston University and a Bachelor of Arts degree from Kenyon College.
