14 DAY TRIAL // The Shadow Reconnaissance, Surveillance Targeting Vehicle (RST-V) is a prototype vehicle developed by General Dynamics Land Systems for the Marine Corps Warfighting Laboratory, sponsored by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) and the Office of Naval Research (ONR).
It looks like a heavily modified Humvee, the official US Army vehicle, because it is based on the same platform, but features a series of improvements that make it look like it just came out of a sci-fi movie about future combat.
The 4x4 hybrid electric drive vehicle was built for reconnaissance, surveillance, targeting and C3I (command, control, communications and intelligence) and has a crew of four, located next to the centerline of the vehicle.
Like any military vehicle, it features bulletproof windows on the front and sides and it's equipped with two doors on the sides and a ramp at the back provides entry to the internal cargo area. With a length of 5.45 m (~19 ft), a width of 2.94 m and a height of 2.15 m, it is larger than the Humvee and has a much thicker armor.
The primary armament is a 7.62 mm machine gun, but it also has a .50 (12.7 mm) M2 BMG machine gun, one of the most impressive calibers ever used in combat history. It also possesses an M20 40mm grenade launcher, for close defense.
With a 3.276m wheelbase and a 0.457m ground clearance, it can climb slopes of 60% and can handle a 40% side inclination without tipping over. But probably the most important feature is its hybrid propulsion system.
In addition to a 2.5 liter DI-4V, (114kW) Diesel engine, it also features an electric engine that supplements the traditional one, thus giving the vehicle a maximum range of 758km. The top speed is unfortunately disappointing, 112km/h (69 mph) and this is probably one of the main reasons it never entered mass production.
All in all, it's a good exercise and proves once again that the boys at DARPA have some of the wackiest ideas, that don't necessarily work, but which at least manage to keep us entertained.