Eurosatory 2024 – SOFRAME presents its Fardier MkII and its HE441 UGVs
With unmanned aerial vehicles now fully part of the new battlefield scenario, unmanned ground vehicles are moving their first steps, many companies considering this a promising market segment in the near future. SOFRAME, the French company part of the Lohr group based near Strasbourg, is among them, and at Eurosatory it presents two vehicles, the Fardier MkII and the HE441 UGVs
Both UGVs are multi-mission platforms with the same the payload, 1,000 kg but with a different gross vehicle mass rating, 3.5 tonnes for the Fardier MkII and 2.2 tonnes for the HE441, the former being more oriented for cross-country operations while the latter, while having off-road capabilities, is aimed at less difficult terrains.
The HE441 is derived from a commercial platform and is electrically powered; it is fitted with independent suspensions, and its wheels can be steered independently, which allows reducing the turning radius when the front and rear axles are counter-steered, but also to drive sideways in a “crab” movement. The vehicle does not have a typical central motor with mechanical links to the wheels, as it is equipped with four in-wheel motors, which are linked only by cables to the main power supply, a battery suite ensuring 10 hours endurance or a 400 km range. Should a customer require a greater range, SOFRAME is already considering the addition of a range extender; this will only marginally reduce payload, it will of course reduce acoustic stealthness, but will definitely increase endurance as it will recharge batteries while on the move. Should the tactical situation require a silent approach, the engine will be switched off, the HE441 maintaining its all-electric operational range.
The adoption of in-wheel motors is not the only peculiarity of the SOFRAME UGV; the HE441 is in fact an optionally piloted vehicle; the all-flat arrangement of the unmanned configuration can be quickly transformed, a seat appearing in the forward part of the vehicle by lifting the front element, generating a cage structure thanks to tubular elements that when at rest are blended in the platform. The section between the traffic lights rotates forward generating a step to allow the driver to access his position. Driving is done via a joystick, the HE441 being a drive-by-wire vehicle; maximum speed in the piloted mode is 60 km/h, while in teleoperated mode this is 20 km/h.
Two more seats are available, right and left, just behind that of the driver, side opening allowing easy access for the two passengers. Even with three people on board the vehicle retains some transport capacity as a reduced size flatbed is still available at the rear. The HE441 is 3.55 metres long and 1.60 metre wide; when used in the unmanned configuration its maximum height is 1.33 metre, the flatbed height being 1.2 metre.
In the unmanned configuration it is currently teleoperated, but it is fitted for accepting a suite of sensors and navigation software modules allowing it to evolve towards semi-autonomy or even full autonomy modes, these being the next steps considered by SOFRAME.
At Eurosatory the HE441 was exhibited equipped with a multiple grenade launcher with two blocks of three rows of five tubes each, capable to launch 40×46 mm low velocity grenades, the system being the same installed on the Centaure riot control vehicle produced by SOFRAME for the Gendarmerie Nationale.
The second UGV, this time a fully unmanned one, is the Fardier MkII. In the 1970s Lohr, of which today SOFRAME is the military development company, provided the then French 11th Parachute Division (now Brigade) with its FL500 and FL501 light air-droppable vehicles, known as Fardier Lohr (FL). These were light manned 4×4 vehicles, with a 680 kg kerb weight, powered by a 36 hp engine, with the driver at the front and a flatbed that could host various types of loads, including up to four paratroopers, and one of those can be seen when entering the SOFRAME facility in Hangebieten.
The name Fardier is now back within the Lohr Group with the MkII, a much heavier machine, 3.5 tonnes, which maintains the multi-mission capacity of its predecessor, but without crew. The new generation Fardier MkII is powered by a 100 hp thermal engine driving a hydraulic pump, which activates the four hydraulic wheels. According to the company hydraulically driven wheels ensure a much easier control of the power, a critical issue especially when operating at very low speed. The powerplant ensures an endurance of over 12 hours. Wheels are all steering, and the vehicle is fitted with independent suspensions to ensure good cross-country mobility. The Fardier MkII is 4.3 meters long and 1.8 meters wide, and its 1,767 x 3,044 mm flatbed can host a variety of payloads. It can reach a maximum speed of 30 km/h when teleoperated; it can however be towed by a manned vehicle at a speed up to 70 km/h and unhooked when the deployment area is reached, which allows it to match the unit movement pace. Once unhooked, it starts to support the operation in teleoperated mode, remotely controlled through an ergonomic portable command box.
Currently SOFRAME is concentrating its efforts towards the development of a mine-clearing solution, to answer a requirement from the French Direction Générale de l’Armement, which launched a programme known as “Robin” that aims at replacing manned Buffalo 6×6 vehicles currently in service with the 13th Engineer Regiment. The French Army is looking at unmanned systems for opening potentially mined itineraries, to reduce risks for its sappers. This follows the trend of many armies that are considering UGVs to be deployed ahead of the clearing package.
To answer this requirement the Fardier MkII has been equipped with engineering equipment, more precisely with a robotic arm fitted at one of the extremities, which when on the move is lowered on the flatbed, maximum height becoming 2.6 metres. The arm is provided by Global Clearance Solutions (GCS) of Switzerland; it is fitted with two outriggers that stabilise the system in operation and includes a hydraulic coupler for fast tool exchange. The situational awareness and control command suite is provided by Exail. First tests have been carried out successfully in April 2024. Of course, this is only one of the many payloads that can be installed on the Fardier MkII, and a secondary alternator can be installed to answer the power requirement of specific equipment.
Photos by P. Valpolini
