Medium Tactical Transport Vehicle (FRAUT)

The Medium Tactical Transport Vehicle is a FRAUT designed by Federal Defence. The vehicle was designed in 2003, and entered service with the Federal Republic Land Force Command in 2006. Production of the MTTV program is ongoing, currently with a total of 6,712 vehicles being produced so far. This series is built primarily for the Land Force Command. The vehicle has not seen any conflicts. The MTTV family will continue to have additional variants produced to support the Land Force Command 2020 Strategy.

History
Vehicles designed after the Glorious War for transport were based on heavy duty, but reliable designs from the 1950s and 1960s. Although vehicles like these were reliable and almost unbreakable, they were crudely designed and were difficult to operate. Heavy, manual transmissions without synchronized gears and up to 16 forward gears made driving exhausting. The lack of any sound deadening combined with the large volume (usually up to 30l displacement) engines made the vehicles extremely loud, which could give away the position of the Land Force Command in a tactical situation. The poor efficiency of these vehicles also meant that fuel costs were very high, and the vehicles had to transport at least 800L of fuel to have a comparable range of other vehicles.

By 2001 the Land Force Command realized that these vehicles were far too old and could be replaced by modern, electronically based vehicles. So, the Medium Tactical Transport Vehicle (MTTV) program was launched. A commercial truck cab, chassis and power train was heavily modified to become the new medium transport vehicle of the Land Force Command. A prototype contact was awarded September 23rd, 2001 and the final prototype was delivered November of 2003. The vehicle passed all tests and was sent to full rate production February of 2003, to be produced in South Grozny. The vehicle officially entered service after long term, long distance testing was completed in April of 2006, with a total of 5,000 units being produced at that point. Currently production of all variants is ongoing, and additional variants and modifications will be undertaken for the Land Force Command 2020 Strategy.

Mobility
The main objective of the MTTV program was to create a vehicle that was more efficient than its predecessor. So, instead of the 20L V12, a much smaller 6.0L Inline Six Cylinder Diesel engine was used, but with two variable vane turbochargers. The two variable vane turbo chargers allow an output of 600Hp, with an average fuel efficiency estimated at 26.5l / 100km, which is far better than the previous vehicle.

The MTTV uses high tension, high travel leaf springs all around. This enables the MTTV to transport heavy loads of up to 100,000lbs. The MTTV uses a 13 Speed Automatic transmission with 13 forward, and 1 reverse gear. The off-road final drive is 1.069.

M41 MTTV
The M41 MTTV was the first variant designed, and the first variant to enter service with the Land Force Command in 2006. The M41 is a medium duty, general purpose transport or troop carrier vehicle which can transport up to 100,000lbs of cargo. The M41 MTTV has a modular cargo area, with folding bench style seats that can seat up to 37 soldiers in the rear of the vehicle, with a co-driver or commander in the cab, for a total of 39 personnel. The M41 has a canvas cover on the bed to obscure the cargo, and protect it from adverse weather. The vehicle has a completely flat bed which allows fork lift loading and unloading. When the canvas is removed, the sides can be dropped down for unloading by crane or additional forklifts. This version of the M41 is still used by most Land Force Command units today.

M41A1 MTTV
Beginning in 2010 the Command Administration Group Center issued a modification package proposal based on soldier feedback of the M41. Notably, the suspension travel was too limited and when fully loaded the ability to traverse offroad terrain was reduced. So, in April of 2011 the modification package "A1" was approved for development, and various changes were developed. The suspension was completely re-designed, allowing for much greater travel. To accommodate this, the rear bed was raised. The vehicle also received a camouflage net box on the top. Soldiers also complained of lights being damaged after cross-country driving, so guards were added to all lights to prevent damage. To enable proper inspection of the vehicle, and access to the camouflage net box on the roof, a ladder was added on the driver side of the vehicle.

M42 MTPM
The M42 Medium Tactical Prime Mover is a tractor variant of the MTTV designed for line haul and resupply tasks. It uses a different 7.0L V-8 Cylinder Turbo Diesel Engine, with a single variable vane turbo charger, for 800BHp. The engine also results in an additional torque increase to 1,538lb/feet. The Prime mover has a four door cab that can accommodate three passengers in the back, and a driver and co-driver in the front. This is designed to allow the M42 MTPM to carry the crew of an armored vehicle while it is in transport. Fuel capacity is doubled with two tanks to 800 litres, allowing for over 2000km of range, enabling extremely long distance transport. The M42 also has upgraded suspension and brakes for extremely heavy load transport.