Light Tactical Utility Vehicle (FRAUT)

The Family of Light Tactical Utility Vehicles is a series of FRAUT s designed by Federal Defence. The vehicle was designed in 2007, and entered service with the Federal Republic Land Force Command in 2009. Production of the LTUV program is ongoing, currently with a total of 10,620 vehicles being produced so far. This series is built primarily for the Land Force Command. The vehicle has not seen any conflicts. The LTUV family will continue to have additional variants produced to support the Land Force Command 2020 Strategy.

History
Beginning in March 2007, the Command Administration Group Center put out a development proposal request for a new modular, high speed and protected light vehicle to replace the variety of un-armored and much simpler light trucks developed in the 1970s. In October of 2008, Federal Defence was awarded a pre-production development contract for the new family of Light Tactical Utility Vehicles (LTUV). Basing the design of the LTUV on an already existing modular chassis, a prototype was delivered to CAG/C Headquarters in January 2009. After six months of testing, the vehicle had passed testing and was approved for full rate production in June 2009. The first vehicle left the Federal Defence Light Vehicle Plant A on June 23rd, 2009. The LTUV family entered service officially August 1st, 2009 with the Presidium's Own Regiment.

Weaponry
The LTUV comprises a series of vehicles which can mount different types of armaments. The M21 LTUV is capable of mounting the M84A1 Remote Weapon System, which is a 12.7mm Machinegun for local defense. The Special Operations Forces vehicle mounts both the M450 Crew Served Weapon. Some variants, such as the JMP vehicle are not capable of mounting any armament.

Mobility
The LTUV has 45cm of ground clearance thanks to a portal axle system. The 320 HP, 4.8 Liter Inline Six Cylinder Common Rail Diesel Engine allows for sufficient off-road and on-road mobility. The engine is mated to a seven speed automatic transmission. The transmission has a center locking differential, and each axle has an independently locking limited slip differential. The portal axles have coil over suspension on all four tires enabling excellent suspension travel.

M21 LTUV
The M21 Light Tactical Utility Vehicle is the base vehicle. It has a crew of one, a driver. The vehicle can transport three passengers. It has an integrated CBRN filtration system, and can be equipped with additional up-armoring if required. The vehicle also has an integrated winch for recovery operations. The M21 can mount the M84A1 Remote Weapon System for local defense, reconnaissance and surveillance operations. THe M21 has a top mounted hatch for a crew served weapon for local defense. When used for reconnaissance and surveillance operations, the vehicle can be equipped with a surveillance package. The vehicle's cabin provides CBRN protection, while there is an unprotected rear cargo area separate from the cabin. The rear cargo area can be converted to transport an additional 4 soldiers if required. The vehicle can mount radio and battlefield management systems, depending on the role they are used for.

M22 LTFA
The M22 Light Tactical Field Ambulance is a small ambulance for tactical level medical evacuation operations. The M22 LTFA has a crew of three, a driver and two medical personnel. The vehicle can transport two litter, and carries enough medical equipment and materiel to support tactical medical operations. The four door body of the M21 is modified to a two door version. The rear cargo area is integrated into the cabin of the vehicle, allowing for 2 litter to lie down flat on secured stretchers. The M22 has a variety of onboard life support systems that could be found in a commercial ambulance. The main difference between the M22 and a commercial ambulance would be the capability of the M22 to evacuate patients in harsh off-road conditions. High travel coil over suspension and dampening of the cabin allows for the smoothest possible ride, even when moving the vehicle over very rough conditions. All equipment inside the cabin are mounted on flexible rubber mounts, allowing travel during bumpy driving. The cabin itself is mounted on flexible mounts to allow compensation for offroad terrain.

M23 JMP
The M23 Joint Military Police vehicle is designed to support JMP operations in the Land Force Command environment. The M23 JMP has a crew of two military police personnel, and four detainees in a protected area in the rear. The vehicle is either marked tactically during operations or for garrison operations. The vehicle features an integrated emergency lighting kit for garrison operations. Unlike the M21 or M22, the vehicle does not have an integrated winch for recovery operations. Instead, it has a strengthened front brush guard for police pursuit operations. The M23 also has different differential ratios for much faster acceleration, primarily for pursuit and emergency response roles. The engine also features different injectors, higher compression and higher boost pressure from the Turbochargers. These changes result in 30kw over the other variants, allowing the vehicle to respond to emergencies more quickly.

M29 S/UC
The M29 Space Uplink Command is a specialized variant designed to support Space Uplink Operations below the Brigade level. The M29 features integrated long range space command, control, and communications equipment designed to enable control of space based assets.