The i-X vehicle displayed by John Cockerill Defense at the inaugural World Defense Show held in Riyadh. (Andrew White)
John Cockerill Defense used the inaugural World Defense Show held in Riyadh from 6–9 March to launch a 4×4 weaponised rapid response vehicle for homeland defence, border security, and special operations.
The i-X has been designed to combine “extreme velocity, high firepower, and adaptive stealth” into a single, tactical ground vehicle, the company said.
It is based on a chassis design of an undisclosed US rally car manufacturer and is powered by a 750/800 hp hybrid drive train that gives it a maximum road speed of 200 km/h, a ‘desert track' speed of 160 km/h, and a maximum range of 600 km. It also features ballistic protection up to STANAG 4569 Level 2 and anti-mine protection up to Level 3, according to John Cockerill Defense.
With a gross vehicle weight of 3.5 tonnes, the i-X features upgraded suspension and built-in jacks for self-recovery from soft sand. It is also designed to be transportable by fixed-wing aircraft and helicopters, as well as air-droppable using a parachute.
The retractable weapon station can be armed with 25 mm or 30 mm guns, each with 120 rounds ready to fire, and a secondary 7.62 mm machine gun. A third option is a 12.7 mm heavy machine gun combined with two anti-tank missiles. The company also envisages integrating a different weapon station with a launcher for up to seven guided rockets.
A 360° electro-optical system with infrared (IR) camera and integrated laser rangefinder enables the two-person crew to detect targets up to 16.8 km away on a shared battle management system designed by the company.
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