Panus Mosquito 420P 4x4 AFV
In 2018, Thai company Panus Assembly Co. Ltd unveiled the Mosquito AFV-420P Armored Fighting Vehicle based on HMV-420 4x4 armored vehicles that it hopes to supply to the Royal Thai Armed Forces. The vehicle presumably derives its name from its Cummins 420hp engine, which has been integrated with an Allison 4500 SP automatic transmission.
Panus Assembly offers an AFV 420P 4x4 wheeled armored vehicle participating in shows, and because within the said event both leading manufacturers and foreign visitors attended the fair. Therefore, it was a good opportunity for Panus to bring a wheeled armored vehicle to the show. To create awareness and promote products with customer base in international markets who have traveled to attend this event as well. A higher performance AFV-420p is built for better for better protections with thicker armor, comfortabality and spacious interior.
The HMV-420 high mobility vehicle (HMV) is based on the company’s HMV-150 platform, which was unveiled in 2017 and, in turn, is based on a re-engineered and upgraded Cadillac Gage V-150 Commando 4×4 light armored vehicle dating back to the Vietnam War era. The company representative saw two wrecks of old Cadillac Gage V-150 Commando vehicles blown up on mines in the south of the country. Instead of seeing them scrapped, Panus completely restored them to combat condition. Using the experience of this work, the company designed its own the AFV-420 that included many improvements, notably a four-wheel steering system enabling the vehicle to maneuver through deeply forested areas and narrow village streets. Following tests conducted in 2018 at the Department of Army Transportation in Kanchanaburi Province, and taking into account the input from the army requesting a special layer of armor, the new “Mosquito” 4×4 AFV-420P vehicle emerged, Military Leaks reported.
Panus wants to produce and export the AFV-420P, which is available in variants such as APC, radar vehicle, command and communication vehicles, etc. The axle shafts have been replaced with larger ones and the tires are enlarged so that the vehicle is slightly higher. This vehicle has a length of 6.72 m, a width of 2.86 m, a height of 2.98 m, a ground clearance is 0.61 m. It can reach 110 km/h. The turning radius is minimal thanks to its 4-wheel steering system. The AFV-420P weighs 15.84 tons, with a payload of 1.5 tons. The newer product has better protection and more internal space for its occupants and installed weapons. It is powered by a Cummins diesel unit of 420 horsepower output associated with an Allison 4500 automatic gearbox.
The Mosquito can accommodate a remotely controlled weapon station of a more conventional turret armed with a 12.7 mm caliber MG and/or missile launcher(s). At Defense & Security Thailand 2019, even a drone was associated to the vehicle, a more and more common option. Firing ports are positioned along the sides of the hull to allow occupants to engage outside enemy elements from within the protected confines of the truck. Armor protection is up to small arms fire and artillery shrapnel but mobility is at the heart of the design. Provision was also made for enhanced protection against the Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) and land mines common to urban operations. The armor reaches 16mm at crucial facings through a double-layer steel configuration. Steel layers can be added to protect the personnel and engine compartments against 12.7 mm caliber ammunition and shrapnel.
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