New running gear components - Enok and Dingo on the test track
New running gear components - Enok and Dingo on the test track
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Enok and Dingo vehicles underwent several weeks of testing at the outdoor facilities of the Bundeswehr Technical Center for Land-Based Vehicle Systems, Engineer and General Field Equipment (WTDWehrtechnische Dienststelle 41) in Saarlouis-Fraulautern in the Saarland region of Germany.
Die Teststrecke in Saarlouis-Fraulautern wartet mit besonderen Bedingungen für Erprobungen auf
Bundeswehr/Mario LeinenIn order to maintain and further improve the operational readiness of Bundeswehr vehicles, the vehicles’ individual components are constantly tested.
Damage to the vehicles due to the intense testing is accepted. For the safety of the soldiers, the technology is deliberately overtaxed.
The test track puts technology to a hard test
It is not without good reason that the WTDWehrtechnische Dienststelle 41 team conducted the tests on the test track in Saarlouis-Fraulautern: The soil characteristics there represent a special feature and a challenge at the same time. The local sand places extreme strain on the running gear as well as on the suspension and brake systems of the test vehicles. The vehicle components are thus subjected to extreme stress and the limits of use are defined in the process.
Damage to the vehicles due to the intense testing is accepted. For the safety of the soldiers, the technology is deliberately overtaxed.
Different situations must be mastered on operations. The new components in the Dingo provide support for this.
Bundeswehr/Mario Leinen
The Enok, too, was put under heavy strain during the test phase
Bundeswehr/Mario LeinenSuccessful innovations – goals achieved
The Enok is a protected command and special-purpose vehicle capable of accommodating a crew of two to six persons. The aim of the tests was to improve its mobility and operational strength.
After the test drives on the track, the measured values and the individual running gear components are evaluated. It is only through this technically comprehensive procedure that the quality of the innovations can be determined with certainty. Driving in heavy terrain yields initial impressions but only the subsequent evaluations complete the overall result in terms of the future users’ requirements. The well-founded results concerning safety and the improvement of the vehicleʼs capabilities thus obtained will then contribute to enhanced force protection.
The technical center mainly focused on an internal project to develop the Dingo’s running gear further. A hydropneumatic and adaptive suspension system was used when testing the all-protected carrier vehicle for up to eight persons. Different settings were explored during testing in order to examine the advantages and disadvantages compared to the series configuration.
Better ride characteristics at higher speeds were confirmed for the Dingo in this context. At the same time, its “pitching and rolling movements” were reduced. This allows both a higher load limit and a more stable transport of patients as well as better ergonomics for drivers and passengers.
Due to the tests carried out, all previously set objectives could be achieved and the operational readiness of the test vehicles could be increased. In addition, the foundation for further developments was laid.