Military Vehicles Get Prodrive Rally Technology

British motorsport specialist Prodrive announced it has adapted the torque control technology used by Subaru in the World Rally Championship to give military vehicles increased capability while also making them easier and safer to drive.

Prodrive’s Active Torque Dynamics (ATD) reportedly enhances stability and safety by using computer control to automatically manage the amount of torque delivered to each wheel.

“Operational priorities may dictate that forces personnel with minimal training must drive heavily laden vehicles at speed, often across uneven terrain; it’s a challenging task even for the most competent driver,” Prodrive’s driveline team leader, Simon Leleu, said in a release.

“Only the most skilled drivers are able to extract maximum capability from the vehicles and the risk of overturning the vehicle through misjudgement or when taking evasive action is ever present,” continued Leleu.

ATD also makes the vehicle perform better in slippery conditions, as it optimizes differential locking, increasing climbing and braking capability, eliminating the need to stop to adjust settings, and ensuring full steering control.

“ATD enables the driver to concentrate purely on the speed and direction of the vehicle. He turns the steering wheel and unless he is outrageously ambitious, the vehicle will go where he commands,” added Leleu. “The system was tremendously successful as a secret weapon on the rally stage. Now it can help military drivers negotiate difficult terrains safely and make progress more quickly.”

“A lot of the major defence projects have long development schedules and some of the large defense technology firms are geared to these timelines, which doesn’t necessarily work so well with UORs. We are used to engineering highly robust special vehicles to suit a strict set of regulations within a short time frame and that expertise is very relevant to UOR-type activities,” concluded Prodrive’s head of engineering, David Hemming.