In an award announced 17 January, 2013, the US Air Force has selected the HDT Storm SRTV as the Guardian Angel Air-Deployable Rescue Vehicle. As you may recall, the GAARV is an airdroppable, all terrain vehicle designed to transport Guardian Angel Weapon System members which consists of the Combat Rescue Officer (CRO), Pararescue (PJ), and SERE careerfields and their patients/survivors out of bad guy territory. As PJs are the guys who generally do this for a living, it will be for their use.
It’s good to see that the Storm SRTV won considering they have been chasing this requirement from the beginning. Since we first wrote about this BC Customs design, HDT purchased the rights and saw it through to the win.
Unfortunately, I don’t have a photo yet of the exact model that won but this is a photo of a Storm variant and looking back at the earlier BC Customs photos should give you a good idea of how this went.
If only we could get these in the Cav.
I have GOT to get one of those for driving around town!
It looks cool but where do the patients go? On those fold down things on the side? God I hope not. Maybe the back is just filled up with junk in that photo.
Really want to see what version of this they go with. Definitely needs some litter racks on the inside not outside. I like the way the old Ranger MEDSOV was laid out, apparently the Land Rover just wasnt the correct platform. I wonder if we could get one for our SOT Medic program…hmmm!
If you look at the picture carefully you will see a fold up litter basket, a back board with neck restraint and a third fold up litter. I talked to these guys at AUSA and they said the “junk” in the back are the Rescue kits and they can be stowed on the fold down sides or on front hood or bumper. The two or three litters go on the rear deck with two crew in the fold down sets, also in the picture attending and the ROP (roll over protection), which is shown folded down in this picture, is raised to protect the two crew attending the patients in the back. Very well thought out if you ask me. Wish we had a few.