JCB Introduces High-Speed Telehandler for the Military

At the UK's Defense Vehicle Dynamics exhibition, JCB unveiled the High Mobility Variable Reach Truck (HMVRT) for the military, part of JBC's high-speed, high mobility, and logistically compatible family of military vehicles.

According to John Patterson, managing director and CEO of JCB, this machine and others unveiled at the show represent a bold step for JCB with its ability to meet the needs of the military. "We understand the ever-changing demands of modern armies, and we react with urgency," he said.

As the military increasingly requires logistics vehicles capable of convoy speeds over 50 mph, the HMVRT meets these needs by combining 50 mph speeds with a lifting capacity 12,000 pounds. The machine features a machine reach of 27 feet, allowing operators to efficiently stuff and de-stuff standard ISO contrainers either on the ground or while mounted on trucks.

The four-wheel drive vehicle is air transportable in a Hercules C-130 aircraft. Based on JCB's High Mobility Engineer Excavator (HMEE), providing technical support is eased by the use of common components. JCB reported the HMVRT was developed in only three months.

The HMVRT joins a smaller high-speed telescopic handler in JCB's military machine product line. The previously introduced 6,000-pound capacity High Mobility Rough-Terrain Forklift (HMRTF) also travels at more than 50 mph, due to its full suspension, and boasts a lift height of 17 feet.
 

JCB has supplied the military since 1984. "Since that time, JCB's relationship with the military has gone from strength to strength, and to date we have supplied 45 different defense organizations around the world with more than 3,000 machines," Patterson said.