An Cosantóir

An Cosantóir January / February 2024 www.military.ie/magazine 32 | TRACK-ABLE T The Bandvagn Bv206 at an initial glance is a some- what small, ugly box-type vehicle, but with some 11,000 units produced (in many variants) and oper- ated by more than 35 armed forces and industry worldwide, it has over the last 30 years proven itself as a versatile and reliable workhorse. Irish soldiers who have served in Liberia, Chad and during the Nordic Battlegroup Exercise would have seen the Bv206 (infantry variant) in operation with other Armed Forces. In 2008, for just over €3million the Defence Forces purchased an Air Defence equipment package from the Norwegian Defence Logistics Organisation (NDLO) that included: seven Giraffe Mk4 Radars (mounted in the Bv206s); six RBS70 Firing Systems, five RBS70 Clip On Night Devices; 40 RBS70 Mk2 Missiles; 16 Kongsberg Multi-role Radios; 20 Weapon Terminals and a RBS70 Simulator. The associated Ordnance, CIS, Transports and conversion training courses, plus manuals were also included. The new vehicles, now painted in the Defence Forces livery are designated the 'Giraffe Mk4 Radar', as the radar is housed in the rear compartment of the Bv206. The seven Giraffe Mk4 Radars (five operational and two spare) will provide the primary Low Level Air Defence (LLAD) radar for the RBS70 Missile System currently in service. The Giraffe Mk4 Radar will replace the sole Giraffe Mk2 Radar, which was mounted on a truck and Last year, 1 Air Def Regt added an all-terrain, tracked Air Defence Radar vehicle to its inventory, which will enhance the unit's capabilities in guarding vital Irish installations from Air attack. Sgt David Nagle reports… was in service since the mid-80s. The Giraffe Mk4 Radar has a three- man crew: a Combat Leader, a Radar Operator and a Driver. When in operation, the vehicle is stationary and the rear compartment has four extendable legs that give the crew a stable platform to raise the radar mast to a height of 6.7m. Currently, 1 Air Def Regt has one Missile Troop as part of 1 Air Def Bty located in the DFTC and it trains the majority of PDF personnel on the RBS70 System. Though the structure of the Missile Troop will not change, the unit now has the operational capability to deploy a number of Giraffe Mk4 Radars at any one time and at different locations. This will enhance the unit in carrying out its main operational tasks in providing Aid to the Civil Power Air Defence cover at our main airports and vital installations as required. The Giraffe Mk4 Radar is a more sophisticated system than its Mk2 predecessor. Made by Ericsson, it was first integrated into the Bv206 as part of the Norwegian Army Low Level Air Defence (LLAD) System. The seven Giraffe Mk4 Radars (five operational and two spare) will provide the primary Low Level Air Defence (LLAD) radar for the RBS70 Missile System currently in service. 00-An Cos-MAY-09 (p8-18) 13/05/2009 16:02 Page 14 32 | FROM THE ARCHIVES An Cosantóir Volume 69 , Issue, 04, May 2009

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