GRIZZLY

PRUEBAS DEL MRAP GRIZZLY 6X6 DE BLACKWATER

Loospter ha publicado en el Foro de Inteligencia las fotos y notas de las pruebas de la variante 6x6 del MRAP Grizzly que fabrica la empresa Blackwater. Loopster menciona que se puede tratar de una variante de mando o de una versión realizada según especificaciones del SOCOM.

Información del nuevo Grizzly proporcionada por Blackwater a través de Blackwater Alumni Association. ( Loopster, gracias por la info ).

The Latest Grizzly Variant is Tested on OBX Dunes By Eric R. Poole “ I know a place,” says famed Grave Digger creator, owner and driver Dennis Anderson. “We’re going to go out to a place I call ’Little Africa’ on the Outer Banks of North Carolina. We can run along the beach and climb a bunch of dunes with this thing.” A monster truck driver since 1981, Dennis and his many ‘Grave Diggers’ have a lot in common with Blackwater’s Grizzly. Although the Grizzly doesn’t look much like a Grave Digger monster truck, it does share commonalities that makes this experience special. The first of each were created in an old garage with a lot of trial and error. Anderson pieced together his early monster trucks from discarded vehicles and testing ideas on making a vehicle of large proportions more dynamic. The first Grizzly prototypes were built on Ford, Chevy and bus chassis, none providing the right solution. Both the Grizzly and the Grave Digger feature center drive, meaning that Dennis feels right at home while crushing everything in his path. In a recent visit, Anderson brought a film crew from Monster Jam and toured the manufacturing plant at Blackwater’s headquarters in Moyock, N.C. It wasn’t long before he jumped inside to get familiar with the 20-ton armored personnel carrier. “Hop inside and let’s go!” A few Blackwater manufacturing employees came along for the ride and was shocked as to how quickly he became comfortable driving it. Once peeling out of facility, he ended up pushing the latest six-wheeled version of Blackwater’s Grizzly along the highway at speed until reaching the outer banks. “You can’t drive that car where we’re going, you better climb into the Grizzly,” he says to those of us who followed in a mid-size car. We drove out onto the beach where he pushed the Grizzly along the sand at more than 55 miles-per-hour. “We’ve got about 10 more miles and it’s going to get thick. A lot of trucks get stuck out here.” We stopped and dropped the tire pressure down to 25 pounds for traction in the dunes. With more than 40,000 pounds resting on six tires, Blackwater engineers were excited to see that the Grizzly never bogged down. Upon arrival to the northern part of the outer banks, we had already witnessed the Grizzly manage rigorous driving through sand and mud. Anderson wasn’t afraid to push this vehicle up steep and unsteady inclines or along the water. “Alright get out and be prepared to take some pictures of the Grizzly on the other side of that dune,” Dennis says as he points of in the distance. We piled over and stood off the road with our cameras ready. What was once a quiet moment of ocean air coming in off a calm breeze was nterrupted by the sounds of a diesel engine being throttled. Showing its underbelly, someone next to me exclaimed, “Look at that! He’s almost got both front wheels off the ground!” The evening fell on a long afternoon watching Anderson drive the Grizzly like a monster truck. It seemed as though he was a kid with a new toy as he crashed over trees and bushes and jumped from one dune to another. He’s known for awe-inspiring free-style jumps and crashes. Watching him pound the Grizzly caused me to wonder if he treated every vehicle he owns this way. Before handing the keys back to Blackwater, he concluded “That’s about as much fun as someone in my business can have.” From Blackwater Manufacturing’s perspective, “The Grizzly has never been driven that way.” To survive a day with the Grave Digger, it only makes sense that a vehicle is built as tough as the Blackwater Grizzly.