Demountable Rack Offload and Pickup System
Encyclopedia
Demountable Rack Offload and Pickup System (DROPS) is a family of logistics vehicles operated by the British Army
, which currently consists of two vehicle types:
Both are able to transport 15-tonne flatracks or containers and to load/offload them in seconds. Both may be fitted with Side Rail Transfer Equipment (SRTE) for loading/unloading railway wagons.
, by a wide cross-section of the UK engineering industry. It was by far the most detailed, searching and expensive selection process ever undertaken for a British Army logistic system and never before had wheeled vehicles been required to transport such large loads over such demanding cross-country conditions.
The provisionally selected vehicles were extensively trialled for a year by a specially-formed trials unit, before both the unit and the MOD were completely satisfied that they met the Army's requirements in all respects. Because of the finance controls placed on the MOD by the Treasury, all DROPS vehicles and equipment were limited in their design to operate effectively only in NATO's European climatic conditions of temperature and humidity, and as such both variants were only available in left hand drive only. It has, therefore, been a challenging engineering problem to ensure that they have performed extremely well under war conditions in an environment for which they were specifically not designed - the desert!
6speed automatic gearbox and Kirkstall axles.
In February 1987 the company learnt that its tender for 1,522 such vehicles was successful, but that as Leyland group had been purchased by DAF NV
of Holland, that the S26 would be built at the Leyland factory in Leyland, Lancashire
, allowing complete closure of Scammell's Watford
site. Leyland eventually produced 1,421 MMLC vehicles, plus a number of vehicle cabs ordered as spares. Due to damage, the entire MoD stock of spare cabs has now been exhausted.
During the 1st Gulf War
, the vehicles suffered from sand ingress, which resulted in a total failure of the engine plant. A modification was made quickly introduced to raise the air intake to avoid the sand ingress. During the 2002, the fleet underwent a major midlife upgrade/refurbishment. This included the introduction of an ABS braking system. The MMLC had two trailer types, (known as King & Queen trailers) specifically designed to carry the same load pallet which was transferred from the main vehicle.The Queen trailer was supplied by Reynolds Boughton but the King trailer was indeed supplied by King Trailers who have since 1962 been the UK's biggest manufacturer of trailers for specialist loads. The Leyland DAF MMLC vehicles were mainly issued to the Royal Corps of Transport
(RCT), later to become Royal Logistic Corps
(RLC), however a number of these vehicles were provided to other units along with the RAF Regiment
.
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.
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
, which currently consists of two vehicle types:
- Leyland DAFLeyland DAFLeyland DAF was a commercial vehicle manufacturing company based in the United Kingdom, and a division of DAF NV. In 1993 DAF NV became insolvent and Leyland DAF went into receivership.-History:...
Medium Mobility Load Carrier (MMLC) - FodenFodenFoden may refer to:* Ben Foden , English rugby union player* Giles Foden , British author* Wendy Foden, South African conservation biologist- See also :* Edwin Foden, Sons & Co., a former British truck and bus manufacturer...
Improved Medium Mobility Load Carrier (IMMLC)
Both are able to transport 15-tonne flatracks or containers and to load/offload them in seconds. Both may be fitted with Side Rail Transfer Equipment (SRTE) for loading/unloading railway wagons.
Specification and procurement
Leyland and Foden vehicles mounting Multilift loading equipment were selected from designs submitted to the Ministry of DefenceMinistry of Defence (United Kingdom)
The Ministry of Defence is the United Kingdom government department responsible for implementation of government defence policy and is the headquarters of the British Armed Forces....
, by a wide cross-section of the UK engineering industry. It was by far the most detailed, searching and expensive selection process ever undertaken for a British Army logistic system and never before had wheeled vehicles been required to transport such large loads over such demanding cross-country conditions.
The provisionally selected vehicles were extensively trialled for a year by a specially-formed trials unit, before both the unit and the MOD were completely satisfied that they met the Army's requirements in all respects. Because of the finance controls placed on the MOD by the Treasury, all DROPS vehicles and equipment were limited in their design to operate effectively only in NATO's European climatic conditions of temperature and humidity, and as such both variants were only available in left hand drive only. It has, therefore, been a challenging engineering problem to ensure that they have performed extremely well under war conditions in an environment for which they were specifically not designed - the desert!
MMLC
Introduced in early 1990s, the truck was a military development of the commercial Leyland T45 Roadtrain. As the company had entrusted to Scammell the development of the commercial 8legged variant (S24 Constructor range), the military variant was developed as the Scammell S26. Initially developed for the 1986 DROPS trials as a 6x6, the final 8x6 S26 had a Rolls Royce Perkins 500 Eagle engine (as used in the Challenger 1 main battle tank; 26 litre diesel @ 1200 hp), ZFZF Friedrichshafen
ZF Friedrichshafen AG, also known as ZF Group, and commonly abbreviated to ZF, is a German public company headquartered in Friedrichshafen, in the south-west German region of Baden-Württemberg....
6speed automatic gearbox and Kirkstall axles.
In February 1987 the company learnt that its tender for 1,522 such vehicles was successful, but that as Leyland group had been purchased by DAF NV
DAF NV
DAF NV was a commercial vehicle manufacturing company based in the Netherlands and the United Kingdom. In 1993 DAF NV became insolvent.-History:...
of Holland, that the S26 would be built at the Leyland factory in Leyland, Lancashire
Leyland, Lancashire
Leyland is a town in the South Ribble borough of Lancashire, England, approximately six miles south of the city of Preston.Throughout the 20th and 21st century, the community has seen a large growth in industry, population and farming, due to the establishment of Leyland Motors, housing...
, allowing complete closure of Scammell's Watford
Watford
Watford is a town and borough in Hertfordshire, England, situated northwest of central London and within the bounds of the M25 motorway. The borough is separated from Greater London to the south by the urbanised parish of Watford Rural in the Three Rivers District.Watford was created as an urban...
site. Leyland eventually produced 1,421 MMLC vehicles, plus a number of vehicle cabs ordered as spares. Due to damage, the entire MoD stock of spare cabs has now been exhausted.
During the 1st Gulf War
Gulf War
The Persian Gulf War , commonly referred to as simply the Gulf War, was a war waged by a U.N.-authorized coalition force from 34 nations led by the United States, against Iraq in response to Iraq's invasion and annexation of Kuwait.The war is also known under other names, such as the First Gulf...
, the vehicles suffered from sand ingress, which resulted in a total failure of the engine plant. A modification was made quickly introduced to raise the air intake to avoid the sand ingress. During the 2002, the fleet underwent a major midlife upgrade/refurbishment. This included the introduction of an ABS braking system. The MMLC had two trailer types, (known as King & Queen trailers) specifically designed to carry the same load pallet which was transferred from the main vehicle.The Queen trailer was supplied by Reynolds Boughton but the King trailer was indeed supplied by King Trailers who have since 1962 been the UK's biggest manufacturer of trailers for specialist loads. The Leyland DAF MMLC vehicles were mainly issued to the Royal Corps of Transport
Royal Corps of Transport
The Royal Corps of Transport was a British Army Corps formed in 1965 from the transport elements of the Royal Army Service Corps and the movement control element of the Royal Engineers . The depot was Buller Barracks in Aldershot...
(RCT), later to become Royal Logistic Corps
Royal Logistic Corps
The Royal Logistic Corps provides logistic support functions to the British Army. It is the largest Corps in the Army, comprising around 17% of its strength...
(RLC), however a number of these vehicles were provided to other units along with the RAF Regiment
RAF Regiment
The Royal Air Force Regiment is a specialist airfield defence corps founded by Royal Warrant in 1942. After a 32 week trainee gunner course, its members are trained and equipped to prevent a successful enemy attack in the first instance; minimise the damage caused by a successful attack; and...
.
IMMLC
Production of the Foden IMMLCs began in January 1994. 404 were introduced. These vehicles were primarily supplied to the Royal Artillery in support of the AS90 . These vehicles differed significantly from the Leyland DAF variants, notably with Foden cabs, but with increased ground clearance, and Perkins (Shrewsbury) Eagle 350 MX diesel engines. The IMMLC vehicles again had a specifically designed trailer, for the transportation of replacement engines for the AS90.Replacement
As both vehicles are now out of commercial production, resulting in vastly reduced and resultantly higher cost spares provision, and taking into account the wider geographic nature of modern British Army deployment, the MOD is presently developing a replacement under the Enhanced Pallet Load System (EPLS), which will be based on the 15 tonne MANMAN Truck & Bus
MAN Truck & Bus AG is the largest subsidiary of the MAN SE corporation and one of the leading international providers of commercial vehicles. Headquartered in Munich, Germany, MAN Truck & Bus produces trucks in the range from 7.49 to 44 t gvw, heavy goods vehicles up to 250 t road train gvw,...
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MAN SX
The MAN SX is a family of high-mobility off-road trucks made by MAN SE, derived from the MAN KAT1. MAN claims it is the most mobile and reliable truck on earth.There are 8x8, 6x6, and 4x4 variants. All are air-transportable by C-130 Hercules...
.