Special vehicles based on the Mercedes W464 platform have been developed by Bielsko-Biała-based company Concept, which has specialized for years in the production of high-mobility vehicles intended for special operations and intelligence activities. Concept’s best-known platform is the Wirus IV, which serves in the Polish Armed Forces as the Żmija long-range reconnaissance vehicle (Żmija long-range reconnaissance vehicles on the border with Belarus). In addition, Concept is known for integrating its vehicles with unmanned reconnaissance-strike systems and remotely controlled weapon stations.
Vehicles developed by Concept. From left: Wirus SOF, a multipurpose armored patrol vehicle based on the Mercedes W464, and Żmija / Photos: Jakub Link-Lenczowski, MILMAG
The next step in the development of Concept’s portfolio is the creation of a family of armed and armored patrol vehicles based on the Mercedes W464 chassis. Vehicles of this type are intended both for military purposes and for state services such as the Police or the Border Guard.
During the presentation in Nowa Dęba, the MILMAG editorial team had the opportunity to test the latest configuration developed by Concept:
Video: Tadeusz Jakiliński, Jakub Link-Lenczowski, MILMAG
Due to the requirements of vehicle approval regulations in the European Union, the use of “civilian” vehicle versions for special purposes entails a number of challenges and limitations, mainly related to equipment associated with safety systems and exhaust emissions. Formally, these requirements do not apply to vehicles intended for the military and uniformed services, but the integration of these systems into vehicle designs is so extensive that disabling or removing them requires very deep interference in the vehicle’s design and, in some cases, is impossible without changes to the software of individual systems. For this reason, Mercedes-Benz decided to build a new version of the G Professional line as a separate model, with the option of ordering a range of features required by military customers as factory equipment (Concept presents Mercedes 463 for Special Forces).
Concept is preparing its vehicles to support dismounted infantry units. This may involve either remotely controlled weapon stations or machine guns and grenade launchers mounted on a ring mount. The photo shows a 12.7 mm WKM-B heavy machine gun manufactured by Zakłady Mechaniczne Tarnów.
Ballistic protection elements safeguarding the crew are essential equipment for military vehicles. Due to the need to adapt armor elements to the vehicle’s functional requirements and intended role, these components are not available as factory equipment, but G350 W464 vehicles have many features that facilitate the installation of ballistic protection. Concept has developed ballistic protection systems for all currently offered W474 vehicle versions. This was possible thanks to cooperation with the leading armor manufacturer PSO Maskpol. In the case of special-purpose vehicles, ballistic protection may take the form of either soft mats mounted inside the vehicle or hard ceramic panels. Vehicles protected in this way shield the crew from small-arms fire, fragments, and anti-personnel mine blasts.
The protection package includes the use of armored glass
For obvious reasons, in the case of vehicles with a GVW of between 3.5 and 5 metric tons, protection against fire from heavy-caliber and armor-piercing rounds is not possible. Protection at that level is provided by MRAP-class vehicles or wheeled armored personnel carriers. At the same time, however, their considerable curb weight, dimensions, and performance — closer to those of trucks — mean that they have a lower ability to operate covertly, making them an easy target for unmanned systems whose capabilities today allow even heavily armored vehicles to be effectively eliminated.
To ensure the highest possible payload and mobility, the ballistic protection systems offered for W464 vehicles have been made using modern lightweight materials, such as plastic panels and ceramic-composite materials, soft armor made of aramid fibers, and modern ballistic glass.
Already in the basic Station Wagon body version with a GVW of 3.5 metric tons (BA6 version), the vehicle has a payload of approximately 1 metric ton and a body structure that facilitates the installation of ballistic protection, including flat windows, a simple bulkhead, and doors and body elements without pressings or rounded shapes. This made it possible to develop a ballistic protection system providing protection against handgun fire, 9 mm caliber.
Side door armor element
The available Station Wagon body version of the vehicle (BA6 version), with a GVW of 4.5 metric tons, already has a payload of approximately 1.9 metric tons, enabling the integration of Level 1 armor according to STANAG 4569 A and mine protection shielding the floor against fragments and anti-personnel mines.
Another version of the vehicle is the chassis cab (BA9 version), with an increased wheelbase and a GVW of 4.9 metric tons, which made it possible to develop a variant with a complete crew cab designed by Concept. In this version, the vehicle is available in two variants. The first, built as a partially armored vehicle, is intended for special forces. In this variant, the body was designed so that the driver’s cab is integrated with the cargo area, allowing additional seats to be installed in the cargo section, stretchers to be carried, or specialized variants to be fitted out. The body has lightweight ballistic protection, partly removable, providing ballistic protection for critical vehicle components to VR7 level according to VPAM BRV 2009, as well as mine protection for the driver’s cab floor against fragments and anti-personnel mines.
The second vehicle variant is fitted with a double four-door crew cab armored to Level 1 according to STANAG 4569 A and mine protection to Level 1 according to STANAG 4569 B. The cargo area for this variant can be configured as an open “flatbed” or as an enclosed container.