Potential for Ukraine: US Demonstrate X-MAV Ground-Based Launcher for Tomahawk

Oshkosh Defense has introduced a family of self-propelled FMAV (Family of Multi-mission Autonomous Vehicles) launchers for a wide range of missile weapons, including Tomahawk cruise missiles.

Naval News reported the news.

The family includes several variants, the most interesting of which is the X-MAV (Extreme Multi-mission Autonomous Vehicle) – a launcher for cruise missiles.

The combat vehicle is built on a 5×5 chassis. There is only one such chassis in Oshkosh’s arsenal – the HEMTT (Heavy Expanded Mobility Tactical Truck), which is also the basis for other products of the company: LVSR (Logistics Vehicle System Replacement) and Palletized Load System (PLS).

The X-MAV is equipped with an armored two-seater cabin and a hydraulically lifted launcher designed to accommodate four cruise missile launch modules. The launch in this system is performed at an angle.

This design is in stark contrast to the Typhon system, or Strategic Mid-range Fires System (SMRF) from Lockheed Martin.

Lockheed’s product also uses the HEMTT chassis, but the launcher is designed as a long 12-meter ISO container that houses four Mark 41 shipboard launchers. In the Typhon, the cells are hydraulically lifted out of the container into a vertical position.

The advantage of the X-MAV is its compactness: it has significantly smaller dimensions, weight, better mobility and is easier to camouflage due to its relatively small size.

In addition, it is easier to reload and operate due to its compact design.

The public demonstration of this system opens up another realistic option for Ukraine to put into service Tomahawk cruise missiles, which currently have no ground-based launchers.

Previously, when only the Typhon system was considered for service, the likelihood of transferring these systems was low, as they are few in number and a new land launcher would have to be developed or certified.

Instead, the availability of an off-the-shelf solution such as the X-MAV means that there is an alternative platform that could potentially be integrated and put into service in Ukraine more quickly.

Other vehicles in the FMAV family

Along with the X-MAV, several other models were presented – the medium M-MAV (Medium Multi-Mission Autonomous Vehicle) on the FMTV A2 chassis and the lightweight Light Multi-Mission Autonomous Vehicle (L-MAV) platform.

It is designed to accommodate MFOM and AFOM launchers for high-precision missiles of the GMLRS (Guided Multiple Launch Rocket System) family, ATACMS ballistic missiles, including the latest PrSM.

The L-MAV, in turn, is equipped with Switchblade 600 kamikaze drones and the BlueHalo Titan anti-drone electronic warfare system.