Armoured vehicle

Abstract

An armored vehicle is provided having an armored driver's cab ( 2, 3 ) with a lower armored portion ( 2 ) and a chassis including a pair of longitudinally extending rails ( 18, 19 ). The lower armored portion of the cab ( 2 ) is structurally integral with the rails ( 18, 19 ) whereby to form an integral part of the chassis.

1 . An armored vehicle having a driver's cab with a lower armored portion and a chassis including a longitudinally extending rail, wherein the lower armored portion is structurally integral with the rail whereby to form an integral part of the chassis. 
     
     
         2 . An armored vehicle as in  claim 1  in which the chassis includes two rails. 
     
     
         3 . An armored vehicle as in  claim 1  in which the lower armored portion extends along the rail. 
     
     
         4 . An armored vehicle as in  claim 3  in which the lower armored portion extends above the rail. 
     
     
         5 . An armored vehicle as in  claim 1  in which the lower armored portion abuts an end of the rail. 
     
     
         6 . An armored vehicle as in  claim 5  in which the lower armored portion includes a floor having a footwell. 
     
     
         7 . An armored vehicle as in  claim 6  in which the rail extends underneath the floor and abuts the footwell at the end of the rail. 
     
     
         8 . An armored vehicle as in  claim 7  in which the footwell provides a lower forward extremity to the vehicle adapted directly to contact obstacles encountered in forward motion by the cab of the vehicle before being encountered by wheels thereof and to enable a front portion of the vehicle to ride over the obstacle. 
     
     
         9 . An armored vehicle as in  claim 8  in which the chassis includes two said rails structurally attached in spaced relationship to a tubular transmission tunnel and coextending therewith, the tunnel being adapted to provide torsional stiffness to the chassis. 
     
     
         10 . An armored vehicle as in  claim 9 , in which the transmission tunnel includes a buffer at a forward extremity thereof positioned to contact a said obstacle sequentially with the footwell whereby to facilitate passage of the vehicle over the obstacle. 
     
     
         11 . An armored vehicle as  claim 1  in which the lower armored portion includes a forward bulkhead of the cab. 
     
     
         12 . An armored vehicle as in  claim 1  in which the lower armored portion includes a rear and side wall of the cab. 
     
     
         13 . An armored vehicle as in  claim 1  in which the lower armored portion of the cab includes seating and controls for at least engine, steering, brakes and gears of the vehicle, the cab including a removable optionally armored element, wherein the removable element may be removed without disturbing the seating and controls.