Outback military radio

History

With 964 built plus 208 winch-equipped examples it was the single most numerous Outback variant of all.

Deliveries of the 4x4s began in August 1987. Of the 3,023 4x4s built, the Fitted For Radio variants were far and away the largest single group - 964 'Truck, Utility, Lightweight, FFR, MC2' (liability code 73000) and a further 208 'Truck, Utility, Lightweight, FFR, Winch, MC2' (73010), more than a third of the whole 4x4 programme. What separates an FFR from the general service Outback is almost entirely electrical. REMLR's variant sheet records an auxiliary 28-volt system with two banks of batteries carried beneath the tray floor, one on each side of the vehicle and reached through side access doors; a power distribution panel mounted against the front bulkhead; and mounting holes provided for in-service and RAVEN radio sets. Mounts for four antennae are fixed to the sides of the tray with access holes through the side panels and matching cut-outs in the canopy, and the canvas tilt gets an additional blackout liner so the crew can work the sets at night without showing light. Externally the give-aways are that scooped, half-height fixed tailgate and the pairs of angled antenna-base shrouds on each side of the tub. Payload is 1,000 kg (900 kg with a winch fitted) made up of radio equipment and two radio operators, on an unladen mass of 2,280 kg and a 3,200 kg GVM, with a 900 kg trailer permitted; the winch version carries the Thomas T8000M.