Raising Ride Height of British Army Warrior Infantry Fighting Vehicle

Tinsley Bridge was approached by BAE Systems to see if there was a way to raise ride height of the British Army Warrior Infantry Fighting Vehicle at its increased protection weight, with minimal component changes and with the need to maintain mobility.

There was a tight timescale as ongoing deployment necessitated a fast upgrade.

In a development project between Tinsley Bridge and BAE Systems, a new high-strength steel, Extralite™, was proposed to replace the standard steel suspension torsion bar. The steel is unique to Tinsley Bridge and was initially developed for use in high strength leaf springs where the steel was used mainly in ‘tension’.

Development and testing of the torsion bars was completed in less than five months; a time frame which included extensive field trials conducted by the Army. The vehicle now features improved cross-country mobility, ride and handling to work at its best in the challenging Afghan terrain, and the extra height also improves crew protection from mine blast.

The Warrior was the only tracked infantry vehicle in theatre and so can get to places that wheeled vehicles cannot, enabling the infantry to engage the enemy more effectively in difficult terrain. The improvements to the vehicles have increased the protection of troops in IED strikes.

Other torsion bar applications supplied include the British Army Bulldog/FV430 series as well as development and introduction of the torsion bar suspension for the General Dynamics Force Protection Foxhound (Ocelot) vehicle.