Sherp and DCD showcase innovative amphibious SHERP N ATV

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Sherp International and DCD Protected Mobility demonstrated the multi-purpose amphibious Sherp vehicle outside Heidelberg south of Johannesburg.

Invited guests rode in two Ukrainian-developed Sherp vehicles across a farm dam to demonstrate the Sherp's amphibious capabilities. Gift of the Givers, search and rescue organizations, defence attaches and representatives from the South African National Defence Force attended. On 5 May, about 50 people attended the first day of the two-day event.

In 2015, the Sherp factory in Kyiv, Ukraine, opened after the first vehicle was produced in 2012. In 2018, Sherp became an official provider for the United Nations, and in 2019, it received an award from the UN. Sherp Pro XT (known as Sherp N 1200 in North America) was launched in 2020 as an improved model.

Over a thousand vehicles have been sold worldwide to non-private companies, including NGOs and mining companies. Approximately 60% of Sherp's sales come from North America, but it also has representation in Australia, South America, Europe, the Middle East, and is now targeting Africa, with a South African tour set for April.

World Food Programme is a big user of Sherp at the United Nations. When compared to airdrops, Romaniuk said the Sherp is 75% cheaper. The Sherp is also used in Sudan by Medecins Sans Frontiers to reach remote communities.

Several countries already use the Sherp for search and rescue. The Sherp has halved response times on Morecambe Bay, the largest expanse of mudflats and sand in the UK, where Bay Search and Rescue provides rescue services.

In addition to signaling and strobe lights, cameras, GPS, searchlights, a winch, additional seats, air band radio stations, a stretcher, rescue rope, fire extinguishers, first aid kits, immersion suits, and life vests, the Sherp N 1200 is equipped with a stretcher, rescue rope, fire extinguishers, first aid kits, immersion suits, and life vests.

Additionally, the Sherp Ark trailer can be fitted with a firefighting module with hand and roof-mounted nozzles; a medical module; and a loading crane for the trailer (under development).

Sherp vehicles use parts from international manufacturers such as Swedish steel (from Docol), Korean engines (from Doosan for Sherp N 1200 and Sherp Ark), French transmissions (Renault gearboxes) and Japanese engines (from Kubota for Sherp Pro).

There are several variants of the vehicle. In 2017, the Sherp Pro was released, followed by the Sherp Ark and Sherp Shuttle in 2019, and the Sherp N 1200 in 2020. The Sherp Ark adds a 6×6 trailer to the vehicle while the Sherp Shuttle is a boat that can carry and launch two Sherp vehicles.

In addition to carrying six people, the Sherp Pro can carry more than 1 000 kilograms of payload. On land, it can reach a top speed of 40 km/h and on water, it can reach a top speed of 6 km/h. It is capable of operating in temperatures rangiFour people can be accommodated in the main vehicle and 18 in the trailer of the Sherp Ark. main vehicle and 18 in the trailer.

The event was co-hosted by DCD Protected Mobility, which is exploring the possibility of representing the vehicle. DCD Protected Mobility's General Manager Cornelius Grundling says the company is considering military applications for the vehicle and would like to engage the SA Army's engineering corps. In addition to mines, Eskom, search and rescue organizations, and others, other potential users exist.

Also on display were DCD Protected Mobility's Springbuck armoured personnel carrier and the Husky mine detection vehicle. With over 7 500 hits from mines and improvised explosive devices, the Husky has never been killed.

In West, East, North and South East Africa, especially Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger, Nigeria, Chad, Somalia and Kenya, there has been an increase in improvised explosive device (IED) threats, Grundling said. The number of militant Islamist terrorist events linked to terror groups increased by 43% in Africa in 2020, he noted, continuing an upward trend seen since 2016.

It is estimated that 13 000 people died in 2020 as a result of terrorist attacks linked to African militant Islamist groups, up by a third over the previous year. In Somalia, the Sahel, Lake Chad Basin, Mozambique, and Egypt, militant Islamist violence remains largely concentrated. Violence increased sharply in all but Egypt in 2020. Many countries, including Egypt, Kenya, Turkey, South Sudan, Nigeria and South Sudan, already use DCD vehicles in combat zones.