Eurosatory 2022: Horstman and Textron team up to integrate HydroCore suspension on M5 UGV

The HydroCore suspension will be tested on Textron Systems M5 unmanned ground vehicle (UGV). (Textron Systems)

Horstman Group has signed a teaming agreement with Textron Systems to test its new HydroCore suspension system on Textron's M5 Robotic Vehicle (RV), the company announced at Eurosatory 2022 in Paris.

Speaking to Janes, Ian Pain, CEO of Horstman Group, explained that HydroCore is designed to meet customer demand for a suspension that is ”upgradeable in affordable increments in a controlled logistics footprint”.

Developed over a period of two years using internal funding, HydroCore is intended to supersede Horstman's Hydrostrut series. According to Pain, as part of Horstman's Scalable Mobility Architecture, the same basic design used by HydroCore could be scaled to provide commonality to a range of vehicle series, with the system capable of being used on light tactical vehicles, 8×8s, and potentially tracked vehicles.

The scalability of HydroCore is also designed to facilitate the integration of new technology, such as Horstman’s ride height control system (RHCS), an Active Damping upgrade kit and a fully active suspension system that Horstman claims can reduce the absorbed energy entering the vehicle by up to two-thirds compared with a passive suspension. The latter would enable a smoother ride at increased speeds across difficult terrain.

While incorporating this technology was possible with Horstman's previous suspension products, Pain said that it ”used to be very expensive … and more than you'd want to pay on a normal platform”. In contrast, Pain emphasised that the HydroCore can be incrementally upgraded across its lifespan without necessarily having to return it to the factory.