Defence Security

Tyron receives new ATR-Carbon order

Posted 24 January 2022

Tyron Runflat Ltd has doubled production of its All-Terrain Runflat (ATR) Carbon system as it prepares to deliver full vehicle sets to an international armoured vehicle manufacturer.

Image courtesy Tyron

This second order for the ATR-Carbon system includes full sets for the vehicle prototype, test vehicles and the first vehicle batch.

The patented ATR-Carbon is a re-designed version of Tyron’s ATR-Multi-Piece (ATR-MP) runflat. The ATR-Carbon has a carbon fibre spine in place of the ATR-MP’s metal spine, which reduces the total runflat weight by 40% – making it the lightest rubber runflat on the market.

By helping to reduce the overall weight of the vehicle, the ATR-Carbon improves rotational mass, meeting growing demand for lightweight solutions for military vehicles, particularly hybrid and electric armoured vehicles. It also retains the operational advantages of the original system, enabling vehicles to retain mobility and return safely to base following tyre strike caused by ballistic attack or rapid deflation.

“The biggest challenge for manufacturers of hybrid and electric military wheeled vehicles is the inertia required to accelerate a vehicle from standstill. This can be the greatest drain on the power source, limiting operational range between charges,” Peter Simson, Director, Tyron Runflat, said. “So what we are hearing from the key design and development engineers is the need for innovative solutions to reduce the weight of the vehicle, and in particular the un-sprung mass. The ATR-Carbon is designed to do exactly this.

“As it is 40% lighter than standard systems, that can result in a 250kg unsprung weight reduction on an 8x8 armoured fighting vehicle – that is significant when every kg counts.”

As a multi-piece runflat, the ATR-Carbon does not require a hydraulic press to squeeze the runflat in and out of the tyre, making it field-mountable and demountable and minimising the logistics footprint of armoured vehicles.

Tyron is exhibiting its full range of All Terrain Rubber (ATR) Runflats at IAV 2022, including its patented multi-piece unit, the ATR-MP, currently being delivered for the British Army’s Ridgback and Mastiff vehicle upgrade programme; low-cost ATR Single Piece; and ATR-Custom for vehicles fitted with standard single piece wheels.