Case Study: Saxon ABS Brake Upgrade

Extending the service life and capability of a defence vehicle

Saxon is a versatile wheeled Armoured vehicle.  It entered service with the British Army in around 1980 and offers protection against small arms fire.  In it's standard configuration it weighs just over 10 tonnes.  The MOD had a requirement to add equipment to the standard vehicle increasing its weight considerably.  This led to concerns over its braking performance.  MIRA were set the challenge of implementing a brake upgrade.

A variant of the Saxon APC at MIRA

MIRA's Solution:

The engineers in MIRA's braking department decided to replace the entire braking system with a modern ABS system operating uprated air-actuated drum brakes.

MIRA conducted the upgrade in a vehicle workshop at the Nuneaton main site.

Results:

Saxon vehicle with MIRA upgraded brake system braking on one a low friction surface on MIRA's proving ground.

Customer Benefits:

MIRA's solution enabled the vehicle to operate with a laden weight of over 14 tonnes, giving the Saxon vehicle a new lease of life.