K175
SAS Longline Light Strike Vehicle

SAS Longline Light Strike Vehicle

The Longline Light Strike Vehicle (LSV) was born out of an Urgent Operational Requirement (UOR) for a fast lightweight strike platform for use behind enemy lines. Built and tested in the run up to the 1991 liberation of Kuwait for the purposes of ‘Scud Busting’ deep behind enemy lines.

Designated Ground Mobile Weapon Platform (GMWP) by the MOD the LSV was a tubular space frame vehicle with torsion bar suspension derived from Volkswagen parts. Powered by a 1.9 ltr petrol engine of flat 4 configuration and rear mounted for low centre of gravity and handling.

Mk1 vehicles were rear wheel drive, Mk2 (only 5 produced) were 4 wheel drive and Mk3 were 4 wheel drive with a re-designed rear end build around a 1.9ltr VW TDI diesel engine tilted to one side to reduce its overall height.

In practice the vehicle was found to lack the carrying capacity for long range desert operations and after the conflict the vehicles were passed on to 24 Air Mobile Brigade where full road legal lights were added as well as strengthening the frame and up-rating the suspension.

This kit covers only the 2 wheel drive SAS variant as tested at the time of the Gulf War. This vehicle had a crew of 2 sitting in fibre glass bucket seats and had a .50 cal HMG fitted in a Vinghog soft mount.

Designed by Rob Tearle, this kit is our first to have been almost entirely designed in a digital format allowing us to 3D print highly detailed and robust masters. Many thanks to Tim Perry for his boundless enthusiasm for good design and all things 3D printed and to Ian Young who’s brilliantly preserved vehicle was made available for us to research.