The newest vehicle in Canada’s armed forces fleet gets going about 90 km/h on the highway before its massive wheels start to wobble.
Of course, it likely won’t be used much on highways.
Vernon-based B.C. Dragoons received seven more Tactical Armoured Patrol Vehicles (TAPV) at its armoury Tuesday morning.
“They’re fun,” said Capt. Jeff Daley, adjutant/operations officer with the B.C. Dragoons as the vehicles arrived individually safely strapped to a Bassani Transportation Services Inc. trailer.
“We call the drivers TAPV pilots. They have lots of switches and buttons inside them.”
Master Cpls Thomas Fisher and Brandon Ingram, both from Kelowna, had the honour of taking the first two TAPV off the trucks and driving them inside the large armoury garage.
“I’ve had about 10 days of training on them,” said Fisher. “We drove over different types of terrain and had them out on the highway.”
Added Daley: “We can train on them so we can augment the regular force.”
The B.C. Dragoons are currently recruiting, a process that involves screening and testing.
“I can hire like 70 guys,” said Daley. “McDonald’s can’t do that. Tim Hortons can’t do that. The brilliant thing about the reserves is you don’t have to deploy.”
Join now and train over the summer, and Daley says a person would be learning to drive the TAPV by fall.
roger@vernonmorningstar.com
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