Short Brothers Shorland S600 APC Built in Belfast 1995 | Season 4 – Episode 26
The Shorland S600 was the last Armoured Personnel Carrier (APC) in 1995 to be manufactured by Short Brothers in Belfast. The Short Brothers company emerged from the flying hobby of brothers Horace, Eustace and Oswald Short. Starting as self-taught pilots in 1897, they developed their hobby into a business in 1905 setting up under the railway arches at Queen’s Circus Battersea Park, London with a contract to build three balloons for the Indian army.
In 1936, the British Air Ministry established a new aircraft manufacturing facility in Belfast, forming a novel entity, Short & Harland Ltd. This company was jointly owned, with Harland and Wolff and Shorts each holding a 50% stake. Throughout World War II from a manufacturing hub in Belfast, Short Brothers, also known as ‘Shorts’ built numerous multi-engine military aircraft. Short Brothers was acquired by Bombardier in 1989 and then sold to Spirit AeroSystems in 2019. It remains the world’s oldest aircraft manufacturer with a continuous production record.
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ARMOURED CAR PRODUCTION
During the 1960s, Shorts began constructing armoured cars using commercially available Land Rover chassis. The initial vehicle, designed by Frederick Butler, using the chassis from the Series IIA Land Rover was built to fulfil the operational needs of the RUC (Royal Ulster Constabulary). They were known as the Shorland Armoured Patrol Car and were first deployed in 1966 during what was known as The Troubles in Northern Ireland.
Despite the Shorland design selling well in overseas markets, by the early 1990s the company wanted to move away from using the Land Rover chassis which was becoming out-classed and work began on a new APC to be based on a readily available commercial chassis.
The German Unimog 437 series, including the U 1550 L and U 2150 L variants introduced in 1988, was chosen. Leveraging the proven chassis, operational costs were able to be kept low with 80% parts commonality and worldwide support from Mercedes-Benz.
In 1993, the design process commenced for the welded hull of the armoured body, necessitating adjustments to certain sections of the Unimog chassis for proper alignment.
PROTOTYPES BUILT
Construction of the first two prototypes started in 1994 concluding in early 1995. By September of the same year, the new prototype made its official debut at the Royal Navy & British Army Equipment Exhibition.
The Shorts design team developed two spacious models capable of accommodating twelve individuals for various law enforcement and military purposes. The initial design, known as the ISV (Internal Security Vehicle), was built on the robust Unimog 1550 L chassis, weighing 9.5 tonnes. It featured a Mercedes-Benz 366 in-line water-cooled turbocharged diesel engine, generating 156 hp.
The IMV (Infantry Mobility Vehicle), the second version, was based on the sturdy Unimog 2150 L chassis, weighing over 12.5 tonnes. It could serve as a command unit, ambulance, or air defence weapons carrier. With room for eight passengers and three days’ supplies stored inside, it featured a more powerful 214 hp 366LA in-line engine.
It is believed that only two prototypes were completed by Shorts and in the period 1995 to ’96 they were reconfigured in several variants for testing and promotion purposes.
The IMV variant was reequipped with a 12.7 mm M2 machine gun mounted on a turret on the roof and for a time in 1996 repainted blue as a police variant, while the ISV prototype was seen sporting white UN livery.
These two prototypes were easily distinguishable from later vehicles as the corners of the frontend were rounded with later vehicles featuring square corners. Also, slatted steel louvers on the front of the prototype vehicles were square and protruded out from the body with subsequent S600s featuring larger slats.
The Shorts S600 boasted a spacious interior thanks to its short bonnet and tall superstructure. This design flexibility was amplified by its relatively simple construction, enabling customisation for a diverse range of customers. Options included different weapon stations, vision ports, air conditioning units, externally mounted spare wheels, and applique armour kits (retrofitted add-on hull or turret armour).
To facilitate easy disembarkation, the two prototypes featured three doors—one on each side and one at the back. However, production vehicles had only two doors: one at the back and one on the side, with the lower part folding down to serve as a step.
S600 VARIANTS
Many variants were envisioned and later realised for both of the Internal Security and Infantry Mobility vehicles.
The Armoured Personnel Carrier served as the base model of the S600, accommodating twelve personnel with a total payload of 3,300 kg. An ambulance variant accommodated a driver and two medical staff members. Its rear compartment could be arranged to transport either three stretcher patients or a combination of two stretcher patients and four seated patients.
The Command variant had a crew of six, comprising a driver, commander, and four radio operators, equipped to handle up to five radios. The Heavy Barricade Remover (Riot Control) had a large ram fitted to the front of the vehicle.
A High-Pressure Water Cannon Carrier variant carried a 3,000-liter tank capable of providing five minutes of continuous water jetting. The Mortar Carrier variant, manned by a crew of three—driver, mortar detachment commander, and mortar crew member—featured a BAE Systems Ro Defence 81 mm mortar firing through an opening roof hatch.
A Riot Control variant – with light barricade remover and a crew of 12 equipped police.
The Surveillance variant, manned by a four-person crew, featured a stabilised mast-mounted sensor package, including a laser range finder, radar, thermal camera, and TV camera.
The anti-hijack vehicle, developed around 2002 for the South Korean market, featured a MARS (Mobile Adjustable Ramp System) on the roof. This system enabled tactical entry and rescue operations in elevated locations such as buildings or planes.
SOLD TO BRITISH AEROSPACE AUSTRALIA
In 1996 with only two prototypes produced by Shorts, the complete Shorland range of vehicles, including the Land Rover designs were sold to British Aerospace Australia (BAE). The Australians developed a new prototype, called the Foxhound, for the Australian military’s Bushranger programme.
After BAE dropped out of the Bushranger programme, there was a further sale of twenty-two vehicles in 1997 to the Kuwaiti National Guard.
During appraisal by the Belgian Gendarmerie, the S600 design was subsequently acquired by Australian-based Tenix Defence. Under their ownership, a small number of vehicles were sold to Belgium (6), South Korea (2) and Singapore (2).
In January 2008, BAE Systems acquired Tenix Defence, bringing the S600 design back under the ownership of its former manufacturer. Despite the third change in ownership of the production line, the S600 project soldiered on, with BAE Systems Australia still offering the vehicle as of 2014.
However, by donating the remaining prototype (AS-S607-00-002) in 2019 to The National Military Vehicle Museum in Edinburgh Parks, South Australia, BAE Systems Australia has signalled that the twenty-year old S600 design has come to an end.
As of 2021, all thirty-two S600s sold are believed to still be in active service.
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Sources of information and photo credits:
Army Recognition Website
Belgian Federal Police
Creative Commons
Getty Images
Marcel Dehaeseleer
National Military Vehicle Museum in Edinburgh Parks – South Australia
Peter Brown
Police Car Models
Royal Irish Website
South Korean Military blog
Stormo Rochalie
Tanks Encyclopaedia – Shorland 600
The Shorland Site – Clive Elliot
Think Defence
