Send in a Guardian Angel

The Air Force is expressing interest in a robust, adverse-terrain manned ground vehicle that could be air-dropped by C-130 or C-17 transports or large helicopters into a threat area, then driven to recover isolated personnel and equipment, and subsequently used to maneuver back to friendly territory or a point of extraction by aircraft. In a notice issued to industry Oct. 9 seeking information, the service calls this concept the Guardian Angel air-deployable rescue vehicle, or GAARV, and says it potentially envisions fielding up to 96 of them. The vehicle must be capable of accommodating four crew members, two patients, plus supplies, and have an operational range of at least 100 miles when traveling at speeds of 35 miles per hour. The Air Force plans to host a GAARV industry day in the first week of November in Lake Elsinore, Calif.