What looks like the ultimate video game vehicle comes to life in the next generation of combat vehicles for the Israeli Defense Forces. Israeli Military Industries has been working on developing this concept scout vehicle known as the Combat Guard. The Combat Guard (CG) is designed to combine the combat attributes of a Bradley Assault Vehicle with the off-road performance of a Trophy Truck.

As near as we can tell, the engineers took the Warthog from Halo and combined it with an off-road racing Trophy truck. With 54-inch tires and three feet of ground clearance, the CG is capable of clearing any terrain and fighting anywhere in the world. The CG is a joint development project between the Israeli Military Industries (the makers of the Uzi and the Galil) and Ido Off Road Center that produced the Zibar racer as well as a few other lightweight military scout vehicles.

Designers made sure the CG design was a clean-sheet project developed for combat first and off-road performance second so the chassis of the vehicle wouldn’t wear under prolonged combat stress like previous attempts at converting civilian vehicles for combat. They wanted CG to be rugged enough to tackle both rough terrain as well as perform with mobility under enemy fire.

Powered by a 6.5L GM Cobra Diesel engine that puts out 300 HP, the CG can reach speeds of up to 95 MPH on road and 75 MPH off road. The truck has 90 degree approach and departure angles, can climb slopes as steep as 70 degrees, and is able to navigate through five feet of water. It also has the ability to clear two-and-a-half-foot tall obstacles, making it an excellent platform for urban war zones.

The interior of the CG is able to seat eight armed soldiers. The floor is elevated high above the truck’s bottom using a V-shaped underbelly. This has been done for increased blast absorbing capabilities to withstand the IEDs that are a major threat in today’s modern battlefields.

The CG is equipped with the IMS/General Dynamics Bright Arrow weapons and defense system which utilizes a medium or light machine gun. This gun operates via flat panel display and a joystick inside of the cockpit. Bright Arrow also employes an electro-optical jammer which blinds enemy targeting systems. If the enemy gets a shot off, it also uses an array of radars mounted around the vehicle that detect RPGs and incoming missiles, then the system fires a mortar like projectile at an incoming missile which locates and destroys it before impact.

It’s designed to be modular. This means parts of it can be taken out and replaced with ease in the field with different interiors for a variety of missions. It can be field-converted to a light scout vehicle, urban assault vehicle, troop carrier, or a mobile headquarters. This makes CG ideal for a variety of missions ranging from scouting to boarder patrol to urban assault missions.

Perhaps the CG will become like the Humvee and a civilian version will be produced? Would you buy a civilian version of the Combat Guard if it were available?