[Peter Dow]

MRAP luggage compartments / trailers / passenger trailers are something I want to feature in my new design.

It isn't really a "catamaran" feature particularly because a mono-hull MRAP could have a luggage compartment, outside the armour-protected volume and trailers are already available for today's MRAPs. A trailer is a trailer, right?

But I hear complaints from many sources about passenger cabins not being spacious, can't afford to make them smaller and so on.

The thing is, if you always put the gear the troops are carrying (heavy guns and ammunition etc.) in a trailer it saves space in the passenger cabin right?

So then the armoured passenger cabins could be made smaller, and the gear stored in a non-armoured volume, either a luggage compartment - a boot or a trunk which can be low, lowering centre of gravity, or in a trailer, which also takes the weight off the MRAP wheels which helps to prevent road collapse.

So for all kinds of reasons I am thinking that pulling a luggage trailer and a non-armoured boot/trunk should be integral to a good MRAP design, not just an optional extra.

So why don't MRAPs use trailers more, when road collapse, heavy weight on the wheels is such a problem?

I know that to use or not to use a trailer is an operational decision that the military make but if anyone knew if trailers were a bad idea for some reason, then would you please point that out.

OK for existing MRAPs (some of which don't have a fixed gun) I can see why the passengers want to keep their weapons with them so that they can dismount guns blazing.

Frankly, a "no fixed gun" APC is a really bad design in my opinion. Even one gun is too little in my opinion.

Defence against ambush is why you need fixed guns on every APC roof.

My design would include a minimum of one gun on each side of the catamaran MRAP.

Actually, I would like 4 guns on top; that is possible and if you read on I will explain how.

Only the guns and video cameras (2 per gun, one wide-angle, the other telescopic sights) need to be on the roof. There is no need for a gunner up top in a gunner's turret with all the high up weight and instability that causes.

The gunner can be sat in the cabin with the rest of the crew and fire and aim the gun from below.

Think of a submarine periscope in terms of turning and aiming the gun, although the gunner would remain seated in one position if he (or she) views the gun camera views on a LCD display. Push buttons to change camera view and push button to fire.

For reloading "the periscope" can come down to allow the gunner to reach the gun to reload in safety.

2 or 4 guns, medium machine guns can be up top and because there is no armour up there, it could work out with a lower centre of gravity than one gunner with an armoured turret.

There is no reason why passengers cannot always carry a handgun which takes up no space. That and cover from fixed guns should be sufficient I would have thought.

Sure I could imagine a scenario when you'd really like to fire a guided missile the second you open the passenger door.

Well you still could do that and carry weapons inside in a smaller cabin if you were not carrying a full load of passengers.

MRAP armoured passenger trailers

In fact, why not have an armoured trailer with a V-shaped hull (or two V-shaped hulls for a catamaran trailer) and carry some of the passengers there?

Then you could really reduce the weight of the MRAP - a much smaller front cabin, much less volume needing protecting in the front vehicle, spreading the weight across more wheels.

Of course an armoured passenger trailer would have guns of its own as well.

I think the armoured passenger trailer idea is a winner, catamaran or no catamaran and it is a concern that existing MRAPs don't use this concept already.