"Who Dares Wins," or so goes the motto ofSayeret Matkal, one of the Israel Defense Force's special units. Israeli truck customizer AIL of Nazareth has dared with the Jeep J8-based Storm 3 Type R, and it looks like they may win... a lucrative army contract, that is.
A journo from jeepolog.com took one out for a spin in the searing heat of the Negev Desert this summer, and according to the off-duty, but very salty army guys who drove it with him, Storm 3 Type R is an ass kicker.
A stock Jeep Rubicon is already a pretty capable vehicle, but AIL had to figure out how to make it do something that the Humvees the Israeli army currently uses don't. By stuffing a 194 hp, 2.8-liter four pot turbo diesel between the fenders, they created something light and strong that has all of the offroad prowess of a Hummer without all the noise and with way better handling and maneuverability.
The only problem the old soldiers could see with Storm 3 Type R was it has a lower cargo capacity than the big AM General (although most sourcesI found showed that the HMMWV has a muchlower cargo capacity than what AIL claims the Storm 3 Type R can handle), but they said it would be a good candidate for border patrol, pursuit, and deep strike missions. And that's why the IDF has been testing them all around Israel, a country which, although it's only about the size of New Jersey, has incredibly varied terrain.
The only problem the old soldiers could see with Storm 3 Type R was it has a lower cargo capacity than the big AM General (although most sourcesI found showed that the HMMWV has a muchlower cargo capacity than what AIL claims the Storm 3 Type R can handle), but they said it would be a good candidate for border patrol, pursuit, and deep strike missions. And that's why the IDF has been testing them all around Israel, a country which, although it's only about the size of New Jersey, has incredibly varied terrain.
Storm 3 Type R's suspension is more or less stock, with an extra leaf stuffed into the shackles over a Trac-Lok Dana 44 front axle and a beefy Trac-Lok Dana 60 rear. Offroad tires are mounted on non-beadlocking steel wheels, but maybe bead locks would be advisable if the truck is deployed on terrorist chasing missions. Tipping the scales at 4,451 pounds, Storm 3 Type R can carry a 2,756-pound payload and tow 7,716 pounds.
Consensus among those who care about such things suggests that the maximum load a 6.2 V8 diesel-equipped Hummer can tow is 4,200 pounds, and that its top interior payload capacity (in certain configurations) is about the same. Plus, the four banger Jeep has a 22.5 gallon fuel tank — the Hummer, which weighs nearly 10,000 pounds empty, can hold only a few more gallons of refined black gold — so it probably has a pretty decent range.
Jeep Custom of Nazareth's creation sure looks good on paper, but we'll let the Israeli government sort that one out.
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