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SEALs Seek Amphibious Sports Car
July 13, 2007: The U.S. Navy Special Operations
people (SEALs and all that) are looking at obtaining a military version of the
amphibious Aquada sports car. Amphibious vehicles are nothing new. In World War
II, there were thousands of amphibious trucks (DUKW) and smaller, jeep size
ones as well. What makes Aquada different is that it takes advantage of
mechanical, materials and electronic advances in the last sixty years to create
a 1.5 ton vehicle that can carry about 600 pounds. Aquada can hit 160
kilometers an hour on roads, and over 40 kilometers an hour on the water. The
civilian version cost $300,000, and a military version would probably cost
closer to half a million bucks. Military uses are obvious, as SEALs could come
ashore in one of these, drive around to take care of business, and then get
away by land or sea. Kind of expensive if you have to leave it behind, but the
SEALs usually perform high-risk, high-payoff operations. You get what you pay
for. The civilian version of Aquada, which was developed by an European firm,
won't show up in the United States for two years.
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