The mechanical Ox shall be a small,front engined,four wheel drive,four or six wheeled beast of burden.
Oxen shall perform tasks for which larger vehicles would be either unnecessary or impractical due to their size and weight.
Oxen shall be issued to any unit which has a need of them,they may be found digging fighting positions near the front line,carrying pilots to the flight line or mowing the lawn in front of the officers mess.
The Ox shall have a gross payload (including the driver) of at least sixteen hundred pounds and a gross weight of around two long tons.
The four wheeled Ox shall be less than eight feet long,the six wheeled Ox shall be less than ten feet long,both shall be less than four feet wide,less than four feet high with the roof folded down and less than six feet high with the roof erected.
Floors,doors,bulkheads and roof protected to STANAG 4569 Level 1 may be fitted to the Ox in lieu of payload but the standard vehicle shall only have weather protection.
The Ox shall not have any provision for armament.
In the transport role the Ox shall have seats for four or six paratroops,including the driver,and space for their equipment when in heavy Marching Order (Emergency Approach March Load to American readers),a weight of at least four hundred pounds per man.
In the medical role the Ox shall be able to carry three casualties on stretchers in addition to the driver and a medical attendant or two casualties on stretchers,two walking wounded and a medical attendant in addition to the driver.
In the logistical role the Ox shall be able to carry a driver in marching order weighing three hundred and fifty pounds and over twelve hundred and fifty pounds of ammunition,fuel,water,rations or other combat supplies,typical loads might include forty Four Inch Mortar bombs or forty Six Inch Rockets.
In the engineering role a powerful hydraulic arm may be fitted in lieu of the Ox's rear load bed and seats and when the transfer case is set in low range,the suspension may be hydraulically locked and power take-offs activated permitting the use of items such as bucket loaders,fork lifts,dumper buckets,back hoes or augers.
The Ox shall have one rearwards facing seat to facilitate the operation of engineering equipment,one forwards facing seat for normal driving and two optional,inward facing seats above the rear wheel arches.
Fittings at the front and rear shall permit the carriage of items such as ballast plates or fuel cans or the pushing of items such as dozer blades or mine rollers.
Front and rear tow hooks shall permit the towing items such as half ton cargo trailers,trenching tools or small aircraft.
The Ox shall have a single cylinder diesel engine which shares mechanical components with those of the Mule and Pony.
Picture: Unknown photographer,General Dynamics photograph
The Ox shall have an external space frame chassis within which is mounted the ballistic and weather protection which forms the vehicle's "body",this arrangement being similar to the Mule.
By folding down the roof,one Ox may be stacked on top of another,in this manner,ten Oxen shall fit inside a standard twenty foot shipping container.
A single Ox,with roof folded,shall fit inside the Mule,Pony,Matilda and Charger family of vehicles.
A Centaurus aircraft shall be able to airdrop forty Oxen and one hundred and sixty paratroops,air drop eighty oxen using the Dual Row Airdrop System or air land one hundred and sixty Oxen.
A Super Merlin,Ultra Merlin or Hermes helicopter shall be able to carry ten Oxen as a sling load.
Picture: Unknown photographer,JCB photograph
Companies such as J.C.B. and Supacat should be able to design and manufacture Oxen,without accessories,for around fifteen million pounds sterling per thousand.
(The Field Car renamed Mule,the Light Protected Truck renamed Pony,dead links replaced,new picture attributions and links added and text and pictures edited on the Thirty-first of January,Twenty Twenty-two)
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