Recently, a video of a Vamtac high-mobility tactical vehicle accidentally crashing while the Spanish Airborne Brigade was conducting parachute training was exposed on the Internet, attracting widespread attention. According to media reports, the accident occurred in mid-April at a dedicated military training ground in the Spanish province of Guadalajara, when the troops were conducting routine airborne logistics exercises.
It is reported that this tactical vehicle was carried by the Airbus A400M Atlas transport aircraft of the Spanish army and was dropped at an altitude of about 300 meters.
As a large-scale military transport aircraft self-developed by Europe, this transport aircraft can perform a variety of tasks such as equipment delivery. The maximum single airdrop weight can reach 18 tons, which can meet the airdrop needs of the Vamtac tactical vehicle.
According to the official preliminary assessment, the parachute opened normally during the airdrop according to the scheduled process, but the vehicle's binding and fixing system failed. The strap components and steel cable fixing points were unable to bear the weight of the vehicle, which eventually led to an accident.
Due to the structural failure of the fixed system, the vehicle broke free during the landing process. The parachute could not stabilize the heavy object, and the vehicle immediately entered an out-of-control free fall state, and finally hit the ground at high speed in the designated airdrop area.
The violent impact caused this tactical vehicle worth about 600,000 euros to be completely destroyed and reduced to a pile of scrap metal. It was later lifted and recycled by a military crane, and it has completely lost its use value.
Fortunately, this airdrop adopted the separation mode of people and vehicles. There was no one in the vehicle and a sufficient safe distance was maintained at the scene, so no one was injured. After the accident, the Spanish Army launched a special investigation to investigate the cause of the failure.
Public information shows that VAMTAC stands for High Mobility Tactical Vehicle. It is a four-wheel drive armored assault vehicle designed by Spain based on the concept of the US military's "Hummer". Its appearance and chassis layout are similar to those of the Humvee, but more modern.
Its body is equipped with armor protection and has strong cross-country passability. It can undertake multiple tasks such as personnel delivery and battlefield reconnaissance. It is currently one of the main combat vehicles of the Spanish and Portuguese armies.