Demountable Rack Offload and Pickup System
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
- "DROPS" can also stand for the microkernel-based Dresden Real-Time Operating System developed by Technische Universität Dresden. [1]
A series of logistics vehicles operated by the British Army. Currently consists of two vehicles:
Both are able to transport 15-tonne flatracks or containers and to load/offload them in seconds. The IMMLC is used primarily in support of the AS90 self-propelled gun. Both may be fitted with Simple Rail Transfer Equipment (SRTE) for loading/unloading railway wagons.
Leyland and Foden vehicles mounting Mulitilift loading equipment were selected from designs submitted to the MOD by a wide cross-section of the UK engineering industry. It was by far the most detailed, searching and expensive selection process ever undertaken for a British Army logistic system and never before had wheeled vehicles been required to transport such large loads over such demanding cross-country conditions. The provisionally selected vehicles were extensively trialled for a year by a specially-formed trials unit before both the unit and the MOD were completely satisfied that they met the Army's requirements in all respects.
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Interestingly, because of the tight and short-sighted finance controls placed on the MOD by the Treasury, all DROPS vehicles and equipment were limited in their design to operate effectively only in NATO's European climatic conditions of temperature and humidity. It has, therefore, been a challenging engineering problem to ensure that they have performed extremely well under war conditions in an environment for which they were specifically not designed - the desert!
