There is a land where roads don't exist, where a blanket of frozen fog can swiftly block out the sun and the blistering wind can sweep a person away. Where the volatile forces of nature twist and spit furiously in constant battle. Welcome to Antarctica.
For the men and women who live here in Antarctica there is one vehicle that reigns supreme. The Hägglunds BV206.
A Hägg out on the sea ice. (Photo: Alex Cameron)
The Australian Antarctic Division has invested thousands of hours over the last decade into refining, upgrading and modifying this all terrain military vehicle into the sophisticated machine used today.
The much loved machine is supremely versatile and has three main variations: search and rescue, firefighting and general purpose.
The four occupants of a Hägg needn’t be worried about the freezing temperatures outside, with one very large top mounted heater and floor mounted heaters to keep the cab warm and toasty. Visibility is taken care of by two large LED flood lights, GPS navigation with radar and a heated windscreen. The Hägglunds is very much at home down in Antarctica.
When the temperatures rise and the fields of ice melt into streams and torrents, rapids of crushing ice pouring into the open ocean, the amphibious Hägg still makes it's way home.
Where wheeled vehicles fail, the Hägglunds BV206 makes it's home.
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This post was inspired by the weekly blog of the Mawson Antarctic research station.
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