Wild Rides: Is the Highland Systems STORM the Ultimate Apocalypse Rig?

Highland Systems, based in the UK and United Arab Emirates, is a producer of high-end survival, military and luxury vehicles. Their catalog includes an array of armored vehicles, a line of armor-piercing ammunition, and submersible yachts that look like spaceships and likely cost as much as my hometown. If ever you’ve wondered what might be the absolute pinnacle of all-terrain go-anywhere survival vehicles, the Highland Systems STORM is it.

Interesting Times: The Highland Systems Storm Vehicle

I have a t-shirt that reads, “The Hardest Thing about Preparing for the Zombie Apocalypse is Acting Like I’m Not Excited!” Sadly, there is a fair amount of truth to be found there. It is undeniably cool to imagine the guns, gear and skills you might need to thrive in the face of unfettered chaos and anarchy. Reality would obviously be a good bit messier than my sanitized imaginings, but the theory is fun to ponder all the same.

Sadly, it’s not all that abstract these days. COVID-19 has given us a taste of what the end of the world might actually feel like. Additionally, anarchists behaving badly now incinerate other people’s neighborhoods to protest police brutality, social inequality, the exorbitant price of designer coffees and, apparently, the phase of the moon. Given such rampant chaos, the possibility of having to bug out in the face of societal upheaval seems no longer to be the purview of fiction writers.

I am a guy of modest means. I have guns and maintain a little well-reasoned survival gear. My bugout vehicle is a GI-surplus Hummer that is, like me, old, shopworn, reliable and cheap. That’s all I can afford, and I’m good with that. However, it is an entertaining exercise to imagine how I might skin that cat if I had some truly serious resources. My first stop would be Highland Systems.

The Highland Systems STORM comprises an off-road tactical machine.

The Machine

The Highland Systems STORM is an electrically-driven tracked amphibious armored vehicle that offers some simply breathtaking performance. This isn’t your crazy neighbor’s Prius. The STORM’s primary electrical drive puts out a whopping 2,500 horsepower. That’s more than your typical WWII-era fighter plane. The vehicle is watertight and fully at home both on land and in the water. Propulsion in aquatic environments is via an electric Hamilton water jet drive.

The STORM comes equipped with a 70-kilowatt diesel generator that can be used to recharge the onboard batteries in the absence of a charging station. Charging is via any standard 220-volt system. The all-up curb weight dependent upon armor, weapons and particulars is around 17,600 pounds.

The STORM is a true multi-role tactical vehicle. It is designed from the outset to incorporate the latest in mine-resistant, ballistic survivability and IED-defeating technology. The STORM can also be configured with a remote control system for autonomous operations. This feature could be critical in high-threat environments or in places where friendlies are in dire need of extraction.

The chassis is rugged and hardened in multiple dimensions. The roof is designed to support the weight of the complete vehicle in the event of a rollover. Unlike some competitors, the individual rubber tracks are capable of being replaced in sections if damaged.

The capabilities and cost of the vehicle are driven by the particulars. For civilian applications, there are remote cameras, built-in night vision and a variety of electronic options. For military and advanced law enforcement roles, the STORM can be configured with a remote weapon station that can be operated while under armor.

Jet propulsion moves the Highland Systems STORM through water.

The Mission

It’s not tough to imagine practical applications for such a versatile vehicle. In a built-up area with access to charging support, the STORM could remain ready for riot control or rescue missions. The legit amphibious capability makes the STORM uniquely suited for search and rescue operations in disaster areas or environments corrupted with urban rubble. With appropriate armor protection, the STORM could thrive in the face of the sorts of civil unrest that have become so lamentably prevalent of late.

The capacity to charge on the go via the onboard diesel generator gives the STORM some serious legs. With ample extra fuel the STORM can serve as a mobile power source in austere environments. Operations would need to be planned around the vehicle’s range between charging, but the hybrid drive offers some unique capabilities not available to more conventional petrol or diesel solutions. One of these is stealth.

Conventionally-powered armored vehicles are notoriously loud. You’ll not be sneaking up on anybody in the turbine-powered M1 Abrams tank. By contrast, the STORM would facilitate covert insertions and extractions in the kinds of places where you might need to leave a minimalist tactical footprint.

The truly thought-provoking application in my view, however, is for the well-heeled survival prepper. Keeping the STORM nicely provisioned and tucked away in the garage makes you immune to much of life’s resplendent ills. The visual impact alone of humming down your cul-de-sac with the kids and family hound in tow in the face of some disaster, either natural or otherwise, would be simply epic.

The Highland Systems STORM is an amphibious vehicle.

Denouement

The Highland Systems STORM certainly isn’t for everyone. Conventional, traditionally powered wheeled vehicles will do much of what the STORM might at a more modest price. However, if you’re the sort for whom “almost” is a form of recognized profanity, the STORM is the all-weather green tracked survival vehicle for you. Offering breathtaking power, unrivaled versatility and some simply striking good visuals, the STORM looks like something out of a big-budget Hollywood action movie.

The first prototype STORM produced debuted some two years ago in the Ukraine. Final testing and early production are currently ongoing in the UAE. With world class specs and traffic-stopping aesthetics, the Highland Systems STORM comprises the multi-mission amphibious tracked vehicle equally at home on a fishing trip, picking up the junior after band practice or crawling up an invasion beach. The STORM is the ultimate environmentally friendly, multi-role survival machine.

For more information, visit highlandsystems.me.