Prinoth Panther XL selected for Antarctic deployment

The Norwegian Polar Institute has selected Prinoth’s high-performance Panther XL tracked vehicles to support transport and logistics at the Troll Research Station in Antarctica. (Photo: Prinoth)

The Norwegian Polar Institute has selected Prinoth’s Panther XL tracked vehicles to support transport and logistics at the Troll Research Station in Antarctica. A contract has reportedly been awarded for the scope of supply 10 units PXL with a relevant spare parts and service package included for the amount of 175 million NOK ($17 million). Built at Prinoth’s Granby, Québec, Canada, facility, the Panther XL combines expertise from across Prinoth’s divisions to create a machine designed for the world’s harshest environment.

A product of internal collaboration, the Panther XL draws from Prinoth’s Snow Grooming (based in Sterzing, Italy) and Crawler Carrier (based in Granby) business units, with additional innovations developed specifically for this model.

“Antarctica demands the very best technology,” said Klaus Tonhäuser, President of Prinoth. “By bringing together the strengths of our Snow Grooming and Crawler Carrier teams, and adding targeted innovations, we’ve built a vehicle that’s made to perform well in the toughest conditions and underlines our groupwide leading engineering capabilities and our focus on customer needs.”

From Prinoth’s Snow Grooming division, the Panther XL features a large, intuitive, and customizable touchscreen display adapted from snow groomers to meet the specific demands of Panther XL operations, heated windows and wipers designed to endure the most severe weather and a high-comfort air suspension seat, intuitive steering wheel, and cruise control system, providing operators with exceptional comfort and control for long-haul missions.

From Prinoth’s Crawler Carrier expertise, the Panther XL benefits from the patented rubber track undercarriage, incorporating large wheels and automatic track tensioning for reliable performance in difficult terrain and an advanced powertrain integration, drawing on Prinoth’s deep experience with Caterpillar power pack systems.

Additionally, the company said the Panther XL introduces innovations developed specifically for polar operations, including a full suspension cab design for superior ride quality and operator comfort, Prinoth’s patented four-track drive dynamics for optimized traction and stability and a patent-pending operator assist drive functions, designed to support operators during long-distance hauls in extreme conditions.