116 kilometres per hour (72mph) road, 4.8 kilometres per hour (3.0mph) water
The Dragoon 300 AFV (armoured fighting vehicle) was produced by Arrowpointe Corporation (now General Dynamics Land Division) during the 1980s.[2] It was based on the automotive components of the United States Army's M113 APCs and 5-ton trucks.[2] It resembles a larger V-150 Commando.
With the end of the 1960s, the United States Army's Military Police Corps expressed the need for a vehicle capable of being transported by Lockheed C-130 Hercules aircraft, intended to provide base protection, as well as carrying out convoy escort duties.[1] This eventually led to a formal requirement being issued in 1976. However, the requirement was allowed to lapse, probably due to budgetary pressures of the time.[1]
Despite this, one of the firms that had expressed an interest in meeting the requirement, the Verne Corporation, decided to build two prototypes of a vehicle that was initially called the Verne Dragoon and pitched it together with Arrowpointe to third party customers.[1] These prototypes made their first public appearance in 1978. The Dragoon is of a very similar configuration to that of Cadillac Gage V-100 and the vehicles 4 X 4 general-purpose of the V-150 range, but it has several parts in common with the M113A2 tracked armored personnel carrier and the M809 series 5-ton 6x6 truck.
Verne was responsible for the Dragoon's development while Arrowpointe was responsible for marketing the vehicle.[1] The two companies merged to form AV Technology Corporation and continued to produce and market the vehicle until its assets were taken by General Dynamics Land Systems.[1]
While production continued until 2002, there was the option for small orders from GDLS in Spain until marketing was dropped in 2008.[1]
Description
From the M113A2, the Dragoon borrows its starter, periscopes, drain pumps, control knobs, and its electric and hydraulic components. The hull of the Dragoon is of entirely welded steel construction, ensuring crew protection against individual weapons of 5.56 and 7.62mm and against shell shrapnel. The driver sits on the left front with room for another man on his right, the crew compartment being in the center; the engine is located at the back on the right (which on the Cadillac Gage V-150 is in the left rear corner), and a passage connects the crew compartment to a door opening on the rear of the vehicle.
The soldiers enter and leave by two doors located on each side the vehicle, the lower part of these doors folding down to form a step-up, while the upper part swings clear to the side. Firing ports with periscopes are arranged on the sides and the back of the crew compartment. The diesel engine is coupled with an automatic transmission, having five forward gears and one reverse, and with a single-speed transfer case to provide power to all wheels.
The Dragoon is amphibious and is propelled in water by its wheels at a speed of 4.8 km/h, while three drain pumps remove water entering through the doors. Utilized like an armoured personnel carrier, the Dragoon is usually equipped with a turret identical to that of the M113A2 armed with a machine gun of 12.7 mm or 7.62 mm assembled on a pivot. The vehicle can also receive two-seater turrets carrying a gun of 25 or 90 mm and coaxial and anti-aircraft machine guns of 7.62 mm. There are more specialized versions of the genus, including recovery and command vehicles.
Variants
This is the base hull of the LFV-90 Dragoon vehicle (see US light combat vehicles). The hull has some modifications to better suit it for use as an armored personnel carrier, and may have a pintle mount or one of several turrets. The basic APC version is used, in addition to military forces, by several police forces in the US, often with a ramming pole welded to the nose of the vehicle.
The Personnel Carrier is the base vehicle of the line, with two hatches in the front deck for the commander and gunner, a center hatch with a weapon mount directly behind those hatches for the gunner, and a large sliding hatch on the rear deck for the passengers. In addition, there are six firing ports, two on each side and one in the rear, as well as a door in either side of the passenger compartment. Among other roles that the Carrier can be used for is basic APC, reconnaissance, command, base security, convoy escort and Command and Control vehicle.
The Dragoon ACV (Armored Command Vehicle) is a Dragoon basic APC set up to be a command post carrier. In this variant, the Dragoon carries a folding worktable, at least three radios, a camouflage net, various drawers and lockers for equipment, and a 3kW generator to run the vehicle with the engine off. The pintle-mounted machine gun is retained.
The Dragoon ALSV (Armored Logistics Support Vehicle) is a Dragoon APC fitted out as an armored truck of sorts. The load area in this vehicle is open-topped, and there is a materiel-handling crane with a capacity of 1 ton. It can carry standard NATO pallets and containers, as well as several makes of civilian ones. This vehicle is normally used to carry bulk cargo like ammunition and spare parts to forward elements, and is often found accompanying Dragoon EMVs on their rounds.
The Dragoon ASV (Armored Security Vehicle), also known as the Patroller, is the version of the Dragoon APC that is in service with several United States law enforcement agencies. The vehicle interior is a little taller to allow standing, and the weapon mount is replaced with a rotating box that carries surveillance equipment. The windows are larger, as are the firing ports and vision blocks. The vehicle is equipped with several surveillance devices, including a low-light television, video recorder, computer, shotgun microphone, and night vision gear. Many of these vehicles are equipped with pole-mounted ramming blocks mounted on the nose of the vehicle. Sirens and flashing lights complete the modifications.
The LFV-40 (Light Forces Vehicle) is a Dragoon APC with a one-man turret mounted on the deck behind the driver's hatch. This turret is armed with a heavy machine gun and an automatic grenade launcher. The LFV-50 is the same as the LFV-40, but the turret is armed with a heavy and light machine gun.
The Dragoon MGTS (Multi-Gun Turret System) is a Dragoon APC fitted with a two-man turret armed with Bushmaster Chain Gun in one of three calibers and a machine gun, as well as a commander's machine gun.
In 1982, the U.S. Army accepted an initial delivery of at least six Dragoons from the first production batch. An unknown number (sources differ) from this batch was procured by the United States Navy. The first Army vehicles were used by the 9th Infantry Division High Technology Test Bed,[1] in three forms— Personnel Carrier (3?), EW variant with AN/MSQ-103A Teampack system (2), and a video optical surveillance vehicle with a retractable long-range day/night surveillance system mounted in a modified Arrowpointe 25mm two-man turret, and connected to an on-board data link. This version was intended to provide field commanders and rear line command staff with a highly mobile, armour-protected observation capability.
The electronic warfare version was apparently capable of simultaneous connections with a large (unknown) number of friendly aircraft including Command and Control platforms. Its primary role was advanced battlefield direction finding and high speed communications jamming, although it had other ELINT and SIGINT capabilities. It used a tall hydraulically operated mast which was normally carried in the horizontal position on the vehicle's rear left side, protected by a brush guard and a weather shield. When the Teampack system was active, the mast could be quickly deployed into the vertical position. It also carried a 7.62mm M60 machine gun over on its right side, on the forward part of the roof.
The U.S. Navy used its vehicles to patrol a nuclear weapon storage facility in Alaska and three similar sites on the East coast of the United States.[1] They were fitted with a 7.62mm MG (M60/M240 most likely) with a ballistic shield and a floodlight. This version was notable for the fact that it had a double width door on both sides which opened in three parts, the lower part dropping down to form a step and the upper parts, each with a vision block and a firing port underneath, opening to each side. This was intended to allow security personnel to disembark in a hurry.
The "Hari-Digma" was a contender in the competition for a new wheeled armoured personnel carrier for the Armed Forces of the Philippines. It lost out to the Simba. There were two Hari-Digma prototypes, which differed in the location of the turret.
Armadillo— based on a commercial truck chassis. Guatemala had to develop this armoured car on its own, because they couldn't purchase U.S.-made equipment. The design was obviously inspired by the Commando series. Only 18 were produced.
DN Caballo— The DN-III (or DN-3) was the first vehicle of the Mexican DN-series that actually entered service (in 1979). The vehicle is probably based on the base of a US-made Dodge 4x4 truck and is also known as SEDENA 1000. The basic vehicle was armed with only a 7.62mm machine gun FN MAG on top of a MOWAG-type of turret. The Mexican Army has 24 vehicles in service.
The M113 is a fully tracked armored personnel carrier (APC) that was developed and produced by the FMC Corporation. The M113 was sent to United States Army Europe in 1961 to replace the mechanized infantry's M59 APCs. The M113 was first used in combat in April 1962 after the United States provided the South Vietnamese army (ARVN) with heavy weaponry such as the M113, under the Military Assistance Command, Vietnam (MACV) program. Eventually, the M113 was the most widely used armored vehicle of the U.S. Army in the Vietnam War and was used to break through heavy thickets in the midst of the jungle to attack and overrun enemy positions. It was largely known as an "APC" or an "ACAV" by the allied forces.
The Terrex Infantry Carrier Vehicle (ICV) is an armoured fighting vehicle (AFV) developed by ST Engineering of Singapore and Timoney Technology of Ireland, and produced by ST Engineering Land Systems for the Singapore Army as well as by Turkish auto-maker Otokar as the Yavuz (AV-82) for the Turkish military.
The Bionix (BX) is a family of tracked Singaporean armoured fighting vehicles developed by ST Kinetics. Intended to augment the Singapore Army's aging M113 armoured personnel carriers, it is the first indigenous armoured vehicle to be developed in Southeast Asia. The Bionix has been operational with the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) since 1999 in a wide variety of adaptations including the Bionix II, Bionix 25 and Bionix 40/50 variants.
The Cadillac Gage Commando, frequently denoted as the M706 in U.S. military service, is an American armored car designed to be amphibious. It was engineered by Cadillac Gage specifically for the United States Military Police Corps during the Vietnam War as an armed convoy escort vehicle. The Commando was one of the first vehicles to combine the traditionally separate roles of an armored personnel carrier and a conventional armored car, much like the Soviet BTR-40. Its notable height, amphibious capability, and waterproofed engine allowed American crews to fight effectively in the jungles of Vietnam by observing their opponents over thick vegetation and fording the country's deep rivers.
ACV-15 is the designation of an amphibious Infantry fighting vehicle family developed by the Turkish defense company FNSS Savunma Sistemleri A.Ş. This vehicle is also manufactured by DRB-HICOM Defence Technologies (DefTech). The design is an attempt to combine the capabilities of an infantry fighting vehicle (IFV) and an armoured personnel carrier (APC). The ACV-15 is based on the American Advanced Infantry Fighting Vehicle, which in turn is based on the American M113A1 armored personnel carrier.
The AIFV is a US tracked light armored vehicle that serves as an infantry fighting vehicle (IFV) in the armies of several countries. It is a development of the M113A1 armored personnel carrier.
A huge number of M113 armored personnel carrier variants have been created, ranging from infantry carriers to nuclear missile carriers. The M113 armored personnel carrier has become one of the most prolific armored vehicles of the second half of the 20th century, and continues to serve with armies around the world in many roles.
The Simba is a wheeled armoured personnel carrier designed by GKN Sankey. It is currently in service with the Philippine Army.
The BTR-3 is an eight-wheel drive armored personnel carrier developed in 2000 and 2001 by an international consortium. The companies involved in the project include the Kharkiv Morozov Machine Building Design Bureau of Ukraine, Adcom Systems of Abu-Dhabi, UAE, and the State Scientific Technical Centre of Artillery & Rifle Arms of Ukraine. Although somewhat similar in appearance to the Soviet BTR-80, the BTR-3U is an all-new production vehicle rather than an update of the existing in-service vehicle.
The OT-64 SKOT is an amphibious armored personnel carrier (8x8), developed jointly by Polish People's Republic (PRL) and Czechoslovakia (ČSSR) well into the 1960s.
The Norinco Type 89 tracked armoured fighting vehicle is a Chinese armoured personnel carrier. It was developed from the earlier export market Type 85 AFV vehicle. It entered service in the late 1990s and was first shown publicly in 1999. There are approximately 1,000 in service. It has the industrial index of WZ534 and although it was mainly developed for the PLA, there is also an export version YW534.
The OT-62 TOPAS is a series of amphibious tracked armoured personnel carriers developed jointly by Polish People's Republic and Czechoslovakia (ČSSR). OT-62 stands for Obrněný Transportér vzor 62 – "armoured personnel carrier model 62". TOPAS stands for Transportér Obrněný Pásový – "tracked armoured personnel carrier".
The ACEC Cobra is a tracked armored personnel carrier with amphibious capabilities, similar in concept to the BTR-50. It was developed by Ateliers de Constructions Electriques de Charleroi (ACEC) along with the Belgian Army. The Cobra was the fifth vehicle prototype of an experimental project to create a vehicle with an electric transmission. The electric transmissions made the vehicle lighter and have more room than previous vehicles. The vehicle was completed in October 1985, but never made it into active service because the Cold War ended in 1989/1990. When the Cobra went through performance training in Detroit, the test drivers stated that the electric transmission gave the Cobra equal, if not better, performance and maneuverability than vehicles with mechanical transmissions. The vehicle provided its passengers with protections from small arms fire, small armour piercing projectiles, and shell splinters.
The Type 85 is a tracked armoured fighting vehicle produced by Chinese company Norinco. It is an improved version of the Type 63 armoured personnel carrier. The vehicle is bigger, has additional firing ports and periscopes, a longer chassis with an additional road wheel on each side, and is equipped with an NBC protection system.
The Fahd is a 4x4 Egyptian armored personnel carrier, designed to fit the requirements of the Egyptian Military. It replaced older APCs in Egyptian service such as the BTR-40, and the Walid. It has been used by the United Nations.
The RG-34 is a South African Mine-Resistant Ambush Protected vehicle (MRAP). Specially designed to be mine-resistant, it has been produced in multiple variants, equipped for troop or cargo transport, command, and fire support. Originally showcased with a wide turret ring and a 90mm rifled cannon, the RG-34 was one of the first MRAPs configured to carry a large gun system.
Throughout its history, the Irish Army has used a number of armoured fighting vehicles.
FNSS Savunma Sistemleri A.Ş. is a Turkish defense manufacturer founded in 1988. It is owned 51% by Nurol Holding of Turkey and 49% by British–American firm BAE Systems Inc., and operates facilities located in Gölbaşı, Ankara.
Dawsar or MAP II is a heavily armored personnel carrier developed by King Abdullah Design and Development Bureau. It is based on Tariq main battle tank, an upgraded version of Centurion. The Jordanian Army received four of these vehicles in 2014.
The Timoney armoured personnel carrier refers to a series of armored personnel carriers developed by Timoney Technology Limited of Ireland in the 1970s and 1980s.
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