Egyptian Infantry Fighting Vehicle

Egyptian Infantry Fighting Vehicle (EIFV)
Egyptian Infantry Fighting Vehicle (EIFV)
Type	Infantry fighting vehicle
Place of origin	Egypt
Service history
In service	trials in 1997
Used by	Egyptian Army
Production history
Designer	BAE Systems
Manufacturer	Egyptian Tank Factory, Arab Organization for Industrialization
Unit cost	$311,000
Produced	1996
No. built	1
Specifications
Mass	17.7 tons
Length	5.26 m
Width	2.82 m
Height	2.5 m
Crew	3+7
Armor	Aluminum
Main; armament	25 mm M242 Chain Gun ; BGM-71 TOW II
Secondary; armament	7.62 mm FN MAG
Engine	Detroit Diesel 6V53TIA electronically controlled; 400 hp at 2800 rpm
Power/weight	20.0 hp/ton
Transmission	Hydrokinetic
Suspension	torsion bar
Fuel capacity	454 liters
Operational; range	482 km
Maximum speed	66 km/h

Last updated October 05, 2023

The Egyptian Infantry Fighting Vehicle (EIFV), also known as Infantry Fighting Vehicle Light (IFVL), is an Egyptian modification of the M113. It is a hybrid, based on an enlarged M113 chassis equipped with the complete two-man power-operated turret of the M2 Bradley IFV.^[1]^[2] The EIFV never entered production for Egyptian Army.^[3]

History

The EIFV was originally developed by BAE Systems, Ground Systems Division under contract to the Egyptian Ministry of Defense. It was developed to be a conversion of the M113, of which the Egyptian Army has a total of 2,650, as well as an additional 1,200 AIFVs (modified M113s), but it can also be produced as new vehicles. Design activities first commenced in 1995, and the first prototype was assembled in the Egyptian Military Plant 200 where assembly of the M1 Abrams is carried out for the Egyptian Army. The first prototype was completed by Egyptian Military Plant 200 in 1996 and performance validation trials were completed in mid-1997. The EIFV has not entered production.^[3]^[2]

Description

The EIFV has three crewman, and can carry six soldiers, who enter the vehicle via a rear drop ramp. The driver is seated at the left front of the hull with the engine compartment to his right. The driver has a single-piece pop-up hatch cover which rotates over the engine cooling air intake grill when open, and is provided with four, day periscopes for observation.^[3] The commander and the gunner are both positioned in the turret itself, and a hatch is provided for the commander on the turret roof.

Armor

The M113 chassis is enlarged to accommodate several modifications and to allow for more armor to be added. The hull of the EIFV is of all-welded 5083 aluminum armour which provides protection from small arms fire and shell splinters, able to defeat armour-piercing projectiles up to 14.5 mm in calibre over a 360° arc of attack.^[3] Aluminum provides protection similar to that of steel armor while keeping the vehicle lightweight. An armor upgrade package produced by the AOI can significantly enhance the armor on the EIFV even further, allowing it to withstand armor-piercing 23 mm rounds, without sacrificing the vehicle's mobility. Optional upgrades for the vehicle include air conditioning, NBC protection and firing ports.^[4]

Maneuverability

To cope with the increased size and armor of the vehicle, a more powerful 400 hp Detroit Diesel 6V53TIA turbocharged/aftercooled diesel engine is installed in place of the original 275 hp engine on the M113, giving a power-to-weight ratio of 20 hp/ton. This is coupled to an Allison X200 cross-drive, four-speed Hydrokinetic transmission. As a result of the longer chassis and improved engine a sixth road wheel is added (the M113 only has five). As an option the vehicle can be fitted with 350 hp. The modifications allows the EIFV to keep up in terms of speed and mobility with modern tanks such as the M1A1/A2 Abrams, which are used by the Egyptian Army, despite the added weight. The vehicle can traverse slopes up to 80%, side slopes of 40%, trenches 2200 mm wide, and vertical obstacles with a height of 710 mm.^[1]

Armament

The M2 Bradley turret provides the EIFV with considerable firepower on a cheap M113 chassis, and allows it to engage personnel, armored vehicles and tanks, as well as low flying targets and helicopters. It has the same fire control and stabilization features on the M2 Bradley. The armament consists of the 25 mm M242 chain gun with 800 rounds and an effective range of 3000 m, and a coaxial 7.62 mm machine gun with 2,100 rounds. Using armor-piercing rounds, the chain gun can engage armored vehicles and tanks. The turret also has a two-tube TOW launcher, capable of launching TOW II ATGM missiles, which can destroy most tanks at a maximum range of 3750 m, enabling the vehicle to be used in an anti tank role. The only major drawback is that the missiles can only be launched when the vehicle is stationary. In addition to the two missiles in the launcher are four more missiles, stowed away inside the vehicle. The turret is standard equipped with passive IR and thermal imaging equipment.^[3]^[1]^[2]

Related Research Articles

An infantry fighting vehicle (IFV), also known as a mechanized infantry combat vehicle (MICV), is a type of armoured fighting vehicle used to carry infantry into battle and provide direct-fire support. The 1990 Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe defines an infantry fighting vehicle as "an armoured combat vehicle which is designed and equipped primarily to transport a combat infantry squad, and which is armed with an integral or organic cannon of at least 20 millimeters calibre and sometimes an antitank missile launcher". IFVs often serve both as the principal weapons system and as the mode of transport for a mechanized infantry unit.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">BMP-3</span> Infantry fighting vehicle

The BMP-3 is a Soviet and Russian infantry fighting vehicle, successor to the BMP-1 and BMP-2. The abbreviation BMP stands for Boevaya Mashina Pekhoty.

The Bradley Fighting Vehicle (BFV) is a tracked armoured fighting vehicle platform of the United States developed by FMC Corporation and manufactured by BAE Systems Land & Armaments, formerly United Defense. The BFV is named after U.S. General Omar Bradley.

The BMP-1 is a Soviet amphibious tracked infantry fighting vehicle, in service 1966–present. BMP stands for Boyevaya Mashina Pyekhoty 1, meaning "infantry fighting vehicle, 1st serial model". The BMP-1 was the first mass-produced infantry fighting vehicle (IFV) of the Soviet Union. It was called the M-1967, BMP and BMP-76PB by NATO before its correct designation was known.

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 Dardo is an infantry fighting vehicle designed for the Italian Army as a replacement for the M113 APC. It is designed and built by the Iveco Fiat Oto Melara Syndicated Company based in Rome. Iveco is responsible for the hull and propulsion systems, while Oto Melara is responsible for the weapons and fire control systems.

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 ASCOD armoured fighting vehicle family is the product of a cooperation agreement between Austrian Steyr-Daimler-Puch AG and Spanish General Dynamics Santa Bárbara Sistemas. The ASCOD family includes the LT 105, a light tank equipped with a 105 mm gun, a surface-to-air missile launcher, an anti-tank guided missile launcher, mortar carrier, R&R vehicle, command and control vehicle, ambulance, artillery observer, and the AIFV model. In Spanish service, the vehicle is called "Pizarro", while the Austrian version is called "Ulan".

Kentaurus is an armored infantry fighting vehicle (AIFV) designed and developed by the Greek vehicle builder ELVO. Its history is connected with the need for an advanced AIFV by the Greek Armed Forces. The vehicle takes its name from the Greek word for Centaur the creature from Greek mythology. After aborted efforts including Leonidas-2 variants and other attempted improvements and joint developments, ELVO worked entirely on its own, on a new design according to the specifications given at the time by the Hellenic Army. The resulting AIFV developed by the Greek company, named 'Kentaurus' ('ΚΕΝΤΑΥΡΟΣ'), was officially introduced at the Defendory Arms Exhibition in Athens in 1998. It features a 420 hp MTU Diesel engine, 30 mm EBO cannon and 7.62 mm machine-gun, Pyrkal smoke-grenade launchers, Toxotis computerized fire control system and KUKA turret. The crew is 3+8, maximum speed on roads is 75 km/h and maximum weight is 19.8 tons.

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 K200 KIFV is a South Korean armored personnel carrier, originally produced by Daewoo Heavy Industries as a domestic replacement for older armored personnel carriers, such as the M113, in front line service with the Republic of Korea Armed Forces at the time of the K200's development. Since 2009 the K200 has been supplemented by the K21. A total of 2,383 K200 vehicles of all configurations were produced between 1985 and 2006, among which are 111 K200A1 vehicles exported to Malaysia.

The K21 is a South Korean infantry fighting vehicle. A replacement for the K200-series, it was formerly designated as K300 or XK21 KNIFV. The initial production began in 2009, with the Republic of Korea Army planning to field approximately 466 units. It is designed to effectively defeat other IFVs as heavily armed and armored as the BMP-3.

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 ZBD-04 or Type 04 is a Chinese infantry fighting vehicle. It bears some external resemblance to the BMP-3, particularly with regards to its turret and main armament; However, the chassis and internal subsystem possesses a different layout. The earliest prototypes received the designation ZBD-97. An improved version, ZBD-04A, is the vehicle currently in service and being produced.

The M3 Bradley Cavalry Fighting Vehicle (CFV) is an American tracked armored reconnaissance vehicle manufactured by BAE Systems Platforms & Services. A member of the Bradley Fighting Vehicle family, the M3 CFV is used by heavy armored cavalry units in the United States Army.

The M2 Bradley, or Bradley IFV, is an American infantry fighting vehicle that is a member of the Bradley Fighting Vehicle family. It is manufactured by BAE Systems Land & Armaments.

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.

The Oerlikon KBA is a 25 mm (25×137mm) autocannon, developed as a close range multipurpose weapon for the mechanised battlefield, originally made by Oerlikon and currently produced in Rheinmetall Italia S.p.A. facilities. It is a positively locked breech, gas-operated cannon with a rotating bolt head and a dual-belt selective feed system taking a 25mm NATO cartridge. The rate of fire in burst mode is 600 rounds per minute but it can be adjusted electronically and reduced to single shot or a selectable range from 100 up to 200 rounds per minute.

The T-15 Armata, with industrial designation "Object 149", is a Russian heavy infantry fighting vehicle first seen in public in 2015 during rehearsals for the Moscow Victory Day Parade. The T-15 concept of a heavy IFV is derived from design of the BTR-T vehicle that never entered military service. As of May 2023, the T-15 Armata has not entered service and the program status is unknown.

References

1 2 3 "Egyptian Infantry Fighting Vehicle Light Specifications". BAE Systems. 2000. Archived from the original on 2002-02-04. Retrieved 2009-01-29.
1 2 3 "Egyptian Infantry Fighting Vehicle Light". BAE Systems. 2000. Archived from the original on 2002-02-04. Retrieved 2009-01-29.
1 2 3 4 5 "BAE Systems Infantry Fighting Vehicle Light". Jane's Information Group. 2007-09-06. Archived from the original on 25 April 2010. Retrieved 2009-01-29.
↑ "Arab Organization for Industrialization". Archived from the original on 2007-06-24. Retrieved 2009-01-29.