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Saxon | |
---|---|
Type | Armoured personnel carrier |
Place of origin | United Kingdom |
Service history | |
In service | 1976-present |
Used by | Operators |
Wars | |
Production history | |
Designer | GKN Sankey |
Designed | 1975-1976 |
Manufacturer | |
Specifications | |
Mass | 10.6 tonnes |
Length | 5.17 m (17 ft 0 in) |
Width | 2.49 m (8 ft 2 in) |
Height | 2.63 m (8 ft 8 in) |
Crew | 2 |
Main armament | 7.62 mm MG |
Secondary armament | none |
Engine | Bedford 500 6-cyl diesel 164 hp (122 kW) |
Payload capacity | 10 passengers |
Suspension | Wheel 4x4 |
Operational range | 510 km (320 mi) |
Maximum speed | 96 km/h (60 mph) |
References | [1] |
The Saxon is an armoured personnel carrier formerly used by the British Army and supplied in small numbers to various overseas organisations. It was developed by GKN Sankey from earlier projects, AT 100 IS and AT104, and was due to be replaced by the Future Rapid Effect System.
The first operational Saxons were deployed in Germany in 1983, to equip mechanised infantry battalions. The Saxon has now been withdrawn from service in HM Armed Forces, but 147 are kept in storage.[ citation needed ] The Saxon has been deployed to places such as Bahrain, Brunei, Bosnia, Malaysia, Northern Ireland, Oman, Iraq and Afghanistan.
Seven Saxons were ordered by the Royal Hong Kong Police from GKN Sankey in 1987 and delivered in 1988 where they replaced 15 Saracens. They were assigned to the Police Tactical Unit [2] and remained there until withdrawn in 2009. In the Balkans, Saxons were outfitted with turrets taken from FV432s to serve as an improvised anti-sniper turret. [3]
75 Saxons were sold to Ukraine reportedly under a contract made in 2013, i.e. predating the start of the Russo-Ukrainian War. [4] The Ukrainian military announced the deal on 5 December 2014. [5] The former chief commander of British land forces, Richard Dannatt, said that supplying the vehicles to Ukraine was "immoral" as they were "useless" in high intensity warfare. [6]
In Ukrainian service, the type has seen combat against Russian forces during the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine. As of May 2024, available video and photographic evidence indicates Ukraine has lost at least 14 Saxons during the invasion, with 8 being captured by Russian forces and 6 being destroyed. [7]
The last reported sighting of a Saxon in Ukrainian service was in January 2024. Due their age and poor condition after eight years of combat use, they have been largely replaced with modern MRAPs provided by the United Kingdom and other allied nations. [8]
The Saxon was intended to act as a cheap but efficient "battle-taxi" for units that would have to make long journeys from the UK to reinforce the British Army of the Rhine. It was made as a relatively low-cost armoured personnel carrier based on a revised Bedford M series 4x4 truck chassis and other commercially available components. [9]
As a lightly armoured wheeled vehicle, it is much faster – especially on roads – and easier to maintain than a tracked vehicle. It shares many parts with commercial trucks, reducing the operating cost. It is armoured against small-arms fire and shell splinters but is not intended to stand up to any anti-vehicle weaponry. The vehicle has a single machine gun for local air defence.
The Saxon's hull is welded steel with a V-shaped under-chassis plate to deflect mine detonations. Seating is provided in the rear for up to ten troops, although eight is a more comfortable load if all their equipment is included. [9] There is an equipment stowage area on the hull roof. [9]
Some Saxon IS, or Saxon Patrol, vehicles were acquired for service in Northern Ireland, serving as ambulances or troop carriers, which had extendible wings that could be used as protective shields during a riot. Compared to the standard model, these have various minor modifications intended for internal security operations, such as searchlights and wire cutters.
The Saxon can be fitted out as:
The Patria Pasi is a Finnish-made six-wheeled armoured personnel carrier (APC) originally designed for Finnish Defence Forces. The first variant was produced in 1983 and serial production began in 1984. It was designed to operate with ease of use, simple structure and low-cost maintenance. The basic appearance and configuration of the Pasi is similar to most other wheeled APCs. The XA-180 and XA-185 are fully amphibious while other variants are not.
The Mowag Piranha is a family of armoured fighting vehicles designed by the Swiss company Mowag.
The Mamba is a South African armoured personnel carrier designed for internal security purposes. It was developed during the late 1980s to replace the Buffel in service with the South African military and security forces. The first models were built on a 4X2 Toyota Dyna chassis, which was subsequently replaced in production around 1994 by a more reliable Unimog chassis. All marks of the Mamba were designed to be mine-resistant and blastproof.
The Véhicule de l'Avant Blindé or VAB is a French armoured personnel carrier and support vehicle designed and manufactured by Renault Trucks Defense. It entered French service in 1979 and around 5,000 were produced for the French Army as well as for export. It has seen combat in various conflicts in Africa, Asia as well as Europe and has also been exported to more than 15 countries.
The BTR-152 is a six-wheeled Soviet armored personnel carrier (APC) built on the chassis and drive train of a ZIS-151 utility truck. It entered service with a number of Warsaw Pact member states beginning in 1950, and formed the mainstay of Soviet motor rifle battalions until the advent of the amphibious BTR-60 series during the 1960s. BTR stands for bronetransportyor.
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.
FV103 Spartan is a tracked armoured personnel carrier. It was developed for the British Army as the APC variant of the Combat Vehicle Reconnaissance (Tracked) family. The vehicle can carry up to seven personnel, including three crew members. Armed with a single machine gun, it is almost indistinguishable from the FV102 Striker in external appearance.
The BTR-60 is the first vehicle in a series of Soviet eight-wheeled armoured personnel carriers (APCs). It was developed in the late 1950s as a replacement for the BTR-152 and was seen in public for the first time in 1961. BTR stands for bronetransportyor.
The FV603 Saracen is a six-wheeled armoured personnel carrier designed and produced by Alvis from 1952 to 1976. It has been used by a variety of operators around the world and is still in use in secondary roles in some countries. The Saracen became a recognisable vehicle as a result of its part in Operation Banner in Northern Ireland as well as for its role in the South African government's enforcement of apartheid.
The Ferret armoured car, also commonly called the Ferret scout car, is a British armoured fighting vehicle designed and built for reconnaissance purposes. The Ferret was produced between 1952 and 1971 by the UK company Daimler. It was widely used by regiments in the British Army, as well as the RAF Regiment and Commonwealth countries throughout the period.
The FV601 Saladin is a six-wheeled armoured car developed by Crossley Motors and later manufactured by Alvis. Designed in 1954, it replaced the AEC Armoured Car in service with the British Army from 1958 onward. The vehicle weighed 11 tonnes, offered a top speed of 72 km/h, and had a crew of three. Saladins were noted for their excellent performance in desert conditions, and found favour with a number of Middle Eastern armies accordingly. They were armed with a 76 mm low-pressure rifled gun which fired the same ammunition as that mounted on the FV101 Scorpion.
The BTR-80 is an 8×8 wheeled amphibious armoured personnel carrier (APC) designed in the Soviet Union. It was adopted in 1985 and replaced the previous vehicles, the BTR-60 and BTR-70, in the Soviet Army. It was first deployed during the Soviet–Afghan War.
The Simba is a wheeled armoured personnel carrier designed by GKN Sankey. and is currently in service with the Philippine Army.
The Alvis Tactica is a 4x4 or 6x6 wheeled military vehicle produced by GKN Defense, Alvis plc and later by BAE Systems Land Systems. The vehicle was designed by Glover Webb and introduced in 1988. It comes in a number of variants including APC and Internal Security and Riot Control. The platform is no longer produced by BAE Systems.
The Pars is an amphibious armoured combat vehicle family with 4x4, 6×6 and 8×8 versions, produced by FNSS Defence Systems of Turkey.
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The Mbombe 6 is a mine-protected, high-mobility armoured fighting vehicle produced by Paramount Group from South Africa that was launched in 2010. "Mbombe" is named after an African warrior.
The Tigr is a Russian 4×4 multipurpose all-terrain infantry mobility vehicle manufactured by Military Industrial Company, first delivered to the Russian Army in 2006.
The CS/VP3 MRAP also known as the CS/VP3 Bigfoot is a MRAP developed by Poly Technologies and manufactured by Changan Automobile in China. It was unveiled in China at the China International Aviation & Aerospace Exhibition 2012 in Zhuhai, China, and overseas at the 2012 DSA defense exhibition in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
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