| FV 510 Warrior | |
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| Type | Infantry fighting vehicle |
| Place of origin |  United Kingdom |
| Specifications | |
| Weight | 25.4 tonnes |
| Length | 6.3 m |
| Width | 3.03 m |
| Height | 2.8 m |
| Crew | 3 (commander, gunner, driver) + 7 troops |
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| Primary armament |
30 mm L21A1 RARDEN cannon |
| Secondary armament |
L94A1 coaxial 7.62 mm chain gun 7.62 mm machine gun |
| Engine | Perkins V-8 Condor 550 hp (410 kW) |
| Suspension | torsion bar |
| Operational range |
410 miles (660 km) |
| Speed | 75 km/h |
The FV510 Warrior tracked vehicle family, are a series of British armoured vehicles originally developed to replace the older FV430 series of armoured vehicles. The Warrior started life as the MCV-80 project that was first broached in the 1970s, GKN Sankey winning the production contract in 1980. GKN Sankey is now a part of BAE Systems Land and Armaments.
Description
The Warrior incorporates several design features in keeping with UK battlefield experience. Passenger access is through a single electric ram powered door at the rear of the hull, rather than a drop-down ramp as in the American M113 and M2 Bradley APCs. There are no firing ports in the hull, in line with British thinking that the role of the APC/IFV is to carry troops under protection to the objective and then give firepower support when they have disembarked. Another reason is that it is not possible to fire accurately out of the ports of a moving IFV and access to firing ports would require internal stowage to be moved from behind the seated soldiers in the rear of the vehicle. Warrior Section Vehicles are able to carry and support 7 fully-equipped soldiers together with supplies and weapons including a number of anti-tank weapons for a 48-hour battlefield day in nuclear/biological/chemical conditions. The protection against small arms, missiles, RPGs and anti-tank mines was proven during the UN operations in Bosnia. Additional (applique) armour, such as "cage armour" can be fitted. Warrior is driven by a Perkins-Rolls-Royce V8 Condor engine through a 4 speed automatic gearbox. It is capable of a road speed of 46 mph (75 km/h). The fully rotating turret carries a 7.62 mm calibre coaxial chain gun machinegun alongside the conventionally powered RARDEN 30 mm cannon. Thales Optronics BGTI battle group thermal imaging sights have added to upgrade the night fighting capability. All Warrior vehicles are now equipped with BOWMAN radios for enhanced communications command and control
Combat history
- Operation Granby (Gulf War)
- United Nations duties in Bosnia with the UNPROFOR
- Operation Telic (2003 invasion of Iraq)
- Operation Herrick (Afghanistan with ISAF)
Operators
- British Army — 789 received between 1987 and 1995.
Kuwati Land Forces — 254 Desert Warriors received.
Variants
FV510 Infantry Section Vehicle
Armament Fitted to the two-man turret is a L21A1 30 mm RARDEN cannon and L94A1 EX-34 7.62 mm Hughes Helicopter coaxial chain gun. The cannon is capable of destroying most modern APCs at a maximum range of 1,500 m. Protection The vehicle is NBC proof, fitted with passive (upgraded to active in most vehicles) night vision and defensive grenade launchers (usually used with Visual and Infrared Screening Smoke - VIRSS).
MILAN Anti-Tank Guided Weapon Carrier
For use with troops equipped with the MILAN ATGW
FV511 Infantry Command Vehicle
FV512 Mechanised Combat Repair Vehicle
- operated by REME and equipped with a 6.5 tonne crane plus power tools and able to tow a trailer carrying 2 warrior power packs or one challenger power pack.
FV513 Mechanised Recovery Vehicle (Repair)
- operated by REME and equipped with a 20 tonne winch and 6.5 tonne crane plus power tools and able to tow a trailer carrying 2 warrior power packs or one challenger power pack
FV 514 Mechanised Artillery Observation Vehicle
The FV 514 is operated by the Royal Artillery as an Artillery Observation Post Vehicle (OPV) and is fitted with mast-mounted Man-packable Surveillance and Target Acquisition Radar (MSTAR) and Position and Azimuth Determining System (PADS) with Image Intensifying and Infra Red equipment. The only armament is the 7.62 mm machine gun as the 30 mm Rarden cannon is replaced with a dummy weapon. This allows space for the targeting and surveillance equipment while still keeping largely the same outward appearance of a standard Warrior though it has 4 antennae which does distinguish it from the standard Warrior.
FV 515 Battery Command Vehicle
- operated by Royal Artillery
Reconnaissance Vehicle
Additional armoured protection against conventional and chemical attack. Armour shielding covers the front, sides and the suspension of the vehicle. The Warrior Reconnaissance vehicle is normally operated by a crew of three, the driver, commander and the gunner and can carry a reconnaissance officer and additional surveillance equipment.
Desert Warrior
Warrior vehicles adapted for operations in hostile desert conditions. The Desert Warrior is also fitted with the same turret used by the LAV-25 wheeled IFV. In 1993, Kuwait purchased 254 Desert Warrior vehicles fitted with Delco turrets, stabilised M242 25 mm chain gun with coaxial 7.62 mm chain gun and 2 x Hughes TOW ATGM launchers (one mounted on each side).
Warrior 2000
A new version developed for the Swiss Army. Did not enter production.
- All-welded aluminium hull
- Increased armour
- Digital fire control system
- More powerful engine
- Delco or Land Systems Hagglunds E30 turret with ATK Bushmaster II Mk 44 30 mm cannon.
Warrior Upgrade programme
As part of the Warrior Mid-Life Improvement Programme (2006-2012), the British Army is upgrading its Warriors to extend their service life to 2025. The upgrade includes
- Addition of a night fighting capability
- Bowman Communications System
- New turret with a 30 mm or 40 mm cannon
- Digital Fire control System
- Improved power pack
A turret demonstrator has been developed by CTA International, a joint venture formed by BAE Systems and Giat Industries. A contract was awarded in June 2004 for the delivery of one Warrior vehicle fitted with the turret by December 2006, for the British Army's Manned Turret Integration Programme (MTIP). Although the MoD has part funded this work the Department will be embarking on a full competition to select the most suitable turret system. 350 vehicles are to be fitted with BGTI by 2007. 70 have been completed.
Trivia
- The vehicle's name provided the inspiration for a 1999 BBC TV serial about the war in Bosnia, Warriors.
- The last recipient of a non-posthumous Victoria Cross, Johnson Beharry, was a driver of the Warrior
See also
- French AMX-10P
- German Schützenpanzer Marder
- German Schützenpanzer Puma
- Italian Dardo IFV
- Singaporean Bionix AFV
- Soviet BMP-3 IFV
- Spanish Pizarro IFV
- Swedish CV90 IFV
- US M113 APC
- US M2 Bradley IFV
External links
- Army Technology
- The British Army
- Army Recognition in French
- Military History Encyclopedia on the Web
- Proceedings of the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia. The testimony by Lieutenant Colonel Bryan Watters gives a good illustrations of the peace-keeping operations in which Warrior vehicles were used.
- Warrior at Army-Guide.com
References
- Foss, Christopher & Sarson, Peter. Warrior Mechanised Combat Vehicle 1987 - 1994, Osprey UK, 1994, London, New Vanguard Series No. 10.
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| Wheeled vehicles | Ferret Scout Car · Fox Reconnaissance Vehicle · Saladin Armoured Car · Saracen APC · FV1611 "Pig" · Saxon · Mastiff PPV |
| APCs and IFVs | FV432 · Warrior · FV103 Spartan · Stormer · FV104 Samaritan · FV105 Sultan · BvS10 |
| Light tanks and anti-tank vehicles |
FV 4101 Charioteer · FV101 Scorpion · FV107 Scimitar · Sabre · FV102 Striker · FV438 Swingfire |
| Self-propelled artillery | FV433 Abbot · AS-90 · MLRS |
| Main battle tanks | Centurion · Conqueror · Chieftain · Challenger 1 · Challenger 2 |
| UK unarmoured or non-fighting vehicles | |
