| FV432 | |
|---|---|
FV432 in Iraq, 2003 |
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| Type | Armoured personnel carrier |
| Place of origin | United Kingdom |
| Production history | |
| Manufacturer | GKN Sankey |
| Specifications | |
| Weight | 15 tons (15.3 t) |
| Length | 5.25 m |
| Width | 2.8 m |
| Height | 2.28 m |
| Crew | 2 + 10 troops |
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| Armour | 12.7 mm max |
| Main armament |
7.62 mm L7 GPMG |
| Secondary armament |
smoke dischargers |
| Engine | Rolls-Royce K60 multi-fuel 240 hp |
| Power/weight | 15.7 hp/tonne |
| Suspension | torsion-bar, 5 road wheels |
| Operational range |
580 km |
| Speed | 32 mph (52 km/h) |
The FV432 is the armoured personnel carrier variant of the British Army's FV430 series of armoured fighting vehicles. Since its introduction in the 1960s it has been the most common variant, being used for transporting infantry on the battlefield. In the 1980s, almost 2,500 vehicles were in use, with around 1,500 now remaining in operation - mostly in supporting arms rather than front-line infantry service.
Although the FV432 Series was to have been phased out of service in favour of newer vehicles such as the Warrior and the CVR(T) series, they are now gradually being upgraded to extend their service into the next decade.
In the light of the army's need for additional armoured vehicles in the Afghan and Iraqi theatres, the Ministry of Defence announced in August 2006 that an extra 70 vehicles would be upgraded by BAE Systems in addition to the 54 already ordered as part of their force protection initiative. The improvements take the form of an engine upgrade, a new steering unit, and a new braking system, as well as improvement in armour protection to a level similar to that of the Warrior. It is intended that these FV430s will free up the Warrior vehicles for provision of reserve firepower status and/or rotation out of theatre. The updated version is to be called the Bulldog.
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The FV432 was designed to be the armoured personnel carrier in the FV430 series. Production started in 1962 by GKN Sankey and ended in 1971 giving approximately three thousand vehicles.
The FV432 is an all-steel construction. The FV432 chassis is a conventional tracked design with the engine at the front and the driving position to the right. Directly behind the driver position is the vehicle commander's hatch. There is a large split-hatch round opening in the passenger compartment roof and a side-hinged door in the rear for loading and unloading. As in many designs of its era there are no firing ports for the troops carried - British Army doctrine has always been to dismount from vehicles to fight. The passenger compartment has five seats either side - these fold up to provide a flat cargo space.
An NBC system on the right side of the hull gives fresh air for the troops. Wading screens and a trim vane were fitted as standard and an extension went on the exhaust pipe. The vehicle has a water speed of about 6 km/h when converted for swimming and was propelled by its tracks. Most of these vehicles have had their amphibious capability removed.
FV432s in service with infantry regiments are equipped with a pintle-mounted L7 GPMG (if not fitted with the Peak Engineering turret). Vehicles with the Royal Artillery, Royal Engineers and Royal Signals were originally fitted with the L4A4 variant of the Bren light machine gun, but they now use the GPMG. When equipped with the GPMG, the vehicle carries 1,600 rounds of belted 7.62mm ammunition; when carrying the Bren LMG, the vehicle carried 1,400 rounds of 7.62mm ammunition (50 magazines, each holding 28 rounds). There are two three-barrel smoke dischargers at the front.
A number of surplus vehicles were sold to the Indian Army after being withdrawn from British service. Seventeen others have since been converted by a company in Leicestershire for use in Tank Paintball.[1]
Many FV432s are privately owned in the UK due to the relatively low price they are available for.
The FV432 has been produced in three major variants, the Mark 1 (with a Mark 1/1 minor variant) with petrol engines, the Mark 2 with a Rolls-Royce K60 multi-fuel engine and the Mark 3 with a diesel engine. The Mark 2 minor variant, the 2/1, has its NBC pack flush with the hull side. An uparmoured variant, for use in Iraq and Afghanistan, of the Mark 3 was known as Bulldog. This name now appears to be extended to all Mark 3 versions of the FV430.
The FV432 has proven to be flexible in use and can be converted from one role to another with reasonable ease using 'installation kits' (IK) or more permanently with minor modifications to the hull. Major or more significant modifications have usually led to a new FV43n number. In addition to the normal armoured personnel carrier role, it has been used as:
FV432s used by combat infantry units have also been equipped with:
FV432s used by the Royal Artillery have been equipped with:
FV432s used by the Royal Engineers have been equipped with:
The need to upgrade the FV432 to extend its service life further led the MoD to sign an £85m contract with BAE Systems Land Systems to update over 1000 FV 432 to Mark 3 standard. Major changes include a new diesel engine and braking system. Initially, only FV432 and 434 models were converted but other variants are being considered. The first 500 of the batch were handed over to the British Army in December 2006. For service in Iraq and Afghanistan air-conditioning, enhanced reactive armour and IED jammers have been added. Initially only these further enhanced versions were known by the name Bulldog but the term now appears to be applied to all Mark 3 vehicles.
Some privately owned FV432 have been modified into World War II vehicles for films and re-enactment. At least one FV432 which had been modified into a Sturmgeschütz III appeared in the television mini-series Band of Brothers. Another privately-owned FV432 in the south of England is being used for war games and military simulations by Ground Zero Airsoft.
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