- Yes
- No
- Tech Tree
- Premium
- Event
- Battlepass
- Squadron
- I said no
- 7.7
- 8.0
- 8.3
- 8.7
- Other (comment)
- I said no
- Germany
- Future African/Arab League TT
- USSR
- Other (comment)
- I said no
Fahd 280-30: Egyptian Wheeled IFV
History:
The Egyptian army has used a number of wheeled APCs throughout the latter stages of the 20th century, beginning with the BTR-40 and BTR-152 from the USSR. These two rugged and robust vehicles served them well and became the inspiration for their first indigenous APC, the Kader Walid (sometimes spelled as "Waleed"). The Walid was a 4x4 APC heavily inspired by the previous two BTRs, and it served Egypt very well, being exported to a number of nations in the area. However, by the 1980s, it was recognized that a replacement was needed, and so Egypt put out a call to Thyssen Henschel (now part of Rheinmetall) to help design a suitable vehicle. This vehicle would become known as the Fahd, and would be one of Egypt's most successful vehicles, being exported to a dozen nations and even seeing use by the UN. The designers in Egypt were the same group which designed the Walid, known as the Arab Organization for Industrialization - a group which included Egypt, The UAE, Saudi Arabia, and Qatar - and they were intent on improving the quality of locally produced hardware in the Middle East and other Arab countries. With the Fahd that goal was reached, massively so, and it remains the only locally-designed Egyptian vehicle still in production.Based on a German Mercedes-Benz LAP 1117/32 4x4 truck chassis, Thyssen Henschel gave it an armored body and bulletproof windows, along with firing ports, space for up to 10 soldiers, and armored shutters on every window. The Fahd was highly configurable, and serves in roles as varied as APC, ambulance, recovery and engineering, IFV, infantry support, and police. As a result, it became very popular as an inexpensive but capable export vehicle. However, soon after the original Fahd was introduced, the Egyptian Military realized they needed a higher performance model, and so the Fahd 240 was born.
The Fahd 240 used a larger Mercedes-Benz LAP 1424/32 4x4 chassis, has thicker armor, and a more powerful engine. This has become the standard model, and all older Fahds have been upgraded to this standard. The final and most capable variant is the Fahd 280, which is nearly identical to the 240, but with the engine yet again uprated and a focus on heavy armament and infantry support. This is the model I am suggesting a variant of. A variant with the turret of a BMP-2!
Description:
In order to provide a suitable modern IFV for their army, and to create one which would succeed on the export market, the Fahd 280 was coupled with the turret of the BMP-2. This gave it the familiar armament of the 30mm 2A42 autocannon, coaxial 7.62mm PKT machine gun, and pintle mounted 9K111 Fagot (AT-4 Spigot)/9M113 Konkurs (AT-5 Spandrel) missile launcher. This went into production in 1990, and has been a staple of the Egyptian Military and several international users as well. The Fahd 280 itself is a straightforward vehicle, being based on the Mercedes-Benz LAP 1424/32 4x4 truck chassis with 10mm steel all around. It is powered by a Mercedes-Benz OM366 LA inline-6 turbodiesel engine producing 280HP (hence the 280 name). This is coupled to a 5-speed manual transmission for a top speed of 100 km/h (62 mph) on-road and 60 km/h (37 mph) off-road. NVDs are standard, and four smoke grenade launchers are mounted to each side of the turret, with a further 8 available to mount in two banks of four on the chassis itself. Crew is 3-4 (driver, optional co-driver, commander, gunner), though the troop compartment has been reduced from 10 to 6-7.Specifications:
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Main Armament: 30mm 2A42 autocannon, 9K111/9M113 ATGM
Secondary Armament: 7.62mm PKT machine gun
Ammo Count: 500 30mm rounds, 2000 7.62mm rounds, 5 ATGMs (one more than the BMP-2!)
Armor: 10mm (chassis), 30mm (turret lower front), 20mm (turret front and cheeks), 16mm (turret sides), 10mm (turret rear), 6mm (turret roof) ??mm bulletproof glass, optional applique plates
Engine: Mercedes-Benz OM366 LA inline-6 turbodiesel, 280HP
Transmission: Manual, 5 forward/1 reverse
Speed: 100 km/h (62 mph) on-road, 60 km/h (37 mph) off-road
Gun Movement: -4 degrees/74 degrees depression/elevation (identical to BMP-2)
Crew: 4 (Driver, Co-driver, Gunner, Commander)
NVDs: Passive
Smoke: 2x4 (turret sides), 2x4 (chassis, just behind the driving compartment)
Gallery:
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