- Yes
- No
Indroduction
Warrior History
The Warrior Mechanised Infantry Combat Vehicle was developed in response to the continually progressing requirements of British and NATO forces during the Cold War. It was intended to replace the FV432 Armoured Personnel Carrier and was designed to keep pace with the Challenger 1 while providing protection, firepower, and mobility for infantry. The Warrior entered service in the late 1980s, becoming a core component of the British Army’s armoured infantry units. With a combat weight of 28 tonnes, in its standard IFV role it was equipped with a 30mm Rarden cannon, optional Milan missiles, and powered by a Rolls-Royce Condor engine.
A huge array of Warrior variants were developed to meet specific operational needs, including variants like the Desert Warrior, in-game in the British tree. A unique and lesser-known variant of the Warrior was the Low Profile Warrior, developed in response to the British Army’s Future Lightweight Armoured Vehicles (FLAV) requirement in the late 1980s. This lightweight version was designed for carriage by C-130 Hercules transport aircraft. During US trials, the vehicle proved its ability to be airlifted by departing the trials in a C-130 in a continuous flight back to the UK. This lower profile was achieved by considerably lowering the hull, as well as removing a roadwheel and shortening the vehicle, although this aspect was developed after the assembly of the Warrior ADATS.
The Warrior variant being discussed in this suggestion is a 105mm turreted variant produced by GKN Defence. It did the rounds across various defence exhibitions in the late 80s and early 90s, and was shown on the same hull as the Warrior ADATS - the earliest configuration of the Low Profile Warrior hull, but before it went from 6 roadwheels to 5 and and was used to exhibit the Warrior DRV.
To be absolutely clear, little is known about GKN’s Warrior 105. It is confirmed in the 1992 British Defence Equipment Catalogue that the cannon is a 105mm, and it can be visually identified as the Royal Ordnance 105mm Low Recoil Force (LRF). For crew, the position of the hatches and periscope indicates that the vehicle has 4 crew, with the commander and gunner sat front and back in the right (left looking head-on) side of the turret, the loader on the left, and the driver up front. 4 smoke grenades are mounted on each turret cheek for 8 total, and the engine and transmission are that of the Low Profile Warrior.
Certain details of the vehicle, optics and whether the cannon is stabilised, are currently unknown, so if anyone has seen anything relating to this it would be greatly appreciated!
In-game, it would offer Britain a unique, mobile, light-tank to compliment existing vehicles like the VFM-5, but at a slightly different BR (either higher or lower), based on ammunition availability and whatever information can be dug out about the optics and FCS of this vehicle.
Specifications
Spoiler
The hull is well established to share the same performance as a production Warrior, and I’ve included a generic spec sheet for that.
For firepower, its confirmed that a 105mm is mounted to the vehicle, the same cannon that is mounted to the British VFM-5 in-game, and for ammunition availability, this would be up to gaijin to pick and choose appropriate British/NATO 105mm ammunition from the late 80s and early 90s.
Generic Hull Specifications
Images
Spoiler
GKN Warrior 105 from a slightly different angle
The same hull used to exhibit the Warrior ADATS
The same Low Profile Warrior hull, mounting a slightly different turret (a mortar variant), having found its way into the scrapyard. Photos courtesy of Mr Rage
Sources