- Yes
- No
Back after a long time for a new suggestion. This time we’ll be looking at a vehicle that has its origins in many places, but since it was made by Belgium for the UAE. It could end up being allocated to either nation, although my own bias wants to see it assigned to Belgium.
The vehicle that we will be looking at is the SABIEX HIFV:
This curious creation is the result of a multitude of events. It all starts with the Italian OF-40 tank. This export vehicle never knew a lot of success, in fact, it was only ever bought by a single nation, the aforementioned UAE. Starting in 1981, they eventually ordered 36 of the MBT variant and 3 armoured recovery vehicles. The vehicle never really caught on in the nation though, and the order of Leclercs not too long after made these vehicles obsolete pretty quickly.
They were put into storage and remained there for quite some time. During this time, the UAE acquired a very extensive armoured force, consisting of 400 Leclercs and 600+ BMP-3s. This still didn’t appear to be enough for them however. The concept of a heavy, tank-chassis based, IFV was floating around and the UAE decided they wanted a piece of that cake. Coincidentally they just happened to own 36 tank chassis that they were doing nothing with.
This is where the Belgian firm SABIEX comes in, they were awarded a contract by the UAE to convert 1 OF-40 into an IFV. The tank arrived in 2005 and work soon commenced. The chassis was stripped almost to the ground and rebuilt entirely. The engine of the OF-40 was retained, but the conventional rear engine setup was changed to a front engined setup. This allowed the rear to be uses entirely for infantry as well as giving some additional protection.
The initial development phase of the vehicle took 2 years after which the first trials of the turretless vehicle started in Belgium. Another 3 years were needed to finalize it. After this lengthy process, the vehicle was shipped to the UAE. It was here that it was finally mated with its turret. This turret was a piece that originated in the large fleet of Russian BMP-3s that the UAE owns. One such turret was taken (one with the Namut thermal sight) and mounted on top of the hull. This newly combined vehicle was what the UAE was looking for, a vehicle with the firepower of the BMP-3 but more protected. The vehicle soon started its desert trials and these were completed by 2010. It is here that the story suddenly turns quiet. The trials were successfully passed and the finished prototype was supposed to be used as an example for the next conversions, but nothing more happened. The project seems to have quietly been killed with the whereabouts of the 1 HIFV currently unknown.
The vehicle that was eventually produced is somewhat reminiscent of the Chinese ZBD04. However, the SABIEX HIFV is a lot heavier than its Chinese counterpart. While the latter comes in at only around 22 tons, the HIFV is supposed to weigh around 45 tons. Thus making being true to its name “Heavy IFV”. All this extra weight is mostly due to the armour that can be found on the vehicle. The vehicle is claimed to be at STANAG level 5, thus being immune to 25mm APDS-T rounds being fired at the Frontal arc to centreline: ± 30° sides included at a 0° elevation. It is also supposed be able to protect its crew from a Russian TM-57 anti-tank mine. Additionally, the vehicle possesses an inner armoured bulkhead, giving even more protection to the crew thanks to spaced armour. It is believed that a part of the front armor array is also spaced.
All this armour is great for the 3 man crew of course, but is the vehicle still mobile? Thanks to its 830 horse power engine, it should be. It gives the vehicle a power-to-weight ratio of around 18.5 hp/ton which is respectable. Since the transmission and powerpack were kept, we can assume that the speed limits on this vehicle are the same as those on the OF-40.
Firepower-wise, we just have to look at the BMP-3, as it is its turret that has been mounted to the chassis. This known and loved item offers great flexibility with its armament that consist of a 100mm 2A70 main gun, 30mm 2A72 autocannon and 7.62mm PKTM coaxial machine gun. While the UAE never seems to have acquired the Bastion ATGMS, they were trialed there, leaving the final decision of whether to include these on the HIFV with the developers.
General characteristics:
- Crew: 3
- Height: 2.1 m + BMP-3 turret
- Length: 7 m
- Width: 3.35 m
- Weight: 45 tons
- Powerplant: 830 hp Motoren und Turbinen Union MB 838 CA M500
- Power-to-weight: 18.4 hp/ton
- Maximum speed: 60 km/h
Armament:
- 1x 2A70 100mm main gun
- 1x 30mm 2A72 autocannon
- 1x 7.62mm coaxial machine gun
Features:
- STANAG level 5 armour
- Namut thermal sight
- laser rangefinder
Place in-game:
The SABIEX HIFV would essentially be a fatter ZBD04. While classed as a heavy IFV, I don’t think the specs that it has will place it into the same category as the Russian Terminators. You will thus be trying to flank and catch your opponents off-guard. It will thrive especially well in urban environments, where there are many corners from which you can assault the enemy. The armor of the vehicle will surely occasionally help you out, either bouncing on the very angled upper frontal plate or absorbing shots in the spaced armour. Assuming that the vehicle goes to either France or Italy, the vehicle will offer a playstyle that is currently not yet present for these nations. The vehicle would likely be introduced around 9.7 or 10.0 both of which are BRs where Italy and France either have lineups or need reinforcements for existing ones.