FV 603 Saracen at Woodvale Transport Festival 2015.
Type
Armoured personnel carrier
Place of origin
United Kingdom
Service history
In service
1952–present
Used by
See "Operators"
Wars
Aden Emergency
Malayan Emergency
30 September Movement coup
The Troubles
Nigerian Civil War
South African Border War
Soweto uprising
Sri Lankan Civil War
Black September
Yom Kippur War
Lebanese Civil War
Invasion of Kuwait
2003–2004 Indonesian offensive in Aceh[1]
Production history
Manufacturer
Alvis
Produced
1952–1976
Specifications
Mass
11.0 t
Length
4.8 m
Width
2.54 m
Height
2.46 m
Crew
2 + up to 9 troops
Armour
16 mm Rolled homogeneous armour (RHA)
Main armament
Browning M1919 machine gun or L37 GPMG
Secondary armament
Bren LMG, 6–12 smoke grenade launchers
Engine
Rolls-Royce B80 Mk 3A or Mk 6A, 8 cyl Inlet over Exhaust petrol 160 hp
Power/weight
14.5 hp/tonne
Suspension
6x6 wheel, independent torsion bars
Operational range
400 km
Maximum speed
72 km/h (off-road 32 km/h)
The FV603 Saracen is a six-wheeled armoured personnel carrier designed and produced by Alvis from 1952 to 1976. It has been used by a variety of operators around the world and is still in use in secondary roles in some countries.[citation needed] The Saracen became a recognisable vehicle as a result of its part in Operation Banner in Northern Ireland as well as for its role in the South African government's enforcement of apartheid.[2]
^"Foto Foto Darurat Militer Aceh 2003-2004, Operasi Militer Lawan GAM". hobbymiliter.com (in Indonesian). 12 May 2019. Retrieved 22 April 2022.
^McClintock, Anne (April 1987). "'Azikwelwa' (We Will Not Ride): Politics and Value in Black South African Poetry". Critical Inquiry. 13 (3): 597–623. doi:10.1086/448410. S2CID 153523232.
The FV603 Saracen is a six-wheeled armoured personnel carrier designed and produced by Alvis from 1952 to 1976. It has been used by a variety of operators...
manufacture continued. Alvis became part of British Leyland and then in 1982 was sold to United Scientific Holdings, which renamed itself Alvis plc. In 2023, it...
awarded to Alvis Cars to build two prototypes for trials. The new armoured car was designated FV601A and armed with an Ordnance QF 2-pounder gun. Alvis also...
by Alvis Cars between 1960 and 1971, these vehicles served with the British Army from 1963 until 1993. Alvis had great success with the FV603 Saracen armoured...
Daimler Armoured Car Coventry armoured car Ferret armoured car Alvis Saladin AlvisSaracen-Introduced 1952 FV432- Introduced in 1960s FV103 Spartan-Introduced...
sequences is a post-war Land Rover, and the "German halftrack" is an AlvisSaracen. Land Rovers are seen in backgrounds of other scenes, such as when Grant...
several Alvis Stalwart amphibious vehicles in 1985 and thirty two AlvisSaracen APCs in 1986. With the Saracens the SLAC was able to allocate two Saracens per...
least 1 AML-90 At least 1 Ferret armoured car At least 1 Alvis Saladin At least 2 AlvisSaracen 1 Universal Carrier French trader A small number Red Devils...
components of the Ratel, Eland and AlvisSaracen, respectively, and were armed with a 77mm HV tank gun. The Saracen and Ratel derivatives could each accommodate...
the Alvis Saladin. Although the Saladin was evaluated favourably since it shared most of its interchangeable parts with the army's AlvisSaracen armoured...
was equipped with Vickers main battle tanks, Ferret armoured car, and AlvisSaracen. The first combat company equipped artillery batteries type Mk F3 155mm...
pinstripes came into being. This is a list of retired vehicles (incomplete): AlvisSaracen APC - tactical APC (all retired) Bedford TJ (all retired) Mitsubishi...
are outside of the buildings due to lack of space indoors. Featured : AlvisSaracen, 9K31 Strela-1, Anderson shelter, ZPU-4, FV101 Scorpion, AEC Militant...
The Alvis Salamander is a six-wheel drive airport crash tender with off-road capabilities, developed in 1956. It shares the same common Alvis six-wheel-drive...
doctrine. South African infantry units were equipped primarily with AlvisSaracen armoured personnel carriers. This reflected traditional British infantry...
Australian Regular Army's APC units, where the M113s initially replaced AlvisSaracen wheeled APCs. CMF units were accorded a low priority for M113s due to...
Banner, some of which were developed for the operation, include: AlvisSaracenAlvis Saladin Ferret armoured car Humber Pig Centurion AVRE 165 (Operation...
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