Country of origin |
Egypt |
Entered service |
1986 |
Crew |
2 men |
Personnel |
10 men |
Dimensions and weight |
Weight |
10.9 t |
Length |
6 m |
Width |
2.45
m |
Height |
2.1 m |
Armament |
Machine guns |
1 x 7.62 mm |
Mobility |
Engine |
Mercedes-Benz OM 352A diesel |
Engine power |
168 hp |
Maximum road speed |
90 km/h |
Range |
800 km |
Maneuverability |
Gradient |
70% |
Side slope |
30% |
Vertical step |
0.5 m |
Trench |
0.9 m |
Fording |
0.7 m |
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The Fahd
wheeled APC was developed in response to an Egyptian Army
requirement by Thyssen-Henschel of Germany. The resulting vehicle
was known as TH 390. The prototypes were
manufactured in Germany. Thereafter production switched to
state-owned factories in Egypt, from 1985 onwards, where the Fahd
gradually replaced a whole host of older APC types in service. The basic Fahd has
been exported, often in an internal security configuration, with
customers including Algeria and Kuwait, Oman and Zaire. The vehicles
delivered to Kuwait were captured by Iraq during their invasion.
The Fahd is
essentially a box-type armored steel body built onto the chassis of
a Mercedes-Benz 1117/32 4x4 truck, with extensive use being made
of readily available commercial components where possible.
The large
body is highly amenable to alternation for a number of purposes so,
apart from the basic APC carrying ten troops who enter through a
door at the rear, the Fahd can be adapted to become a police or
internal security vehicle or act as a minelaying vehicle with banks
of mine dispenser tubes installed on a flat bed rear body.
As an APC
the Fahd is well provided with vision devices for the occupants and
air conditioning is standard, as is a central tyre inflation system
to allow the vehicle to cross sand and other soft terrain. The roof
can be used to mount various types and sizes of turret armed with
weapons from 7.62 mm machine gun to 20 mm cannon.
Variants
Fahd 30,
fitted with complete turret and armament of the
BMP-2
infantry fighting vehicle. This turret conversion improved firepower
of the Fahd, and turned it into a potential wheeled infantry
fighting vehicle. First announced in 1990, the Fahd
30 turret cane complete with roof-mounted anti-tank missile
launcher.
Command
vehicle.
Armored
ambulance.
Recovery
vehicle.
Internal
security vehicle.
Specialized
missile carriers.
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