Alvis FV105 Sultan

Alves FV105 History of Sudan

In the second half of the 1960s, the British Army adopted the concept of CVR(T) - "Combat Vehicle Reconnaissance (Tracked)" - which basically consisted of a series of light armored systems based on a common chassis, modified for use in the field characters encountered above. This work produced a variety of "FV Designated" tracked vehicles in Scorpion, Striker, Spartan, Samaritan, Sultan, Samson, Scimitar, Saber and Stormer. The power unit and landing gear of each design remained almost the same, with slight changes in the hull structure.

Crew sizes range from three to seven, depending on the type of vehicle and its intended role on the battlefield.

The FV105 "Sultan" was developed from the same concept for the command and control (C2) role. It features a fixed body structure superimposed on the usual CVR(T) running components, including five wheels on one side of the body, with the drive sprocket at the front and the chain idler at the rear. Track return rollers are not used. Glacis panels slope up to conform to the front of the superstructure - which itself is boxy in its general appearance. Various components are mounted on the board, including storage compartments, headlights, smoke grenade launchers and mirrors.

The chassis is supported by a torsion bar suspension system for off-road driving.

Inside lays a powerplant consisting of a Cummins BTA 5.9-liter diesel engine producing 190 horsepower. The vehicle can reach speeds of 80 kilometers per hour on paved roads and travel 450 kilometers on internal fuel. Sudan's crew consisted of six people, including a vehicle commander, a radio operator, a driver and other assistants.

There is also a Nuclear Biochemistry (NBC) kit as standard.

Structural dimensions include length 4.82m and width 2.28m. A tent attachment is fitted to the rear of the vehicle to extend Sudan's reach as needed. Amphibious capabilities have also been established for river crossings etc.

The weapon is purely defensive in nature - a medium 7.62mm FN MAG machine gun mounted on a trunnion mount. Sudan is expected to stay away from active combat on the front lines, but within range of friendly forces for added command and control functions on the battlefield.

It relies on its escort vehicles to truly protect itself from the enemy.

In addition to the British Army, Sudan's combatants included Belgium, Honduras and Latvia. In September 2014, the Latvian army purchased a batch of second-hand British sultans.

Specification

Basic

Roles

Dimensions

Performance

Performance

Armor

1,000 x 7.62mm ammo.

8 x Smoke Grenade.

Changes