FNSS ACV-15 (TIFV, ACV-300)

     Notes: The ACV-15, also known as the TIFV (Turkish Infantry Fighting Vehicle), entered service in the early 1990s. The ACV-15 is based on the European AIFV, and is the same in many details as that vehicle. It is not, in the strictest sense, an Infantry Fighting Vehicle, despite its name, as it has neither heavy caliber armament nor antitank missiles.  The ACV-15 is being partially replaced/supplemented by the ACV-S; this process started in the late 1990s.  In addition to Turkey, the ACV-15 is used by the UAE (the ACV-S version only), Malaysia, and the Philippines.  Several APC-type version exist as well as a mortar vehicle and an ATGM carrier as an ARV. Virtually all components of the ACV-15 are license-produced in Turkey (or in Malaysia, in the case of Malaysian vehicles; they are built by Pekan). The Turkish have nearly 1700 of these in service, plus 665 ACV-Ss; the UAE have 136, and Malaysia has 211 (in a bewildering array of variants). The Filipinos have only seven. The Jordanians have ordered the ACV-S, but have are not due to receive their first until late 2010.  ACV-15s and ACV-Ss have seen combat service in Somalia, Bosnia and Kosovo with UN peacekeeping forces fielded by Turkey, and in Turkey (and possibly Northern Iraq) against Kurdish rebels.

 

The ACV-15

     The ACV-15, in general, uses a hull similar to the AIFV, though the armor is a bit better than the AIFV, and some additional attention is paid to belly armor. The hull front and sides incorporate spaced armament with ceramic sandwich panels.  The engine remains a Detroit Diesel 6V-53T developing 300 horsepower, along with a fully automatic transmission along with a conventional driver’s station.  The ACV-15 is fully amphibious, propelled in water by its tracks.  The sides of the hull have two firing ports each, and the rear has two firing ports.  The seats for the troops extend down the center of the vehicle facing outwards, and the two rear seats are facing towards the rear of the vehicles. The rear of the vehicle has a powered ramp with a door in it.

     The primary differences in the different members of the ACV-15 family are primary in the turrets (or the lack thereof), and to some extent the internal equipment resulting from these differences. The basic, and most numerous in the Turkish forces, APC version is the ACV-15 AAPC (Advanced Armored Personnel Carrier). This version uses a light 1-man turret armed with an M-2HB heavy machinegun as primary armament and a coaxial MAG machinegun.  This turret supplies the commander/gunner with basic night vision equipment, fire control equipment including a ballistic computer, and one-plane stabilization.  The turret has a cluster of three smoke grenade launchers on each side. Two the left of the turret is a hatch for the vehicle commander; he has no weapon and no night vision devices, but his hatch has vision blocks to the front, right, and rear. The driver is in the front left, in front of the commander’s position. The Malaysians use a version of this vehicle which is equipped only with the M-2HB and a greater ammunition supply for the M-2HB.  The Malaysians also employ a version of this vehicle armed with a Mk 19 AGL instead of an M-2HB.

     The ACV-300 AIFV is similar to the European AIFV, but is equipped with a one-man turret mounting a 25mm autocannon.  The commander’s position remains. Early Turkish versions used the French Giat M-811 autocannon in a turret almost identical to that of the AIFV, but later versions use the BAE-designed Sharpshooter turret equipped with the M-242 Bushmaster ChainGun and having a slightly-lower, more angular profile incorporating spaced armor similar to that used in the hull.  The Sharpshooter turret also adds a laser rangefinder and gives two-plane stabilization for the main gun and coaxial machinegun.  The turret has a cluster of four smoke grenade launchers on each side. Turkish versions have by 2010 all been upgraded to use the Sharpshooter turret, but are still designated the ACV-15. The Turkish, Malaysians, UAE, and Filipinos all use this version, though the Filipinos have only six of them (along with one ARV version).

 

The ACV-15 – Additional APC-type Variants

     The ACV-15 CPV is the command version of the ACV-15; externally, it is an ACV-15 AAPC or AIFV with the turret removed and replaced with a commander’s cupola that is armed with an M-2HB, sometimes surrounded with AV2 gun shields.  The interior is quite different, with the sorts of things one might expect to find in a CPV – one short-range, two medium-range, and two long-range radios, one of which is data-capable.  The ACV-15 has a ruggedized laptop computer as well as a battlefield management system (though not with the vehicle state system), with a linked GPS system with an inertial navigation backup.  It also has a map board, various plotting and office-type supplies, and various storage drawers.  The side firing ports are sealed off, though the rear firing ports remain.  The CPV has four seats for the radio operators and command crew, and a folding table with three folding chairs.  An attached tent can be unfolded at the rear to increase working space. In an armored box atop the vehicle is a 5kW APU to power the equipment when the engine is turned off.  This generator can be removed and dug in to dampen noise, attached to the vehicle with a slave cable.  The commander’s station of the CPV has a periscopic sight which includes an image intensifier and a thermal imager, as well as a laser rangefinder. (They’re not useable, however, as aiming devices for his machinegun.) The CPV’s smoke grenade launchers are on either side of the upper glacis plate, in clusters of three each.

     The ACV-15 AMV is an armored ambulance version.  As such, it has space in the rear for a medic and two stretcher cases plus four seated patients.  It also has a small refrigerator for perishable medical supplies, a defibrillator, two sets of oxygen administration kits, splint kits, and the equivalent of 20 personal medical kits and two doctor’s medical bags. Like the CPV, the AMV’s smoke grenade launchers are on either side of the upper glacis plate, in clusters of three each.  The AMV is normally unarmed.

 

Big Brother – The ACV-S

     The ACV-S (“S” for Stretched) was at first called the ACV-NG (New Generation).  The ACV-S is, as the name suggests, an ACV-15 with an extra roadwheel at the end of the hull, making it about a meter longer; it is also a little wider than the ACV-15.  This increases available internal volume by 25%, and with the increased engine power, the cargo carrying capability is also dramatically increased.  The layout of the vehicle is largely the same, but the new hull size and configuration allows for a wider possible selection of turrets and armament.  There are three firing ports in the sides instead of two, though there are still at the rear. All troop seats are down the center and face outwards. The interior of the ACV-S is air conditioned, and it has a collective NBC system for the troops and crew to hook up to when they are on board.  The driver remains in his front left position; whether there is a commander’s position depends upon the turret configuration.  Armor is in general slightly bumped up from the ACV-15 version.  The powerpack is likewise upgraded, with the engine being an upgraded version of the 6V-53T developing 350 horsepower.  (Turkey, Malaysia, the UAE, and Jordan are reportedly already considering a further upgraded engine developing 400 horsepower; as this engine is also a 6V-53T version, this would be a simple drop-in upgrade.)  The suspension is also upgraded, both for the increased weight and increased engine power. The vehicle’s larger size allows for larger fuel tanks. An automatic fire detection and suppression system is standard.

     Several versions of the ACV-S are projected, ranging from several APC/IFV variants, ATGM vehicles, SAM and AAA carriers, and specialist vehicles.  So far, only the version with the Sharpshooter turret has been ordered by any country’s military forces (by Turkey, Malaysia, UAE, and Jordan).  As the exact designations of the various APC/IFV versions has not been reported, I have labeled them below as “AFV 1,” “AFV 2,” “AFV 3,” etc.

     The current standard ACV-S version is topped with the Sharpshooter turret, as mounted on the ACV-15 AIFV above.  The vehicle’s larger size allows the vehicle to carry more ammunition as well as a larger infantry squad, and these are the primary differences from the ACV-15 other than those listed above.  The commander’s position, as for the ACV-15 AIFV, is retained on this version, which I have labeled “AFV 1” below.  Variants of this version include two with a two-man turret; this turret is a little lower and wider, giving it a flat, saucer-shaped appearance.  These versions eliminate the separate commander’s hatch and put the commander in the turret.  This version may be armed with the M-242 ChainGun or its 30mm variant, the M-230.  There is a slight increase in ammunition stowage. These are labeled AFV 2 and AFV 3 below.

     Simpler variants include the version I have labeled AFV 4, which has a version of the British-made SWARM OHWS equipped with an M-2HB; this version, though not as heavily-armed, has better night vision equipment.  The gunner sits in the hull with a downlinked monitor and controls for the gun, and the gun can be aimed, fired, and reloaded from within the vehicle.  There is no hatch in the small turret.  The “AFV 5” version has a small turret (though larger than the SWARM turret) with conventional night vision and a small hatch in the turret roof. Both these versions have the commander’s station to the left of the turret.  The AFV 4 version uses a cluster of three smoke grenade launchers on either side of the glacis plate near the top; the AFV 5 version has these clusters on either side of the turret.

     Perhaps the most fantastic idea for the ACV-S has been the mounting of the entire Bachka turret on the ACV-S hull – the same turret as used on the BMP-4, with the exception of a MAG coaxial being mounted instead of a PKT.  This version is called the ACV-SW.  Though it has had no takers as of yet, it does show how far the ACV-S platform could be taken.  Of course, the use of this turret substantially reduces the size of the infantry squad which can be carried, and greatly increases the weight of the vehicle.

 

     Twilight 2000 Notes: Being a new vehicle to Turkish service at the time of the Twilight War, the ACV-15 was not fielded in as large numbers that they were fielded in real life – the Turkish Army had about 800 of all variants in service at the start of the War, with some 100 more being produced during the War.  The Turkish Army also managed to get about 100 ACV-Ss.  The Turkish Army opted to produce more of the heavier-armed versions with the 25mm autocannons; some 70% of the total of ACV-15s were APC/IFV variants, with some three-quarters being AIFV variants (only 10% being the early versions with the Giat autocannons). Most of the ACV-S were of the AFV 3 variant (about 50 of the total), with the rest being AFV 2 versions and a few ATGM carrier versions.  No other country got the ACV-15 or ACV-S during the Twilight 2000 timeline.

 

Vehicle

Price

Fuel Type

Load

Veh Wt

Crew

Mnt

Night Vision

Radiological

ACV-15 AAPC

$110,593

D, A

1.15 tons

13.5 tons

3+8

6

Passive IR (D, C), Image Intensification (C), WL/IR Searchlight (C)

Shielded

ACV-300 AAPC (Malaysian 1)

$105,819

D, A

1.15 tons

13.5 tons

3+8

6

Passive IR (D, C), Image Intensification (C), WL/IR Searchlight (C)

Shielded

ACV-300 AAPC (Malaysian 2)

$122,640

D, A

1.15 tons

13.5 tons

3+8

6

Passive IR (D, C), Image Intensification (C), WL/IR Searchlight (C)

Shielded

ACV-15 AIFV (Early)

$136,567

D, A

1 ton

14 tons

3+8

6

Passive IR (D, G, C), Image Intensification (G, C), WL/IR Searchlight (C)

Shielded

ACV-15 AIFV (Late)

$148,885

D, A

1 ton

14 tons

3+8

6

Passive IR (D, G, C), Image Intensification (G, C), WL/IR Searchlight (C)

Shielded

ACV-15 CPV

$517,429

D, A

860 kg

12.6 tons

3+5

9

Passive IR (D), Thermal Imaging (C), Image Intensification (C), WL/IR Searchlight (C)

Shielded

ACV-15 AMV

$53,514

D, A

860 kg

12.5 tons

**

7

Passive IR (D), WL/IR Searchlight (C)

Shielded

ACV-S AFV 1 (350 hp)

$161,812

D, A

1.7 tons

20 tons

3+10

10

Passive IR (D, G, C), Image Intensification (G, C), WL/IR Searchlight (C)

Shielded

ACV-S AFV 1 (400 hp)

$162,003

D, A

1.7 tons

20 tons

3+10

10

Passive IR (D, G, C), Image Intensification (G, C), WL/IR Searchlight (C)

Shielded

ACV-S AFV 2 (350 hp)

$163,001

D, A

1.6 tons

20.3 tons

3+10

10

Passive IR (D, G, C), Image Intensification (G, C), WL/IR Searchlight (C)

Shielded

ACV-S AFV 2 (400 hp)

$163,192

D, A

1.6 tons

20.3 tons

3+10

10

Passive IR (D, G, C), Image Intensification (G, C), WL/IR Searchlight (C)

Shielded

ACV-S AFV 3 (350 hp)

$166,183

D, A

1.6 tons

20.3 tons

3+10

10

Passive IR (D, G, C), Image Intensification (G, C), WL/IR Searchlight (C)

Shielded

ACV-S AFV 3 (400 hp)

$166,373

D, A

1.6 tons

20.3 tons

3+10

10

Passive IR (D, G, C), Image Intensification (G, C), WL/IR Searchlight (C)

Shielded

ACV-S AFV 4 (350 hp)

$163,277

D, A

2 tons

19.5 tons

3+10

8

Passive IR (D, C), Image Intensification (C), Thermal Imaging (C), WL/IR Searchlight (C)

Shielded

ACV-S AFV 4 (400 hp)

$163,465

D, A

2 tons

19.5 tons

3+10

8

Passive IR (D, C), Image Intensification (C), Thermal Imaging (C), WL/IR Searchlight (C)

Shielded

ACV-S AFV 5 (350 hp)

$121,895

D, A

1.9 tons

19.6 tons

3+10

8

Passive IR (D, C), Image Intensification (C), WL/IR Searchlight (C)

Shielded

ACV-S AFV 5 (400 hp)

$122,083

D, A

1.9 tons

19.6 tons

3+10

8

Passive IR (D, C), Image Intensification (C), WL/IR Searchlight (C)

Shielded

ACV-SW (350 hp)

$367,011

D, A

800 kg

22.2 tons

3+6

10

Passive IR (D, G, C), Image Intensification (G), Thermal Imaging (G), IR Searchlight (C)

Shielded

ACV-SW (400 hp)

$367,199

D, A

800 kg

22.2 tons

3+6

10

Passive IR (D, G, C), Image Intensification (G), Thermal Imaging (G), IR Searchlight (C)

Shielded

 

Vehicle

Tr Mov

Com Mov

Fuel Cap

Fuel Cons

Config

Susp

Armor

ACV-15 AAPC

147/103

31/23/3

416

140

Trtd

T2

TF6  TS5  TR4  HF10Sp  HS7Sp  HR6*

ACV-15 AIFV (Early)

143/100

30/22/3

416

145

Trtd

T2

TF6  TS5  TR4  HF10Sp  HS7Sp  HR6*

ACV-15 AIFV (Late)

143/100

30/22/3

416

145

Trtd

T2

TF6Sp  TS5Sp  TR4  HF10Sp  HS7Sp  HR6*

ACV-15 CPV/AMV

157/110

33/25/3

416

130

Stnd

T2

HF10Sp  HS7Sp  HR6*

ACV-S AFV 1 (350 hp)

126/88

27/20/3

501

166

Trtd

T3

TF6Sp  TS5Sp  TR4  HF12Sp  HS9Sp  HR7***

ACV-S AFV 1 (400 hp)

140/98

29/22/3

501

194

Trtd

T3

TF6Sp  TS5Sp  TR4  HF12Sp  HS9Sp  HR7***

ACV-S AFV 2/3 (350 hp)

125/87

26/20/3

501

169

Trtd

T3

TF6Sp  TS5Sp  TR4  HF12Sp  HS9Sp  HR7***

ACV-S AFV 2/3 (400 hp)

138/97

29/22/3

501

197

Trtd

T3

TF6Sp  TS5Sp  TR4  HF12Sp  HS9Sp  HR7***

ACV-S AFV 4 (350 hp)

129/90

28/21/3

501

162

CiH

T3

TF2  TS2  TR2  HF12Sp  HS9Sp  HR7***

ACV-S AFV 4 (400 hp)

144/101

30/23/3

501

189

CiH

T3

TF2  TS2  TR2  HF12Sp  HS9Sp  HR7***

ACV-S AFV 5 (350 hp)

129/90

28/21/3

501

163

Trtd

T3

TF3  TS3  TR3  HF12Sp  HS9Sp  HR7***

ACV-S AFV 5 (400 hp)

143/100

30/22/3

501

190

Trtd

T3

TF3  TS3  TR3  HF12Sp  HS9Sp  HR7***

ACV-SW (350 hp)

113/79

24/18/2

501

184

Trtd

T3

TF11  TS4  TR4  HF12Sp  HS9Sp  HR7***

ACV-SW (400 hp)

126/88

26/20/3

501

215

Trtd

T3

TF11  TS4  TR4  HF12Sp  HS9Sp  HR7***

 

Vehicle

Fire Control

Stabilization

Armament

Ammunition

ACV-15 AAPC

+2

Fair

M-2HB, MAG

1000x.50, 1840x7.62mm

ACV-300 AAPC (Malaysian 1)

+2

Fair

M-2HB

2100x.50

ACV-300 AAPC (Malaysian 2)

+2

Fair

Mk 19

650x40mm

ACV-15 AIFV (Early)

+2

Fair

25mm Giat M-811 Autocannon, MAG

325x25mm, 1840x7.62mm

ACV-15 AIFV (Late)

+3

Good

25mm M-242 ChainGun, MAG

325x25mm, 1840x7.62mm

ACV-15 CPV

None

None

M-2HB (C)

1100x.50

ACV-S AFV 1

+3

Good

25mm M-242 ChainGun, MAG

500x25mm, 2760x7.62mm

ACV-S AFV 2

+3

Good

25mm M-242 ChainGun, MAG

550x25mm, 3050x7.62mm

ACV-S AFV 3

+3

Good

30mm M-230 ChainGun, MAG

460x30mm, 3050x7.62mm

ACV-S AFV 4

+3

Fair

M-2HB

1625x.50

ACV-S AFV 5

+2

Fair

M-2HB

1800x.50

ACV-SW

+3

Good

100mm 2A70 Gun, 2A72 30mm Autocannon, MAG

30x100mm, 6xAT-10 ATGM, 375x30mm, 4500x7.62mm

*Belly armor is 4.

**See above for Crew rating.

***Belly armor is 5, except under the driver and turret (and commander if separate), where it is 6.