FDSP BOV

     Notes:  This light wheeled APC is found in service only with the various former Yugoslavian republics, and in Croatia, they have been mostly replaced with the LOV APC.  The BOV can be mistaken at a distance with the basic version of the LAV-150, and is in fact roughly the same size and shape as that vehicle.  There are several known variants, with the antiaircraft versions (BOV-3 and BOV-30) being more common by 2010 than the APC or ATGM carriers.  (The AAA and ATGM variants will not be covered on this page.) APC variants are often used by home defense units these days. The BOV-VP and several of its subtypes is being replaced by the Finnish AMV and possibly the Lazar MRAP.

The Basic BOV APC – The BOV-VP

     The driver’s compartment is in the front center, and is surrounded on three sides by large bullet-resistant windows.  He has a hatch above his position, though he doesn’t need to drive much with the hatch open due to the excellent visibility given to him by his windows. The driver has a large, wide-angle vision block on the hatch, which may be replaced by an IR vision block. The commander is to the tight, and has no armament of his own, though he has a firing port to the rear of his windshield under the side window.   A gunner is behind this position, armed with a pintle-mounted weapon and often surrounded by AV2 gun shields.  (Later versions have an RWS.)  The gunner is taken from one of the troops in the rear, but does not normally leave the vehicle, providing fire support instead. The troop compartment is in the rear, with troops seated down the center of the vehicle.  There are three firing ports on each side of the vehicle; instead of simple vision blocks, the troops have small bullet-resistant windows above each firing port.  The rear has a bullet-resistant window, but not a firing port.  The troops enter and leave through a large clamshell door in each side of the troop compartment; each door carries one of the firing ports and window.  On each side of the forward hull is a cluster of three smoke grenade launchers.

     The engine is a Deutz F6L413 diesel engine developing 150 horsepower.  This is adequate for the weight of the vehicle.  The driver has a conventional control set, though the transmission is manual.  Steering is power-assisted on the front wheels, though all four wheels are steerable to reduce turn radius. The tires have a central tire pressure regulation system.  Brakes are air-hydraulic with a manual parking brake.  Suspension is 4x4 and of the off-road type, though the ground clearance is rather high and this helps protect against mines.  Suspension is by simple leaf springs, which can lead to a bouncy off-road ride.  The suspension has a locking differential.  Armor is light, and a superstructure extends from the driver/commander’s position to about halfway back.

APC-Type Variants

     The BOV-M is designed for the Milicja (sort of a more heavily-armed SWAT team also used for antiriot duties). It is essentially the same externally as the BOV-VP, though the interior troop space is often taken up with a cage for a police dog and a locker for CS grenades.  They are normally equipped with flashing lights, a siren, and a PA system, as well as an extra spotlight used by the commander.

     The BOV-SN is an armored ambulance version which is unarmed, though the cupola with its vision blocks is retained.  The BOV-SN has room for four stretcher patients, two stretcher patients and three seated patients, or six seated patients, plus a medic in the rear.  Space is at a premium, and the BOV-SN has the equivalent of one doctor’s medical bag, 10 personal medical kits, and a small assortment of splints, bandages, burn kits, cravats, and minor medical supplies.  It carries four blankets, though it has no capacity to warm them, or give warm fluids.

     Yugoimport (Yugoslavia/Serbia’s current company for military weapons) has recently offered an armored reconnaissance version, which has no designation as of yet.  This version has a much-reduced dismount crew, and instead has much heavier armament – a turret with an M-55 autocannon, a coaxial PKT, and a launcher on either side of the turret for a Malyutka ATGM.  As customer request, the double Malyutka launcher may be replaced by a single AT-5 launcher.  The Armored Reconnaissance variant has one extra long-range radio.

*Floor AV is 2Sp.

**See Notes for Crew and passenger capacity.

Yugoimport Lazar BVT

     Notes: Not currently yet in service with any nation, the Lazar (named after a 14^th century prince of Serbia) is being aggressively marketed both to the Serbian Army and on the international market (Yugoimport, for example, has been pursuing Iraq hard). Designed for urban and rural anti-infantry patrol and transport, the Lazar is an MRAP.  The chassis started as a simple redesign and armored version of the TAM-150 truck, but the design quickly moved away from these roots and the vehicle became larger, taller, more robust, and grew from a 4x4 to an 8x8 configuration.  In testing, the Lazar met all parameters except weight (especially with appliqué armor), but with its powerful engine this was not seen as a severe deficit. The Lazar may have a big future – several countries are interested in it – or it may fade away in the face of competing and in many cases more advanced MRAP designs; the Lazar’s novel armor may give it an edge.  There is also a tendency for the worldwide arms market not to trust Serbian or former Yugoslavian designs.

      In keeping with its truck roots, the Lazar has a frontal cab containing the driver and commander.  They have doors in each side of the cab.  Those doors have large bullet-resistant windows, and the front has a large double bullet-resistant windshield.  From the roof of the driver’s and commander’s positions are brackets to allow the mounting of night vision blocks. To the rear of the cab is the gunner’s position, which may have as armament a number of cupolas or small turrets.  The small turrets are almost RWSs; the gunner only has his head and shoulders inside the turret.  The cupolas are like smaller versions of this, with a ring of vision blocks and the gunner placing his head inside the cupola to aim and fire.  Both have small hatches in the roofs. The rear area has its troops sitting down the center.  The troops not only have three firing ports down each side and two in the rear; the sides may be hinged upwards at the top to give the troops inside more visibility and the ability to fire heavy weapons from inside such as grenade launchers and machineguns.  The troop compartment also has a large double hatch on the rear deck, and a large double hatch on the rear face (each with a firing port in it).  A cluster of four smoke grenade launchers are found on the ends of each front bumper; these launchers can fire normal smoke, IR smoke, or chaff, depending what is loaded in the tubes.

     The Lazar is powered by a 440-horsepower turbocharged diesel of new design; this engine is said to have rapid power response both up and down, giving excellent acceleration and deceleration, and the ability to operate at long periods of high speed and low speed.  The engine is coupled to an automatic transmission, though manual transmission is available as a backup of to those who prefer it.  The engine gives the Lazar excellent speed and mobility in its base form; however, put on the appliqué armor package, and the Lazar turns into a dud. The 8x8 suspension is of the off-road type; steering is on the first four wheels, and the tires are run-flat, puncture-resistant, and have central tire pressure regulation.  Particular attention has been given to the strength of the suspension, as well as its mobility – each wheel has independent suspension and can move up and down and to a very limited extent side-to-side independently of the other wheels.  The engine compartment and fuel tanks have an automatic fire detection and suppression system, as does the cab and troop compartment.

     Perhaps the most interesting part about the Lazar is its armor.  Armor is moderately angled on the front, and a little less angled on the sides, though enough to benefit protection. The base outer armor is of steel, but it also incorporates the new concept of NERA (Non-Explosive Reactive Armor). NERA uses a classified composition of rubber with a specific (and also classified) composition and consistency, sandwiched between light metal plates.  NERA has almost no effect against KE penetrators (acting as a mere 4 points of extra armor against these projectiles), but against HE and HEAT-type rounds, the protection is dramatic – the equivalent of an extra 60 points of armor against these rounds.  In addition, NERA is only about a quarter of the weight and half the cost of ERA.  (In addition, the lack of the use of explosives in NERA means that it could also be used on soft-skinned vehicles.) Finally, since there are no explosives to detonate, a NERA tile is not destroyed on that first hit by an incoming round – studies have shown that a NERA tile can remain effective after 6-12 hits (I’ll use the figure of 8 hits for game purposes).  And just to round things out, a tandem warhead will not destroy a NERA tile so that the main charge can penetrate the vehicle’s skin – in game terms, each individual warhead in a tandem warhead fired against NERA is resolved as a separate attack, with that same NERA tile getting in the way of penetration.

     Lugs are attached to the hull front, hull sides, and if equipped with a turret, turret front and sides for conventional ERA modules.  In addition, the Lazar can take a pretty comprehensive (and heavy) appliqué armor package – it almost doubles the weight of the Lazar so equipped, and provides protection similar to the MEXAS composite armor package.

     Projected and demonstrated variants include non-APC- types (not covered here) such as an AAA/SAM vehicle and cancelled variants such as a light howitzer, a tracked version, and an amphibious version.  APC-type versions projected and/or demonstrated include a shorter, lighter 4x4 version, and an armored ambulance.  The armored ambulance has the equivalent of two doctor’s medical bags, 20 personal medical kits, an assortment of bandages, splints, cravats, burn treatment kits, and minor medical supplies, as well as a small refrigerator for perishable medical supplies.  It can carry four stretcher patients, two stretcher patients and four seated patients, or eight seated patients, plus a medic in the rear.  It is unarmed, though it retains a rotating cupola with all-around vision blocks.  I have not been able to find enough solid information on the 4x4 version, so it will not be presented here until I find some.

     Twilight 2000 Notes: the Lazar is not available in the Twilight 2000 timeline.

*Roof AV is 4; Floor AV is 6Sp.  The “Ne” refers to NERA armor.

**Roof AV is 5, Floor AV is 7Sp.  Hits to the hull front and hull sides have sort of a “double armor” effect – first the special protection of composite armor is applied, then the special protection of NERA is applied.

***See Notes for Crew and passenger capacity.