Alvis/BAE FV-432 FDC
The FV-432 FDC
vehicle is essentially a specialized version of the FV-432 command vehicle, and
in form does not differ greatly from that vehicle; the primary differences in
the FV-432 FDC are inside, where a more comprehensive fire control computer is
installed that allows the FDC crew to quickly computer coordinates using FIST
information or information from troops in the field calling for supporting fires
by position and map coordinates; it also generally carries extra radios,
including two long-range, two medium-range, and one short-range radios.
Mk 2 and (and Mk 3 versions, if they appear), have one long-range radio
being data-capable, and the internal computer can wirelessly connect with the
mortar carrier’s hand-held mortar fire control computers and transmit
coordinates and other information directly to them, such as method of fire and
types of rounds to be used. The
FV-432 FDC did, in fact, receive the Mk 1/1 and Mk 2 upgrades, the same as the
FV-432 and FV-432 Mortar Carrier.
The Mk 1 version
of the FV-432 FDC uses a Rolls-Royce B-Series 240-horsepower gasoline engine,
coupled to a
GM TX-200 4A semiautomatic transmission.
Though this is not a fully-integrated powerpack, the engine and transmission are
mounted on a common sub-frame and can be removed in one piece. As with the
FV-432 Mk 1, the FV-432 Mk 1 FDC was designed with amphibious capability, but
this requires that a large flotation screen be erected, a trim vane extended,
and a bilge pump turned on – an operation that could take up to a half an hour
with inexperienced troops. Due to
the heavier weight and height of the FV-432 FDC, swimming is even more dicey,
and less recommended than swimming the FV-432 APC.
A minor upgrade, the Mk 1/1 version, primarily dealt with small
automotive and electrical problems.
The Mk 2 version has a new Rolls-Royce K60 multifuel engine, and a few other
mechanical and electrical improvements. The Peak Engineering light turret that
was applied to some Mk 2 FV-432 APCs was not applied to any FV-432 FDCs.
This version is known as the Bulldog, as will be the possible upcoming Mk
3. The short-lived Mk 2/1 modification, which moved the NBC pack inside the
FV-432 APCs walls, was never applied to the FV-432 FDC.
The Possible Mk 3
Upgrade
A big question
is whether the FV-432 FDC version will receive the Mk 3 upgrades. I am assuming
the maximum possible Mk 3 upgrades in the stats below, but as a minimum, the new
integrated power pack and driver’s position are being looked at for a possible
Mk 3 version.
The engine used in
the upgrade is a 260-horsepower diesel engine, along with a fully automatic
transmission. The laterals for
vehicle control are gone, replaced by a steering yoke and a standard gas pedal
and brake pedal. The FV-432 Mk 3 FDC has an air conditioning unit, though it is
modular and may be removed if it is deemed unnecessary, such as if a war occurs
in cold climates, freeing up some interior space. Other improvements include a
beefed-up suspension for the crew and troops seats.
The FV-432 Mk 3 FDC is equipped with a GPS unit.
The smoke grenade clusters have increased from three to four.
Externally, the
upgrade is rather stunning, with appliqué aluminum armor applied to basically
every surface of the FV-432, especially the hull floor; on the glacis and hull
sides, this appliqué is armor spaced by stand-off bars.
The Mk 3 upgrade also includes lugs for ERA on the glacis and hull sides.
Ahead of the driver and commander’s station is a short, wire-cutting mast to
keep low-hanging wires from taking the driver’s and/or commander’s heads off.
The commander’s position is equipped with a light weapon, as on other
FV-432 Mortar Carriers; however, this weapon is standard.
Also standard are the AV2 gun shields for the commander’s cupola.
The FV-432 Mk 3 FDC is not slated to receive the RCWS station (any
iteration of it). In the lower hull, the British have taken a page out of the
Russian T-90s tech manual and installed a mine/IED electrical jammer; when the
jammer encounters a magnetic mine or one with an electrical fuze within 10
meters, the jammer will disable the fuze from operating on a roll 14 or better
on a d20. Note that the mine must
be in a 20-degree radius of the front of the carrier.
The jammer device is also not a mine
detector – if the device does not
detonate the mine and the mine does not actually go off, the FV-432 FDC’s crew
will not know that the mine is there.
It should be
noted that the Mk 3 FDC is not amphibious.
Twilight 2000
Notes: No Mk 3 variants of the FDC are available in the Twilight 2000 timeline.
Vehicle |
Price |
Fuel Type |
Load |
Veh Wt |
Crew |
Mnt |
Night Vision |
Radiological |
FV-432 Mk 1 FDC |
$136,278 |
G, A |
660 kg |
16.2 tons |
2+5 |
11 |
Passive IR (D) |
Enclosed |
FV-432 Bulldog Mk 2 FDC |
$138,278 |
D, G, A |
660 kg |
16.2 tons |
2+5 |
11 |
Passive IR (D) |
Shielded |
FV-432 Bulldog Mk 3 FDC |
$185,834 |
D, A |
375 kg |
17.8 tons |
2+5 |
11 |
Passive IR (D) |
Shielded |
Vehicle |
Tr Mov |
Com Mov |
Fuel Cap |
Fuel Cons |
Config |
Susp |
Armor |
FV-432 Mk 1 FDC |
106/74 |
26/16/2 |
454 |
142 |
Stnd |
T2 |
HF6
HS4 HR3 |
FV-432 Bulldog Mk 2 FDC |
106/74 |
26/16/2 |
454 |
106 |
Stnd |
T2 |
HF6
HS4 HR3 |
FV-432 Bulldog Mk 3 FDC |
101/71 |
24/15 |
454 |
136 |
Stnd |
T3 |
HF8Sp
HS6Sp HR4* |
Vehicle |
Fire Control |
Stabilization |
Armament |
Ammunition |
FV-432 FDC |
None |
None |
L-7A2 (C) |
1600x7.62mm |
*Hull floor AV is 4.
Notes:
The Warrior MAOV (Mechanized Artillery Observation Vehicle) was developed
in the early-1990s to give effective FISTV support to units equipped with
quicker Warrior ICVs and Challenger tanks. It was one of the original vehicles
planned for what was supposed to be an extensive family of vehicles based on the
Warrior chassis, and was one of the few such vehicles to actually make into
service. So far, the Warrior MAOV
is used only by the British Army; I have not been able to determine whether it
was ever offered for export.
Externally, the
MAOV looks almost identical to the standard Warrior; this is intentional, since
FIST vehicles are much higher-priority targets than IFVs – in other words, it’s
a ruse. The driver’s compartment is
in the same place in the vehicle, and the driver’s controls and instruments are
identical to those on a standard Warrior ICV. The driver is on the left side of
the front hull, with a overhead hatch that can be locked open enough for him to
see out almost 270 degrees around, but not block the traverse of the turret; it
can also be opened straight up to allow the driver to enter and exit through the
hatch (but it will block the traverse of the turret.
The driver uses a steering yoke and a conventional brake and gas pedal. A
little-used design feature is a windshield that can be fitted to the hatch
opening when the hatch is open for driving; this seals the hatchway opening but
still allows the driver to see out through the partially-opened hatch, and even
includes a windshield wiper! Originally, the driver had one wide angle vision
block which could be replaced with a night vision block; later, another vision
block was added on either side of the front vision block to give the driver a
better view when buttoned up. The
driver has a seat adjustable for height as well as being able to recline almost
totally; though the driver’s compartment is cramped, it is conceivable that one
could sleep in there.
The turret has
two hatches atop it, with the commander’s hatch to the left. The commander and
gunner have a decent view around the vehicle through vision blocks.
Fuel tanks are found in the walls of the passenger compartment, with
stowage boxes in the rear and a large bustle rack in the rear of the turret.
The rear passenger compartment is crammed with mission gear and a 4kW APU
as well as one of the crewmembers.
No dismount troops are carried, though the crew generally have L-85s or pistols
for personal defense. There is no room for any other weapons, except a small
store of ammunition for the small arms. The rear deck’s double hatch is deleted,
replaced by one small roof hatch. The rear compartment’s two rotating periscopes
have also been deleted. The hot
plate/water boiler is retained, though there is only one and not two, as on a
standard Warrior ICV.
The turret is
stuffed with extra communications gear and equipment necessary for the MAOV to
fulfill its mission. There is so
much extra gear that the “autocannon” is in fact a dummy, and the MAOV retains
only its machinegun. The MAOV is
equipped with a combination ground surveillance/mortar and artillery
counterbattery radar, GPS with inertial navigation backup, a computer system to
allow it to compute fire solutions for several friendly artillery and/or mortar
batteries at once and process the information from its radar, and two long range
radios (data-capable), one medium-range radio, and one short-range radio.
The turret has two independently-trainable laser rangefinders, including
one with double normal range, plus one for the machinegun. It can transmit the
information from its radar and vision devices to other units equipped to receive
them. The MAOV has a greatly
enhanced vision suite. The gunner
and commander are in fact artillery spotters and run the radar, and the fourth
crewmember runs the computers and some of the radios and communications.
Power is
provided by the same Perkins/Rolls-Royce Condor CV8 TCA diesel engine developing
550 horsepower; this is coupled to an Allison X300-4B automatic transmission.
Hull armor is of all-welded aluminum, often with appliqué armor plates on
the sides and sometimes on the glacis (especially during and after Desert Storm,
during deployments to the former Yugoslavia, and during the recent fighting in
Iraq). Floor armor is notoriously
thin, something that is being addressed by current upgrades.
The turret, on the other hand, is armored in welded steel, and compared
to most vehicles of its class, is relatively well armored.
(Even compared to the Warrior’s hull, the turret is well-armored.) On the
other hand, it does make the vehicle heavier than it might have been if an
aluminum armor turret had been used. The vehicle has a collective NBC system for
the crew and passengers, and this system also shields the airflow to the radios
and some other electronic equipment.
The Warrior has automatic fire detection and suppression systems, with
separate systems for the turret and passenger compartments, the driver’s
compartment, the engine compartment, and the fuel tanks.
In addition, there are a pair of manual handles to actuate the fire
extinguishing system.
The Warrior MAOV
is not slated to receive more than a small part of the WSCP (Warrior Capability
Sustainment Program). The MAOV already has a lot of the vision and navigation
equipment of the WSCP; the armament augmentation is not applicable to the MAOV,
though the MAOV may receive a new turret and dummy autocannon and ATGM launcher,
just to blend in. The WMPS modular
appliqué armor suite is not currently set to be applied to the MAOV.
Before the
addition of Wrap Two applique armor, some Warrior MAOVs were armored with
bar/slat/cage armor. This covered
the front, sides, and rear of the hull, and sides and rear of the turret.
This is designed to pre-detonate HE-type warheads, and has no effect on
AP or KE-type warheads. The rear
door is covered with cage armor which opens with the door.
Twilight 2000
Notes: The Warrior MAOV was a latecomer to the British TOE; perhaps 20 were
built before the Twilight War, and another 20 during the war. Late in the war,
surviving MAOVs were often used as command vehicles.
Cage armor was not used much in the Twilight War, but a few MAOVs were
equipped with it.
Vehicle |
Price |
Fuel Type |
Load |
Veh Wt |
Crew |
Mnt |
Night Vision |
Radiological |
Warrior MAOV |
$552,315 |
D, A |
500 kg |
24 tons |
4 |
18 |
Passive IR (D, G, C), Image
Intensification (G, C), Thermal Imaging (C), FLIR (G), Artillery
Counterbattery/GSR Radar |
Shielded |
Warrior MAOV w/Appliqué |
$610,610 |
D, A |
450 kg |
25 tons |
4 |
18 |
Passive IR (D, G, C), Image
Intensification (G, C), Thermal Imaging (C), FLIR (G), Artillery
Counterbattery/GSR Radar |
Shielded |
Warrior MAOV w/Cage Armor |
|
D, A |
450 kg |
25.4 kg |
4 |
19 |
Passive IR (D, G, C), Image
Intensification (G, C), Thermal Imaging (C), FLIR (G), Artillery
Counterbattery/GSR Radar |
Shielded |
Vehicle |
Tr Mov |
Com Mov |
Fuel Cap |
Fuel Cons |
Config |
Susp |
Armor |
Warrior MAOV |
154/108 |
39/23 |
770 |
234 |
Trtd |
T4 |
TF12
TS8 TR5
HF11 HS7
HR5* |
Warrior MAOV w/Appliqué |
149/103 |
37/22 |
770 |
251 |
Trtd |
T4 |
TF12
TS8 TR5
HF17Sp HS10Sp
HR5** |
Warrior MAOV w/Cage Armor |
152/106 |
38/23 |
770 |
238 |
Trtd |
T4 |
TF12
TS10Sp TR7Sp
HF13Sp HS7Sp
HR7Sp* |
Vehicle |
Fire Control |
Stabilization |
Armament |
Ammunition |
Warrior MAOV |
+1 |
Fair |
EX-34 |
1500x7.62mm |
*Hull floor armor for this
version is 5.
**Hull floor armor for this
version is 7Sp.