The FV 510 Warrior Tracked Armoured Vehicles are light armoured multi-purpose transports used by the British army. Warrior variants include artillery observation post vehicle (OPV) and command post vehicle (CPV), a Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers (REME) recovery and repair vehicle, light tank fitted with a L7 105 mm gun turret, anti-aircraft vehicles, TOW or HOT missile tank hunter, reconnaissance vehicle with 76 mm or 90 mm main gun, transport, or missile lancher. Generally held to be more effective than the US M2 Bradley.

They are not amphibious, but have NBC capabilities. The FV 510 has a wide array of night vision systems.

A drawback is that they are too large to be carried by the RAF's C-130 Hercules transport aircraft.

Their strong aluminium armour proved efficient against small arms fire and self-propelled grenades during the conflict in Bosnia.

History

The warrior started out as the Mechanized Combat vehicle 80 (MCV 80), a succesor to the FV 432 APV series. Initial design and planning took place between 1968 and 1976. Selection was made in 1980 but the first contract was placed in 1985.

Variants

• FV512 Recovery vehicle
• FV513 Repair vehicle

Trivia

The Warriors vehicles inspired the name of the eponymous film about the war in Bosnia, by the BBC [1]

See also

• M2_Bradley
• VAB_(armoured_personnel_carrier)
• Soviet BMP IFV
• Swedish CV90 IFV

External links and references

• Army Technology
• The British Army
• Army Recognition
• Military History Encyclopedia on the Web
• Proceedings of the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia. The testimony by Lieutenant Colonel Bryan Watters gives a good illustrations of the peace-keeping operations in which Warrior vehicles were used.

• Foss, Christopher & Sarson, Peter. Warrior Mechanised Combat Vehicle 1987 - 1994, Osprey UK, 1994, London, New Vanguard Series No. 10.