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The Al-Fahd is an armoured fighting vehicle used by the Armed Forces of Saudi Arabia. It was the first armored fighting vehicle developed and built-in Saudi Arabia. The vehicle is produced by the Abdallah Al Faris Company for Heavy Industries, which is based in Dammam.

The Al Fahd is available in three configurations: The AF-40-8-1; an armoured personnel carrier (APC) or infantry fighting vehicle (IFV) variant, and the AF-40-8-2; an armoured fighting/reconnaissance vehicle (AFRV).

Design

Mobility

The AF-40-8-1 and AF-40-8-2 are similar in terms of 8-wheeled hull configuration, suspension, and transmission. Internally, however, the vehicles differ in both engine type and engine placement. The AF-40-8-2's larger, 12-cylinder engine is mounted at the rear of the hull, where the AF-40-8-1's 10-cylinder engine is mounted at the front to allow for the troop compartment and rear troop ramp which is not present on or required for the AFRV version.

The Al Fahd uses a variable hydropneumatic suspension which allows the vehicle to adjust its ground clearance by a total of 45 cm (18 in) - between 15 cm (5.9 in) and 60 cm (24 in) - depending on need.

The vehicle is designed to be able to negotiate slopes of up to 80% (forward) and 55% (side), and cross trenches between 2 m (6.6 ft) and 2.5 m (8.2 ft).

There is also an amphibious version of the Al Fahd available depending on customer requirements. The hydraulic propellers are optional, so not all Al Fahd's are capable of an amphibious operation.

Protection

The Al Fahd uses a high-hardness steel alloy to offer protection against 14 mm ammunition on the frontal arc at ranges of 300 m (980 ft) and greater, and 7.62 mm ammunition at ranges of 25 m (82 ft) and greater on the sides and rear of the vehicle. The vehicle also incorporates multiple layers of Kevlar internally to protect the crew and passengers against spall.

Armament

The armament for both the AF-40-8-1 and AF-40-8-2 varies according to customer specifications. The AF-40-8-1 is capable of mounting anything up to and including a 40 mm cannon, and the AF-40-8-2 anything up to and including a low-recoil 105 mm cannon, the 105mm cannon can be elevated up high similar to the ST-3

Operators

•  Saudi Arabia
•  Lebanon
•  Kuwait

References

1. ^ "Al Fahd - Wheeled Armoured Reconnaissance/Personnel Carrier - Army Technology". Army-Technology.com. Retrieved 30 August 2010.
2. ^ "Specifications: Al Fahd - Wheeled Armoured Reconnaissance/Personnel Carrier - Army Technology". Army-Technology.com. Archived from the original on 4 October 2009. Retrieved 30 August 2010.
3. "БРОНЕТРАНСПОРТЕР AL FAHD".
4. ^ The Militarization of the Persian Gulf: An Economic Analysis by Hossein Askari, Amin Mohseni, Shahrzad Daneshvar, p.90.

• Wheeled armoured fighting vehicles
• Military equipment of Saudi Arabia
• Military vehicles of Pakistan
• Eight-wheeled vehicles
• Military vehicles introduced in the 1990s
• Wheeled amphibious armoured fighting vehicles
• Wheeled armoured personnel carriers
• Wheeled infantry fighting vehicles