Alvis Saladin

Alvis Saladin
Alvis Saladin at the Royal Air Force Museum Cosford
Type	Armoured car
Place of origin	United Kingdom
Service history
Wars	Six Day War Vietnam War Biafran War Dhofar Rebellion Lebanese Civil War Sri Lankan Civil War Aden Emergency
Production history
Designer	Crossley Motors
Designed	1954
Manufacturer	Alvis
Produced	1958-1972
No. built	1,177
Specifications
Weight	11.6 t
Length	4.93 m
Width	2.54 m
Height	2.39 m
Crew	3
Armor	up to 32 mm
Main armament	76 mm L5A1 gun
Secondary armament	2 x M1919A4 machine guns
Engine	Rolls-Royce B80 Mk.6A, 8 cyl petrol 170 hp (127 kW)
Power/weight	15.5 hp/tonne
Suspension	6x6 wheel
Operational range	400 km
Speed	72 km/h

The FV601 Saladin is a six-wheeled armoured car developed by Crossley Motors and later manufactured by Alvis. Designed in 1954, it replaced the AEC Armoured Car in service with the British Army from 1958 onward. The vehicle weighed 11 metric tonnes, offered a top speed of 72 km/h, and had a crew of three. Saladins were noted for their excellent performance in desert conditions, and found favour with a number of Middle Eastern armies accordingly. They were armed with a 76mm low-pressure smoothbore cannon which fired the same ammunition as that mounted on the FV101 Scorpion.

The Saladin also spawned an armoured personnel carrier counterpart, the Alvis Saracen.

Following the end of World War II, the British Army issued a requirement for a new, 6X6 wheeled armoured vehicle to replace the obsolete AEC Armoured Car. Design work began in 1947 and a contract was awarded to Alvis Cars to build two prototypes for trials. The new armoured car was designated FV601A armed with an Ordnance QF 2-pounder gun. Alvis also proposed a much heavier fire support variant designated FV601B armed with a new 76mm low-pressure gun. Design work on the FV601B was subcontracted to Crossley Motors, which engineered and manufactured six pre-production models. After further modifications by Alvis, the FV601C entered mass production in 1958 as the Alvis Saladin. Production of the FV601C and its variants continued at the Alvis factory at Coventry until 1972.

A special variant known as the FV601D was developed for law enforcement agencies and internal security purposes; this model lacked a co-axial machine gun and had different lights and smoke dischargers. The FV601D was only adopted by the German Federal Bundesgrenzschutz, which designated it Geschützer Sonderwagen III. A Saladin was also offered with the same 30mm RARDEN autocannon as found on the FV510 Warrior and FV721 Fox, but this model did not find favour with the British military or any export customers.