FNSS ACV-15

ACV-15 is the designation of an amphibious armored combat vehicle[4] family developed by the Turkish defense company FNSS Savunma Sistemleri A.Ş..This vehicle also manufactured by DefTech of Malaysia. The design is an attempt to combine the capabilities of an infantry fighting vehicle (IFV) and an armoured personnel carrier (APC). The ACV-15 is based on the American Advanced Infantry Fighting Vehicle, which in turn is based on the American M113A1 armored personnel carrier.

ACV-15[1]
ACV300 Adnan of Malaysian Army
TypeArmored combat vehicle
Place of originTurkey
Service history
In service1992–present
Used bySee Users
WarsKosovo War
2013 Lahad Datu standoff
Kurdish–Turkish conflict
Turkish military intervention in Syria
Libyan Civil War (2014–present)[2]
Production history
Manufacturer
Produced1992–present
No. built2,945[3]
Specifications
Mass14 tonnes
Length5.26 m (17.3 ft)
Width2.83 m (9.3 ft)
Height2.88 m (9.4 ft)
Crew3 + 8
ArmorProtection up to 14.5×114mm armor-piercing rounds
Main
armament
25mm FNSS Sharpshooter Turret
Secondary
armament
7.62mm Machine gun
EngineDetroit Diesel Model 6V-53T
300 hp
Power/weight21.43 hp/tonne
Suspensiontorsion bar 350 mm
Operational
range
490 km (300 mi)
Maximum speed 65 km/h (40 mph)

History

FNSS developed the ACV-15 based on the AIFV to meet the Turkish Land Forces Command's (TLFC's) operational requirement. The first production vehicles were delivered in 1992. The basic AIFV has a one-person power-operated turret armed with a 25mm cannon and 7.62mm co-axial machine gun. FNSS Defense Systems' latest development is the Armored Combat Vehicle – New Generation which has an additional roadwheel each side. This can undertake a wider range of battlefield missions as it has greater internal volume and load-carrying capability. The vehicle is fully amphibious, propelled in the water by its tracks. Standard equipment includes passive night vision equipment, an NBC (nuclear, biological, chemical) protection system and smoke grenade launchers.

The AIFV is in service with Turkey (2,249) and the United Arab Emirates (136 delivered). Malaysia ordered 267 ACV-15 in different versions in 2000, all of which have been delivered.[5]

ACV-300 Adnan of the Malaysian Army in latest digital camouflage

The Malaysian variant of the AIFV is called the ACV-300 Adnan and is a result of a collaboration between FNSS and the Malaysian company DRB-Hicom Defence Technologies (Deftech). They are nicknamed the Adnan after Adnan bin Saidi, a Malayan Lieutenant hero who fought in the Battle of Singapore during World War II. The ACV-300s are equipped with a 25mm Sharpshooter Turret and are assembled by Deftech at Pekan, Pahang. 12 units were deployed against Sulu militants in the 2013 Lahad Datu standoff.

The ACV-15 can be fitted with a number of turret choices to tailor to individual customer requirements. They are also equipped with firing ports, which allows infantrymen to fire their weapons from within the vehicle.

The ACV-15 has also been fitted with the turret of a BMP-3 infantry combat vehicle, produced by KBP Instrument Design Bureau of Tula, Russia. The system is called ACV-SW. The BMP-3 turret is armed with a 2A70 100mm semi-automatic rifled gun/missile launcher, which can fire either HE-Frag (High-Explosive Fragmentation) rounds or the 9M117 laser beamriding anti-tank missile.

The Adnan feature KVH TacNav navigation system incorporating GPS, LWD Avimo laser warning device, Wegmann type 76mm grenade launchers, NBC filtration system and ANVVS-2 night vision system.

Variants

Service variants[6]
  • ACV-AAPC (advanced armored personnel carrier) — with a one-man turret with a 12.7 mm machine gun and a7.62 mm machine gun; 13 troops carried.
  • ACV-AIFV
    • AIFV with FMC EWS (assembled by DAF Special Products) turret with a 25 mm Oerlikon Contraves 25 mm cannon and a coaxial 7.62 mm machine gun
    • AIFV with Giat Dragar turret with a 25 mm M811 cannon and a coaxial 7.62 mm machine gun.
  • ACV-ATV — Armored Tow Vehicle. Fitted with a Norwegian one-man turret with two BGM-71 TOW missiles in a ready to launch position, and four troops carried.
  • ACV-AMV — Armored Mortar Vehicle. Fitted with an 81 mm mortar and a 7.62 mm machine gun.

Turkish private variants
  • 120mm AMV — A private venture, armed with a TDA 120mm recoiling mortar in the rear of the vehicle. Not in service.
  • ACV-IFV Sharpshooter — IFV with FNSS Sharpshooter Turret. This variant is now being exported to Malaysia (ACV-300 Adnan).
  • ACV with HMTS — armed with four Hellfire missiles in the ready to fire position.
  • ACV-300 — Fitted with a 300 hp powerpack similar to the M113A3, but with high power.
  • ACV-350 — Fitted with a 350 hp powerpack.
  • ACV-S — A stretched version of the AIFV with an additional road wheel and extra armor giving resistance to 14.5mm AP projectiles, with an upgraded 350 or 400 hp powerpack. Weight is 18,000 kg. A variety of turrets are available, including 12.7mm, 25mm (FNSS Sharpshooter Turret) and 30 mm as well as an Eryx missile launcher and 120mm mortar turret.

Users
Map of FNSS ACV-15 operators in blue

Current operators
  •  Jordan[7] 100 ACV-S in service.
  •  Malaysia[7] 267 ACV-300 in service.
  •  Philippines[8][9] 7 ACV-15 in service.
  •  Syria [10] 1, Syrian Arab Army captured an ACV-15 from ISIL, after ISIL captured it from the Turkish Army.
  •  Turkey[7] 2,249 ACV-15 in service. Some of these are given to Free Syrian Army (FSA) forces. Since 2016, ACV-15's have been used by the FSA against ISIL and YPG during Operation Euphrates Shield.
  •  United Arab Emirates[7] 133 ACV-300 in service.

References
Notes
  1. All specifications according to fnss.com.tr Archived 2014-01-09 at the Wayback Machine, as of April 23, 2008
  2. "4 Turkish soldiers, chief Syrian mercenary killed in Libya". EgyptToday. Retrieved 28 March 2020.
  3. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2016-02-07. Retrieved 2014-06-04.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  4. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2014-01-10. Retrieved 2014-01-10.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  5. as seen on 22 April 2008
  6. https://www.fnss.com.tr/en/product/acv-15-armored-combat-vehicles/acv-15-variants
  7. "ACV-S Tracked Armoured Combat Vehicle". Arny-Technology. Archived from the original on 7 April 2014. Retrieved 9 May 2014.
  8. AFP Modernization AFP Acquires Armor Recovery Vehicle (ARV) Archived 2018-08-20 at the Wayback Machine
  9. "Army gets 6 upgraded APCs". The Philippine Star. January 25, 2010. Archived from the original on December 27, 2013. Retrieved December 26, 2013.
  10. Tomson, Chris (2017-03-01). "VIDEO: Syrian Army captured a Turkish armored vehicle Al-Bab". AMN - Al-Masdar News | المصدر نيوز. Archived from the original on 2017-03-03. Retrieved 2017-03-02.
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