FV430 series

FV430
FV430 Mk3 Bulldog
Place of origin	United Kingdom
Specifications
Mass	15.3 t (15.1 long tons)
Length	5.25 m (17 ft 3 in)
Width	2.8 m (9 ft 2 in)
Height	2.28 m (7 ft 6 in)
Crew	2 minimum
Armour	12.7 mm max
Main armament	7.62 mm L7 GPMG
Secondary armament	smoke dischargers
Engine	Rolls-Royce K60 multi-fuel 240 hp
Power/weight	15.7 hp/tonne
Suspension	torsion-bar, 5 road wheel
Operational range	360 mi (580 km)
Maximum speed	32 mph (52 km/h)

The FV430 series covers a number of armoured fighting vehicles of the British Army, all built on the same chassis. The most common is the FV432 armoured personnel carrier.

Although the FV430 series has been in service since the 1960s, and some of the designs have been replaced in whole or part by other vehicles, such as those of the CVR(T) range or the Warrior, many have been retained and are receiving upgrades to the engine and control gear.^[1]

The FV430 chassis is a conventional tracked design with the engine at the front and the driving position to the right. The hatch for the vehicle commander is directly behind the driver's; a pintle mount next to it can take a machine gun. There is a side-hinged door in the rear for loading and unloading, and in most models, also a large split-hatch round opening in the passenger compartment roof. There are no firing ports for the troops carried - British Army doctrine has always been to dismount from vehicles to fight.

There is a wading screen as standard, and the vehicle has a water speed of about 6 km/h when converted for swimming.

FV430 vehicles, if armed, often have a pintle-mounted L7 general purpose machine gun. There are two three-barrel smoke dischargers at the front.