The FV601(C) Saladin Mk.2 (the Mk.1 FV601(A) and (B) were prototype vehicles) is a British 6×6 armored car, first fielded by the British army in 1959 and not retired until the 1990s. It was also popular on the export market, and remains in service in some countries.
The Saladin has a very angular appearance, with even the turret hatches being octagonal rather than rounded. The engine is in the rear, with six access hatches above it. Distinctive triangular stowage bins are mounted between the large wheels, with more conventional boxes above. With run-flat tires (GURPS High-Tech, p. 229), a mine-resistant hull, and the ability to function with one wheel on each side disabled, the Saladin is hard to immobilise. Due to being originally designed with a second driver facing the rear, the Saladin has five reverse gears and can move backwards almost as fast as it can forwards.
The driver sits in the front of the vehicle, entering through a front hatch which holds his forward periscope. Two more periscopes give visibility to the sides and wingmirrors give some to the rear. The driver also controls the fire-extinguishers (GURPS High-Tech, p. 229).
The two-man turret seats the commander (who also serves as the main gun loader) on the right, and gunner (who is also the radio operator) on the left. The main armament is an unstabilised L5A1 76mm gun, with a coaxial M1919A4 machine gun (GURPS High-Tech, p. 132) with 250 rounds. 11 shells are carried on a ready rack in the turret. The commander’s hatch is surrounded by five periscopes and an unstabilised exposed mount, holding another M1919A4 (with 250 rounds). The gunner has a ×6 variable sight (gives +2 Acc) and passive image-intensifying night-sight (gives Colorblindness, Night Vision 4, No Depth Perception, and No Peripheral Vision) in front of his hatch, and two medium radios (GURPS High-Tech, p. 38). A cluster of six smoke dischargers (GURPS High-Tech, p. 229) are fitted on either side of the turret front. Despite the large number of storage compartments on the hull, crews often attached additional ones to the turret, with a cage welded to the rear right side being especially popular. Turret traverse is servo-assisted manual, taking 2 Ready manoeuvres to change facing.
Under the floor of the turret are 14 boxes (3,500 rounds) of machine gun ammunition, while another 31 shells for the main gun are stored around the sides. An escape hatch on either side of the hull and rear-facing view port can also be accessed from the turret basket.
The FV601(D) was a variant for the West German Bundesgrenschutz (“border police”, responsible for patrolling the border with East Germany), known by the Germans as the Geschützter Sonderwagen III (“special armored vehicle”) It had no coaxial machine gun and replaced the commander’s M1919A4 with a Rheinmetall MG42/59. German smoke dischargers replace the British ones. They served with the West Germans from 1966 to 1976, before being sold to Honduras, where many of them remain in service.
From the 1990s, a ‘repower’ package (HT 12, Range 300, +$50k) replaces the gasoline engine with a more reliable and efficient diesel one, as well as upgrading the electrical systems, including fitting an automatic fire-suppression system (GURPS High-Tech, p. 229) instead of the manually-activated fire extinguishers.
DRIVING/TL (HEAVY WHEELED)
| TL | Vehicle | ST/HP | Hnd/SR | HT | Move | LWt. | Load | SM | Occ. | DR | Range | Cost | Loc. | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7 | Alvis Saladin | 109 | −1/4 | 11f | 1/22 | 12.4 | 2.4 | +4 | 3 | 90/50 | 250 | $250k | T4WX | [1][2][3] |
[1] Higher DR is for turret front. Lower DR is for body front, sides, and rear and turret sides and rear. Body top and underside and turret top have DR 30.
[2] Fire Extinguishers (GURPS High-Tech, p. 229) in engine and crew compartments.
[3] Run-flat tires (GURPS High-Tech, p. 229).