Egyptian Infantry Fighting Vehicle
Encyclopedia
The Egyptian Infantry Fighting Vehicle (EIFV), also known as Infantry Fighting Vehicle Light (IFVL), is an Egyptian modification of the M113 Armored Personnel Carrier
M113 Armored Personnel Carrier
The M113 is a fully tracked armored personnel carrier that has formed the backbone of the United States Army's mechanized infantry units from the time of its first fielding in Vietnam in April 1962. The M113 was the most widely used armored vehicle of the U.S...

. It is a hybrid, based on an enlarged M113 chassis equipped with the complete two-man power-operated turret of the M2 Bradley
M2 Bradley
The Bradley Fighting Vehicle is an American fighting vehicle platform manufactured by BAE Systems Land and Armaments, formerly United Defense.As with other infantry fighting vehicles, the Bradley is designed to transport infantry with armor protection while providing covering fire to suppress enemy...

 IFV
Infantry fighting vehicle
An infantry fighting vehicle , also known as a mechanized infantry combat vehicle , is a type of armoured fighting vehicle used to carry infantry into battle and provide fire support for them...

. The EIFV is currently in service with the Egyptian Army
Egyptian Army
The Egyptian Army is the largest service branch within the Egyptian Armed Forces and holds power in the current Egyptian government. It is estimated to number around 379,000, in addition to 479,000 reservists for a total of 858,000 strong. The modern army was created in the 1820s, and during the...

.

History

The EIFV was originally developed by BAE Systems
BAE Systems
BAE Systems plc is a British multinational defence, security and aerospace company headquartered in London, United Kingdom, that has global interests, particularly in North America through its subsidiary BAE Systems Inc. BAE is among the world's largest military contractors; in 2009 it was the...

, Ground Systems Division under contract to the Egyptian Ministry of Defense. It was developed to be a conversion of the M113, of which the Egyptian Army has a total of 2,650, as well as an additional 1,200 AIFV
AIFV
The AIFV is a tracked light armored vehicle which serves as an infantry fighting vehicle in the armies of several countries. It is a development of the M113A1 armored personnel carrier.-History:...

s (modified M113s), but it can also be produced as new vehicles. Design activities first commenced in 1995, and the first prototype was assembled in the Egyptian Tank Plant where assembly of the M1 Abrams
M1 Abrams
The M1 Abrams is a third-generation main battle tank produced in the United States. It is named after General Creighton Abrams, former Army Chief of Staff and Commander of US military forces in Vietnam from 1968 to 1972. The M1 is a well armed, heavily armored, and highly mobile tank designed for...

 is carried out for the Egyptian Army. The first prototype was completed in 1996 and performance validation trials were completed in mid-1997. Production in Egypt is undertaken by the Egyptian Tank Plant, and the Egyptian Army plans to convert it existing AIFV
AIFV
The AIFV is a tracked light armored vehicle which serves as an infantry fighting vehicle in the armies of several countries. It is a development of the M113A1 armored personnel carrier.-History:...

s to the EIFV configuration.

Description

The EIFV has three crewman, and can carry six soldiers, who enter the vehicle via a rear drop ramp. The driver is seated at the left front of the hull with the engine compartment to his right. The driver has a single-piece pop-up hatch cover which rotates over the engine cooling air intake grill when open, and is provided with four day periscopes for observation. The commander and the gunner are both positioned in the turret itself, and a hatch is provided for the commander on the turret roof.

Armor

The M113 chassis is enlarged to accommodate several modifications and to allow for more armor to be added. The hull of the EIFV is of all-welded 5083 aluminum armour which provides protection from small arms fire and shell splinters, able to defeat armour-piercing projectiles up to 14.5 mm in calibre over a 360° arc of attack. Aluminum provides protection similar to that of steel armor while keeping the vehicle lightweight. An armor upgrade package produced by the AOI
Arab Organization for Industrialization
The Arab Organization for Industrialization is an Egypt-based Arab military organisation established in 1975 by Egypt, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates to supervise the collective development of the Arab defence industry. Following a gradual deterioration in relations between the...

 can significantly enhance the armor on the EIFV even further, allowing it to withstand armor-piercing 23 mm rounds, without sacrificing the vehicle's mobility. Optional upgrades for the vehicle include air conditioning, NBC protection and firing ports.

Maneuverability

To cope with the increased size and armor of the vehicle, a more powerful 400 hp Detroit Diesel 6V53TIA turbocharged/aftercooled diesel engine is installed in place of the original 275 hp engine on the M113, giving a power-to-weight ratio of 20 hp/ton. This is coupled to an Allison X200 cross-drive, four-speed Hydrokinetic transmission
Torque converter
In modern usage, a torque converter is generally a type of hydrodynamic fluid coupling that is used to transfer rotating power from a prime mover, such as an internal combustion engine or electric motor, to a rotating driven load...

. As a result of the longer chassis and improved engine a sixth road wheel is added (the M113 only has five). As an option the vehicle can be of 350 hp only. The modifications allows the EIFV to keep up in terms of speed and mobility with modern tanks such as the M1A1/A2 Abrams
M1 Abrams
The M1 Abrams is a third-generation main battle tank produced in the United States. It is named after General Creighton Abrams, former Army Chief of Staff and Commander of US military forces in Vietnam from 1968 to 1972. The M1 is a well armed, heavily armored, and highly mobile tank designed for...

, which are used by the Egyptian Army, despite the added weight. The vehicle can travers slopes up to 80%, side slopes of 40%, trenches 2200 mm wide, and vertical obstacles with a height of 710 mm.

Armament

The M2 Bradley
M2 Bradley
The Bradley Fighting Vehicle is an American fighting vehicle platform manufactured by BAE Systems Land and Armaments, formerly United Defense.As with other infantry fighting vehicles, the Bradley is designed to transport infantry with armor protection while providing covering fire to suppress enemy...

 turret provides the EIFV with considerable firepower on a cheap M113 chassis, and allows it to engage personnel, armored vehicles and tanks, as well as low flying targets and helicopters. It has the same fire control and stabilization features on the M2 Bradley. The armament consists of the 25 mm M242
M242 Bushmaster
The M242 Bushmaster is a 25 mm chain-fed autocannon. It is used extensively by the US armed forces, as well as by NATO's and some other nations' forces in ground combat vehicles and watercraft...

 chain gun
Chain gun
A chain gun is a type of machine gun or autocannon that uses an external source of power, rather than diverting energy from the cartridge, to cycle the weapon, and does so via a continuous loop of chain similar to that used on a motorcycle or bicycle. "Chain gun" is a registered trademark of...

 with 800 rounds and an effective range of 3000 m, and a coaxial 7.62 mm
7.62 mm caliber
7.62 mm caliber is a nominal caliber used for a number of different cartridges. Historically, this class of cartridge was commonly known as .30 caliber, the Imperial unit equivalent, and was most commonly used for indicating a class of full power military main battle rifle cartridges...

 machine gun with 2,100 rounds. Using armor-piercing rounds, the chain gun can engage armored vehicles and tanks. The turret also has a two-tube TOW launcher, capable of launching TOW II
BGM-71 TOW
The BGM-71 TOW is an anti-tank missile. "BGM" is a weapon classification that stands for "Multiple Environment , Surface-Attack , Missile ". "TOW" is an acronym that stands for "Tube-launched, Optically-tracked, Wire command data link, guided missile"...

 ATGM missiles, which can destroy most tanks at a maximum range of 3750 m, enabling the vehicle to be used in an anti tank role
Anti-tank warfare
Anti-tank warfare was created by the need to seek technology and tactics to destroy tanks and their supporting infantry during the First World War...

. The only major drawback is that the missiles can only be launched when the vehicle is stationary. In addition to the two missiles in the launcher are four more missiles, stowed away inside the vehicle. The turret is standard equipped with passive IR
Infrared homing
Infrared homing refers to a passive missile guidance system which uses the emission from a target of electromagnetic radiation in the infrared part of the spectrum to track and follow it. Missiles which use infrared seeking are often referred to as "heat-seekers", since infrared is just below the...

 and thermal imaging equipment.

See also

  • M113 APC
    M113 Armored Personnel Carrier
    The M113 is a fully tracked armored personnel carrier that has formed the backbone of the United States Army's mechanized infantry units from the time of its first fielding in Vietnam in April 1962. The M113 was the most widely used armored vehicle of the U.S...

  • AIFV
    AIFV
    The AIFV is a tracked light armored vehicle which serves as an infantry fighting vehicle in the armies of several countries. It is a development of the M113A1 armored personnel carrier.-History:...

  • Armoured warfare
    Armoured warfare
    Armoured warfare or tank warfare is the use of armoured fighting vehicles in modern warfare. It is a major component of modern methods of war....

  • Infantry Fighting Vehicle
    Infantry fighting vehicle
    An infantry fighting vehicle , also known as a mechanized infantry combat vehicle , is a type of armoured fighting vehicle used to carry infantry into battle and provide fire support for them...

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