Al-Mared Armored Personnel Carrier (Jordan)
Channel: Main Battle Tank
Date: 2023-01-16

The Al-Mared is a new Jordanian Armored Personnel Carrier (APC). It was developed by the King Abdulah Design and Development Bureau (KADDB). Development began in the 2010s. It was first publicly revealed in 2018. Some sources report that by 2018 a total of 10 Al-Mareds were produced. It was planned that a total of 50 units will be produced in different versions. An unknown number of these APCs was exported to United Arab Emirates. This APC also saw action in Lybia. It was first spotted there in 2019.

   Vehicle has an all-welded steel hull. It provides all-round protection against small arms fire and artillery shell splinters. Its protection corresponds to STANAG 4569 Level 3. That's protection against 7.62x51 mm standard NATO armor-piercing bullets and fragments from 155 mm shells at a range of 60 meters. Protection can be upgraded to STANAG 4569 Level 4. That's against 14.5 mm armor-piercing rounds and 155 mm shells at a range of 30 meters.

   Vehicle has a V-shaped hull. It was designed to withstand mine blasts and improvised explosive devices. The passengers will survive blasts equivalent to 8 kg of TNT under the wheels or anywhere under the hull. Crew and troops sit on energy absorbing seats.

   The Al-Mared is proposed with various turret options. A basic locally-developed Snake Head armored cupola with numerous vision blocks accommodates 5.56 mm, 7.62 mm, or 12.7 mm machine gun. It provides some degree of protection for the gunner. There was even a version of the Al-Mared which used an armored cupola with twin 12.7 mm heavy machine guns. This APC can be also fitted with a two-man Scimitar turret, armed with a 30 mm cannon and coaxial 7.62 mm machine gun. There were even projects to install a 105 mm gun turret on the Al-Mared, making it a wheeled fire support vehicle.

   The Al-Mared has a crew of 2 or 3 and carriers 8 dismounts. Troops enter and leave the vehicle via a rear power-operated ramp with integral door. Each passenger is provided with a firing port and associated vision block to fire individual weapon. The seats can be folded for more internal volume. This allows to carry all kinds of cargo and supplies under armor protection.

   This armored vehicle is actually based on a Czech Tatra Force military truck chassis. The unique Tatra's suspension features a central load-bearing tube and swinging half-axles. Each wheel moves up and down independently. Such suspension allows the vehicle to travel over difficult terrain at high speeds. Also such suspension keeps the armored hull in a stable position and creates only minimum vibrations. Interestingly the Al-Mared follows a smaller Al-Wash armored veicle, which was also developed in Jordan by the KADDB. It uses a similar Tatra's suspension, though in a 4x4 configuration. The Al-Wash was adopted a couple of years earlier and was produced in quantity.

   Vehicle is powered by a Cummins diesel engine, developing 420 hp. Engine is located at the front of the hull. It is mated to a 6-speed automatic transmission.