page_title: FV432
section_title: Variants
hierarchical_section_title: FV432 / Variants
caption_attribution_description: Deutsch: Ein FV 432 in Privatbesitz, während einer Karnevalsprozession. English: North London Barmy Army with their FV 432 armoured personnel carrier, in the St Albans carnival procession 2005.
context_page_description: The FV432 is the armoured personnel carrier variant of the British Army's FV430 series of armoured fighting vehicles. Since its introduction in the 1960s, it has been the most common variant, being used for transporting infantry on the battlefield. In the 1980s, almost 2,500 vehicles were in use, with around 500 now remaining in operation - mostly in supporting arms rather than front-line infantry service.
  Although the FV432 Series was originally to have been phased out of service in favour of then-newer vehicles, such as the Warrior and the CVR series, 500 have been upgraded to extend their service into the next decade.
  In light of the army's need for additional armoured vehicles in the Afghan and Iraqi theatres, the Ministry of Defence announced in August 2006 that an extra 70 vehicles would be upgraded by BAE Systems in addition to the 54 already ordered as part of their force protection initiative. The improvements take the form of an engine upgrade, a new steering unit and a new braking system, as well as improvement in armour protection to a level similar to that of the Warrior. In addition, plates lined with Kevlar have been added to the bottom hull.
context_section_description: The FV432 has been produced in three major variants, the Mark 1 (with a Mark 1/1 minor variant) with petrol engines, the Mark 2 with a Rolls-Royce K60 multi-fuel engine and the Mark 3 with a diesel engine. The Mark 2 minor variant, the 2/1, has its NBC pack flush with the hull side. An uparmoured variant, for use in Iraq and Afghanistan, of the Mark 3 was known as Bulldog. This name now appears to be extended to all Mark 3 versions of the FV432.
  The FV432 has proven to be flexible in use and can be converted from one role to another with reasonable ease using 'installation kits' (IK), or more permanently with minor modifications to the hull. Major or more significant modifications have usually led to a new FV43n number. In addition to the normal armoured personnel carrier role, it has been used as:
  a command vehicle, with seven crew, two mapboards and extra communications equipment (with an additional canvas "penthouse")
  an ambulance, with spots for up to four stretchers or two stretcher and five seated patients but would not carry any armament other than the smoke dischargers.
  a cargo carrier, for up to 3,600 kg
  a communications vehicle
  a recovery vehicle. Designated as the FV434, it includes a rear cutout to a "pickup-truck" box to carry a spare engine/other stores with tool store below, an internally mounted winch, and a 2.5-tonne lift arm. Frequently equipped with the canvas "penthouse".
  FV432s used by combat infantry units have also been equipped with:
  WOMBAT recoilless rifle early models carried this armament internally, using ramps and a hand winch to deploy and recover the weapon. Later models mounted it externally above the rear hatch. In this arrangement the weapon had limited-traverse (30° lateral, +7.5° −3° elevation), but it could also be demounted as in the earlier arrangement.
  84mm Carl Gustav recoilless rifle mounted on a bar across the top of the troop compartment.
  81mm mortar on a turntable in the rear of the hull can be traversed through 360° firing through the roof hatch; 160 mortar bombs are carried; crew consists of a driver, commander and four men
  Peak Engineering turret with the L37A1 variant of the 7.62mm GPMG, replacing the roof hatch.
  30 mm RARDEN-gun equipped turret (taken from the Fox scout car; 13 converted). These were used by the Berlin Brigade (usually in the distinctive urban camouflage used there). One of these, of the Royal Hampshires, was driven by their honorary colonel, Diana, Princess of Wales, on her visit to Berlin in 1985 These were later bought by the tank driving and paint-balling company Armourgeddon (who also converted more). These have been modified with a compressed air cylinder on the rear of the turret for the paintball gun.
  ZB 298 Elliott Automation Grounds Surveillance Radar
  MILAN anti-tank missiles (two missile teams (deployed away from the vehicle)
  FV432s used by the Royal Artillery have been equipped with:
  a battery command post with FACE fire control computer
  a battery command post with BATES battlefield artillery target engagement system
  Cymbeline mortar-locating radar
  sound ranging equipment
  observation post vehicle with ZB 298 Elliott Automation Grounds Surveillance Radar
  FV432s used by the Royal Engineers have been equipped with:
  a towed layer for L9 anti-tank Bar Mine
  a launcher for L10 Ranger Anti-Personnel Mine
  a towed Giant Viper mine-clearing system
  a Thales Group SWARM Remote Weapon System
caption: A privately owned FV432 in a carnival procession.
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