| AMX-10P | |
|---|---|
An AMX-10P at the Musée des Blindés, Saumur.
| |
| Type | Infantry fighting vehicle |
| Place of origin | France |
| Service history | |
| Used by | See Operators |
| Wars | Iran–Iraq War Gulf War Bosnian War War in Iraq (2013–2017) |
| Production history | |
| Designed | 1968[1] |
| Manufacturer | GIAT Industries[2] |
| Produced | 1973–1994[3] |
| No. built | 1,750[3] |
| Variants | See Variants |
| Specifications | |
| Mass | 14.2 tonnes (15.7 short tons; 14.0 long tons)[4] |
| Length | 5.778 m (18 ft 11.5 in)[1] |
| Width | 2.78 m (9 ft 1 in)[1] |
| Height | 1.87 m (6 ft 2 in) (hull)[1] |
| Crew | 3 (commander, gunner, driver) + 8 passengers[1] |
Main | 20 mmF2/M693 autocannon (800 rounds)[1] |
Secondary | 7.62 mm MAS coaxial machine gun (2,000 rounds)[4] |
| Engine | Hispano-Suiza Model 115-2 eight-cylinder liquid-cooled diesel[1] 205 kW (275 hp) at 3,000 rpm[1] |
| Power/weight | 14.9 kW/t (20.0 hp/t)[1] |
| Ground clearance | 0.45m[4] |
| Fuel capacity | 528 litres[4] |
Operational | 600 km (370 mi)[4] |
| Maximum speed | 65 km/h (40 mph)[4] |
The AMX-10P is a French amphibious infantry fighting vehicle. It was developed from 1965 onwards to replace the AMX-VCI in the French Army.[4] It served with the French Army from its introduction in 1973 until its retirement in 2015, when it was fully replaced by the VBCI.[1][5]
The AMX-10P was also successfully exported, and continues to serve with several nations' militaries. It was selected by a number of Arab armies and has been operated by Iraq, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates.[2] Special marine variants were developed for Singapore and Indonesia, including the AMX-10 PAC 90 fire support version with a 90 mm gun.[3][4]
The AMX-10P is fully amphibious, being propelled through water at speeds of up to 7 km/h by twin waterjets. It is fitted as standard with a trim vane and bilge pumps to assist with the flotation process.[2] The AMX-10P shares a number of common transmission and chassis components with its wheeled counterpart, the AMX-10 RC.[1]
The AMX-10P was developed by the Atelier de Construction d'Issy-les-Moulineaux (AMX) in response to a French army requirement for a new tracked armoured fighting vehicle to supplement or replace the ageing AMX-VCI.[4] The first prototypes were completed around 1968. They were showcased to potential domestic and international customers at Satory in 1969.[1] Production did not commence until the French Army placed its first order in late 1972.[1] The first AMX-10Ps were delivered in mid to late 1973 to the 7th Mechanised Brigade stationed at Reims.[1]
French Army AMX-10Ps were fitted with a 20 mm autocannon in a Toucan II two-man turret with seating for a gunner and commander. Other one-man turrets could be fitted, as well as an observation cupola for training vehicles.[4] Export variants of the AMX-10P abounded, including models equipped with battlefield surveillance radars, the ATILA artillery fire control system, a bank of HOT anti-tank missiles, 60 mm or 81 mm gun-mortars, and a large 90 mm gun.[4]
Greece was the first foreign power to purchase the AMX-10P. Between 1974 and 1977 the Hellenic Army ordered over 100 vehicles in three separate variants.[6] Qatar ordered 30 AMX-10Ps in 1975, while Iraq, Saudi Arabia and Indonesia accounted for large export orders during the early 1980s.[6] GIAT Industries accepted a final order from Singapore for AMX-10P PAC-90s in 1994,[6] following which the production lines were closed.[3] At this point 1,750 AMX-10Ps had been manufactured.[3]
108 AMX-10Ps underwent extensive overhauls to improve their armour and mobility between 2006 and 2008, including new gearboxes and suspension systems.[7] By 2015, however, the AMX-10P had been entirely withdrawn from French service, being replaced by the VBCI.[5]
AMX-10P hulls are fabricated from a welded steel[1] or aluminum alloy[2] and notable for their parallel incorporation of the driving and engine compartments. The driver is seated at the front of the vehicle and to the left.[1] An AMX-10P's driving compartment is provided with a single hatch cover opening to the rear and three periscopes intended for observation purposes when the hatch is closed.[1]
Night vision equipment was not fitted as standard to the base production model. One of the three driving periscopes could be replaced with combined day/night intensification sights as needed.[1] The troop compartment is at the rear of the hull, and provided with two roof hatches. Passengers embark and debark from a ramp, which is accessed through two doors at the rear.[1]
Transmission consists of a hydraulic torque converter coupled to a gearbox with one reverse and four forward driving gears.[1] The AMX-10P utilises a torsion bar suspension, which supports five road wheels with the drive sprocket at the front and idler near the rear.[1] These can be accessed from inside the hull through maintenance panels.[1]
Standard AMX-10P turrets are equipped with a GIAT M693 automatic cannon firing two different types of both high explosive ammunition and armour-piercing ammunition.[1] More than one ammunition type may be loaded at once and fired alternatively.[8] The high explosive rounds have a muzzle velocity of 1,050 m/s. The latest armour-piercing round has a muzzle velocity of 1,300 m/s and is capable of penetrating 20 mm of rolled homogeneous armour at an incidence of 60°.[1] The autocannon has a cyclic rate of fire of 740 rounds per minute, with the gunner being able to switch between semiautomatic, limited burst, or fully automatic fire as necessary.[8]
AMX-10Ps have a very distinctive, pointed hull and a sloping glacis plate, with the driver's position plainly visible to the left.[2] The hull roof is horizontal as well as sloped slightly inwards, accommodating a turret ring near the centre of the chassis.[2] Both hull sides are vertical and lack firing ports.[2] There is a circular exhaust outlet on the right side of the hull above the second and third road wheels.[2]
Bosnia-Herzegovina: 25[6]
Indonesia: 34[6]
Iraq: 100;[6] some modernized in 2015[11]
Morocco: 10[12]
Qatar: 40[6]
Saudi Arabia: 293[6]
UAE: 15[6]
France: 331 in service in 2011;[13] withdrawn from service in 2015.[5][14]
Greece: 105[6]
Singapore: 44[6]
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French armoured fighting vehicles of the Cold War
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| Light tanks |
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| Medium tanks |
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| Heavy tanks |
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| MBTs |
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| Armoured cars |
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| Armoured personnel carriers |
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| Infantry fighting vehicles |
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| Artillery |
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| Experimental |
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Modern French armoured fighting vehicles
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| Tanks and light tanks |
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| Infantry fighting vehicles |
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| Armoured cars |
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| Armoured personnel carriers |
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| Artillery |
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| Experimental vehicles |
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| Armoured cavalry |
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| Artillery, transport and combat engineering |
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| French Army Light Aviation |
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