The Al-Fahd is an

armoured fighting vehicle An armoured fighting vehicle (British English) or armored fighting vehicle (American English) (AFV) is an armed combat vehicle protected by vehicle armour, armour, generally combining operational mobility with Offensive (military), offensive a ...

used by the

Armed Forces of Saudi Arabia The Saudi Arabian Armed Forces (SAAF) (), also known as the Royal Saudi Armed Forces (), is part of the military forces of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. It consists of the Royal Saudi Army, the Royal Saudi Navy, the Royal Saudi Air Force, the ...

. It was the first

armored fighting vehicle An armoured fighting vehicle (British English) or armored fighting vehicle (American English) (AFV) is an armed combat vehicle protected by armour, generally combining operational mobility with offensive and defensive capabilities. AFVs can b ...

developed and built-in

Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia, officially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), is a country in West Asia. Located in the centre of the Middle East, it covers the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula and has a land area of about , making it the List of Asian countries ...

. The vehicle is produced by the Abdallah Al Faris Company for Heavy Industries, which is based in

Dammam Dammam (Arabic: الدمام ad-Dammām) is a city and governorate, and the capital of the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia. Located on the coast of the Persian Gulf, it had a population of 1,386,166 as of 2022, making it the country's fifth- ...

. The Al Fahd is available in three configurations: The AF-40-8-1; an

armoured personnel carrier An armoured personnel carrier (APC) is a broad type of armoured military vehicle designed to transport personnel and equipment in combat zones. Since World War I, APCs have become a very common piece of military equipment around the world. Acc ...

(APC) or

infantry fighting vehicle An infantry fighting vehicle (IFV), also known as a mechanized infantry combat vehicle (MICV), is a type of armoured fighting vehicle and armoured personnel carrier used to carry infantry into battle and provide direct fire, direct-fire suppo ...

(IFV) variant, and the AF-40-8-2; an armoured fighting/

reconnaissance vehicle A reconnaissance vehicle, also known as a scout vehicle, is a military vehicle used for forward reconnaissance. Both tracked and wheeled reconnaissance vehicles are in service. In some nations, light tanks such as the M551 Sheridan and AMX-13 h ...

(AFRV).

Design

Mobility

The AF-40-8-1 and AF-40-8-2 are similar in terms of 8-wheeled hull configuration, suspension, and transmission. Internally, however, the vehicles differ in both engine type and engine placement. The AF-40-8-2's larger, 12-cylinder engine is mounted at the rear of the hull, where the AF-40-8-1's 10-cylinder engine is mounted at the front to allow for the troop compartment and rear troop ramp which is not present on or required for the AFRV version. The Al Fahd uses a variable

hydropneumatic suspension Hydropneumatic suspension is a type of motor vehicle suspension system, invented by Paul Magès, produced by Citroën, and fitted to Citroën cars, as well as being used under licence by other car manufacturers. Similar systems are also widely u ...

which allows the vehicle to adjust its ground clearance by a total of - between and - depending on need. The vehicle is designed to be able to negotiate slopes of up to 80% (forward) and 55% (side), and cross trenches between and . There is also an

amphibious Amphibious means able to use either land or water. In particular it may refer to: Animals * Amphibian, a vertebrate animal of the class Amphibia (many of which live on land and breed in water) * Amphibious caterpillar * Amphibious fish, a fish ...

version of the Al Fahd available depending on customer requirements. The hydraulic propellers are optional, so not all Al Fahd's are capable of an

amphibious operation Amphibious warfare is a type of offensive military operation that today uses naval ships to project ground and air power onto a hostile or potentially hostile shore at a designated landing beach. Through history the operations were conducted ...

Protection

The Al Fahd uses a high-hardness steel alloy to offer protection against 14 mm ammunition on the frontal arc at ranges of and greater, and 7.62 mm ammunition at ranges of and greater on the sides and rear of the vehicle. The vehicle also incorporates multiple layers of

Kevlar Kevlar (para-aramid) is a strong, heat-resistant synthetic fiber, related to other aramids such as Nomex and Technora. Developed by Stephanie Kwolek at DuPont in 1965, the high-strength material was first used commercially in the early 1970s as ...

internally to protect the crew and passengers against

spall Spall are fragments of a material that are broken off a larger solid body. It can be produced by a variety of mechanisms, including as a result of projectile impact, corrosion, weathering, cavitation, or excessive rolling pressure (as in a ba ...

Armament

The

armament A weapon, arm, or armament is any implement or device that is used to deter, threaten, inflict physical damage, harm, or kill. Weapons are used to increase the efficacy and efficiency of activities such as hunting, crime (e.g., murder), law e ...

for both the AF-40-8-1 and AF-40-8-2 varies according to customer specifications. The AF-40-8-1 is capable of mounting anything up to and including a 40 mm cannon, and the AF-40-8-2 anything up to and including a low-recoil 105 mm cannon, the 105mm cannon can be elevated up high similar to the ST-3

Operators

* The Militarization of the Persian Gulf: An Economic Analysis by Hossein Askari, Amin Mohseni, Shahrzad Daneshvar, p.90. * *

References

{{Use dmy dates, date=June 2017 Wheeled armoured fighting vehicles Military equipment of Saudi Arabia Military vehicles of Pakistan Eight-wheeled vehicles Military vehicles introduced in the 1990s Wheeled amphibious armoured fighting vehicles Wheeled armoured personnel carriers Wheeled infantry fighting vehicles