The Condor is a

4×4 A four-wheel drive, also called 4×4 ("four by four") or 4WD, is a two-axled vehicle drivetrain capable of providing torque to all of its wheels simultaneously. It may be full-time or on-demand, and is typically linked via a transfer case pro ...

wheeled

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 ...

originally designed by Thyssen-Henschel of Germany and manufactured by Henschel Wehrtechnik GmbH. The first prototype was completed in 1978. The Condor was designed as a successor to its UR-416 APC. The upgraded Condor 2 was first sold in 2004. Today, the Condor is considered a legacy product of

Rheinmetall MAN Military Vehicles Rheinmetall MAN Military Vehicles GmbH (RMMV) is a joint venture company between German companies MAN Truck & Bus AG and Rheinmetall AG. RMMV is part of Rheinmetall's Vehicle Systems Division. Rheinmetall AG holds a 51% stake in RMMV, with the ...

, part of Rheinmetall's Vehicle Systems Division. The nearest vehicle to the Condor in RMMV's current product range is the Survivor R.

Design

The Condor is designed primarily as an APC but it can also be adopted for a variety of other roles including anti-tank, cargo carrier, command vehicle, ambulance, fitters' vehicle and reconnaissance vehicle. The Condor is based on the automotives of the Mercedes-Benz Unimog, the Condor 2 based on the Unimog U5000. The hull of the Condor is made of all-welded armoured steel protecting the crew from 7.62 mm armour-piercing (AP) rounds and 5.56 mm ball-type rounds, shell splinters and anti-personnel mines. The Condor is fully amphibious, propelled in the water by a propeller mounted under the rear of the hull. It is air-transportable in

C-130 Hercules The Lockheed C-130 Hercules is an American four-engine turboprop military transport aircraft designed and built by Lockheed Corporation, Lockheed (now Lockheed Martin). Capable of using unprepared runways for takeoffs and landings, the C-130 w ...

and in

C-160 Transall The Transall C-160 is a military transport aircraft, produced as a joint venture between France and Germany. "Transall" is a German abbreviation of the manufacturing consortium ''Transporter Allianz'', comprising the companies of MBB, Aerospa ...

type aircraft. In 2016,

DRB-HICOM Defence Technologies DRB-HICOM Defence Technologies Sdn Bhd, officially known as DEFTECH, is a Malaysian defence contractor involved in the development, manufacture, supply, deliver and commissioning of armoured, non-armoured, and logistic vehicles for the militar ...

(Deftech) showed a working upgraded Condor prototype at the Defence Services Asia (DSA) 2016 convention. A Condor prototype converted to serve as a logistics transport vehicle was unveiled at the DSA 2018 convention. According to a Deftech official, the Condors still in service can be modernized depending upon funding allocation.

Operators

Kuwait Kuwait, officially the State of Kuwait, is a country in West Asia and the geopolitical region known as the Middle East. It is situated in the northern edge of the Arabian Peninsula at the head of the Persian Gulf, bordering Iraq to Iraq–Kuwait ...

's National Guard received 8 Condor 2 in 2010. *:

Malaysia Malaysia is a country in Southeast Asia. Featuring the Tanjung Piai, southernmost point of continental Eurasia, it is a federation, federal constitutional monarchy consisting of States and federal territories of Malaysia, 13 states and thre ...

ordered 460 Condor APCs in late 1981, with the last being delivered in March 1984. Mostly retired. Due to be replaced completely under the Next Generation Wheeled Armoured Vehicle Program. *:

Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic, is a country on the Iberian Peninsula in Southwestern Europe. Featuring Cabo da Roca, the westernmost point in continental Europe, Portugal borders Spain to its north and east, with which it share ...

12 Condor; these are operated by the

Polícia Aérea The (Portuguese language, Portuguese for "Air Police") or PA is the air force ground forces and special forces and military police of the Portuguese Air Force. The Air Police has as its main symbol the blue beret with the emblem of the Air Forc ...

of the

Portuguese Air Force The Portuguese Air Force () is the air force, aerial warfare force of Portugal. Locally it is referred to by the acronym FAP but internationally is often referred to by the acronym PRTAF. It is the youngest of the three branches of the Portuguese ...

. *:

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the southern half of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and borders North Korea along the Korean Demilitarized Zone, with the Yellow Sea to the west and t ...

, 2 Condor 1 (used in general hospital). *:

Thailand Thailand, officially the Kingdom of Thailand and historically known as Siam (the official name until 1939), is a country in Southeast Asia on the Mainland Southeast Asia, Indochinese Peninsula. With a population of almost 66 million, it spa ...

received 18 Condor in 1995, these are operated by the

Royal Thai Air Force The Royal Thai Air Force (RTAF) (; ) is the air force of the Kingdom of Thailand. Since its establishment in 1913 as one of the earliest air forces of Asia, the Royal Thai Air Force has engaged in numerous major and minor conflicts. During the ...

. *:

Turkey Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...

25 Condor (inactive; currently being retired). *:

Uruguay Uruguay, officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay, is a country in South America. It shares borders with Argentina to its west and southwest and Brazil to its north and northeast, while bordering the Río de la Plata to the south and the A ...

55 Condor.

In fiction

In the 1992 American film Fifty/Fifty, three Condor APCs used by the fictional army in the final scene, actually belong to

Malaysian Army The Malaysian Army (; Jawi alphabet, Jawi: ) is the land component of the Malaysian Armed Forces. Steeped in British Army traditions, the Malaysian Army does not carry the title ‘royal’ () as do the Royal Malaysian Navy and the Royal Malaysi ...

of the

Royal Armoured Corps The Royal Armoured Corps is the armoured arm of the British Army, that together with the Household Cavalry provides its armour capability, with vehicles such as the Challenger 2 and the Warrior tracked armoured vehicle. It includes most of the Ar ...

and 19th Battalion of the

Royal Malay Regiment The Royal Malay Regiment (; Jawi: ) is the premier unit of the Malaysian Army's two infantry regiments. At its largest, the Malay Regiment comprised 27 battalions. At present, three battalions are parachute trained and form part of the Malaysia ...

where the filming located in Penang, Malaysia. In the 2023 Malaysian biopic war film MALBATT: Misi Bakara, the Condor APCs were also used in this film, which retells the events of the Battle of Mogadishu from the Malaysian perspective after their relief effort was previously not recognized by the United States for 25 years and in the 2001 film Black Hawk Down.

References

External links

Malaysian Condor upgradeCondor test drive
{{Modern IFV and APC Wheeled armoured personnel carriers Armoured personnel carriers of Germany Wheeled amphibious armoured fighting vehicles Armoured personnel carriers of the Cold War

Design

Operators

In fiction

See also

References

External links