The RG-34 (formerly denoted as Iguana FV4) is a South African Mine-Resistant Ambush Protected vehicle (

MRAP Mine-Resistant Ambush Protected Vehicle (MRAPV), also known as MRAP vehicle, is a type of armoured personnel carrier that is designed specifically to withstand land mines, improvised explosive device (IED) attacks, and ambushes to save troops' li ...

). Specially designed to be

mine Mine, mines, miners or mining may refer to: Extraction or digging *Miner, a person engaged in mining or digging *Mining, extraction of mineral resources from the ground through a mine Grammar *Mine, a first-person English possessive pronoun M ...

-resistant, it has been produced in multiple variants, equipped for troop or cargo transport, command, and

fire support Fire support is a military tactics term used to describe weapons fire used to support friendly forces by engaging, suppressing, or destroying enemy forces, facilities, or materiel in combat. It is often provided through indirect fire, though th ...

. Originally showcased with a wide turret ring and a 90mm rifled cannon, the RG-34 was one of the first MRAPs configured to carry a large gun system.

Development

Development of the ''Iguana'' was initiated under contract by Industrial & Automotive South Africa (IADSA) for a Belgian firm, Sabiex; the first prototype being completed in early 2002. By June 2009, BAE Land Systems had obtained necessary rights to develop and manufacture the vehicle. The RG-34 was initially displayed with a potent weapons system for an MRAP, in the form of an overlarge turret fitted with a 90mm (3.5 in.) gun. This has since been replaced by a more ergonomic tactical remote turret (TRT) boasting a 25mm M242

autocannon An autocannon, automatic cannon or machine cannon is a automatic firearm, fully automatic gun that is capable of rapid-firing large-caliber ( or more) armour-piercing, explosive or incendiary ammunition, incendiary shell (projectile), shells, ...

and a co-axial 7.62mm machine gun.

Design

RG-34's cross-country performance is attributed to its unique suspension, a multi-link hydro-pneumatic structure mounted on a very rigid chassis. This affords optimal performance on road surfaces, a superior

turning radius The turning radius (alternatively, turning diameter or turning circle) of a vehicle defines the minimum dimension (typically the radius or diameter) of available space required for that vehicle to make a semi-circular U-turn without skidding. Th ...

, and clearance over rugged terrain. When deployed in the reconnaissance role long-range fuel tanks give the vehicle an extended operating range of 1,000 kilometres. The hull of the RG-34 is of welded steel construction. Despite the weight restrictions imposed on wheeled platforms, all-around armour protection is reasonable against 7.62mm AP rounds at 30 metres,

air burst An air burst or airburst is the detonation of an explosive device such as an anti-personnel artillery shell or a nuclear weapon in the air instead of on contact with the ground or target. The principal military advantage of an air burst over ...

fragments, and anti-tank mines.

Variants

*TRT-25mm Model - Current production model armed with a dual feed

M242 Bushmaster The M242 Bushmaster chain gun is a 25 mm caliber, 25 mm (25×137mm) single-barrel chain-driven autocannon. It is used extensively by the United States Armed Forces, U.S. military, such as in the Bradley fighting vehicle, as well as by other NAT ...

autocannon and a 7.62mm machine gun mounted to the right of the main armament. The turret is provided with an advanced laser fire-control system, a colour CCD camera, as well as a thermal night camera for identifying targets at up to 7,600 metres. Total ammunition capacity is 260 rounds of 25mm and 1,000 rounds of machine gun ammunition. *90mm Gun Model - Fire-support and

anti-tank Anti-tank warfare refers to the military strategies, tactics, and weapon systems designed to counter and destroy enemy armored vehicles, particularly tanks. It originated during World War I following the first deployment of tanks in 1916, and ...

variant. The 90mm gun is adapted from the

Eland Mk7 The Eland is an air-portable light armoured car based on the Panhard AML. Designed and built for long-range reconnaissance, it mounts either a 60mm (2.4 in) breech-loading mortar or a Denel 90mm (3.5 in) gun on a very compact chassi ...

and can fire a

HEAT In thermodynamics, heat is energy in transfer between a thermodynamic system and its surroundings by such mechanisms as thermal conduction, electromagnetic radiation, and friction, which are microscopic in nature, involving sub-atomic, ato ...

charge with a muzzle velocity of 760 m/s, the complete round weighing 7 kg, with an effective range of 1,500 metres. In addition, an HE shell is available, which weighs 8.66 kg complete, has a muzzle velocity of 650 m/s and a maximum range of 1,500 metres. The turret has two circular hatches which open to the rear, eight periscopes, and a prominent commander's cupola.

Operators

Current operators

*: Manufactured for the

Nigerian Armed Forces The Nigerian Armed Forces (NAF) are the Military, military forces of Nigeria. The forces consist of three service branches: the Nigerian Army, Nigerian Navy, and Nigerian Air Force. The President of Nigeria functions as the commander-in-chief of ...

as the ''Proforce Pf1''. Possibly shelved in favour of the Igirigi. *: Production rights granted. *: Produced under license as the Deftech AV4. Two were ordered by the

Royal Malaysian Police The Royal Malaysia Police (often abbreviated RMP) (; Jawi: ), is a (primarily) uniformed national and federal police force in Malaysia. The force is a centralised organisation, and its headquarters are located at Bukit Aman, Kuala Lumpur. The ...

. Up to 200 were scheduled to be produced under license, although it remains unclear whether this was successful.

References

External links

Iguana FV4
{{commons category, RG-34 Armoured fighting vehicles of South Africa Armoured personnel carriers of South Africa BAE Systems land vehicles Internal security vehicles Wheeled amphibious armoured fighting vehicles Wheeled armoured fighting vehicles Wheeled armoured personnel carriers Military vehicles introduced in the 2000s Armoured personnel carriers of the post–Cold War period