FV105 Sultan

FV105 Sultan
A British Army Sultan with IFOR markings drives up onto a RO-RO ship's lowered rear-loading ramp in the harbor in Split, Croatia, during Operation Joint Endeavor.
Place of originUnited Kingdom
Specifications
Mass8,346 kg (8.214 long tons)
Length4.82 m (15 ft 10 in)
Width2.28 m (7 ft 6 in)
Crew6
Main
armament
FN MAG on pintle mount
EngineCummins BTA 5.9 diesel
190 hp (142 kW)
Suspensiontorsion bar
Operational
range
450 km (280 mi)
Maximum speed 80 km/h (50 mph)

FV105 Sultan was a British command and control vehicle based on the CVR(T) platform. It has a higher roof than the armoured personnel carrier variants, providing a more comfortable "office space" inside. Sultan entered service in 1978.[1] It is no longer used by British Armed Forces.

Design

The Sultan contains a large vertical map board and desk along one side, with a bench seat for three people facing it. Forward of this are positions for the radio operator, with provision for four radios, and vehicle commander, whose seat can be raised to give him access to the pintle-mounted general purpose machine gun. The driver sits forward of this in a small compartment beside the engine space, on a chair with a spring-loaded seat that allows him to recline inside the vehicle or sit upright with his head out of the hatch.

The back of the vehicle is designed to be extended by an attached tent to form a briefing area. The map board can be removed from the vehicle and hung from the tent poles, along with overhead lights connected to the Sultan's power supply. However, this option has been removed from many vehicles in service.

In common with the other CVR(T) vehicles, the Sultan was originally fitted with a canvas skirt for river crossing. Because of its high roof, this was needed only at the front, which slopes downwards. The swimming skirt was permanently removed from all CVR(T) vehicles in the British Army.

The Sultan contains an NBC filter pack for protection against chemical gas, biological agents and radioactive particles.

Operators

Current operators

Map of FV105 operators in blue
  •  Brunei Darussalam: 2 Sultan ACVs in service as of 2024;[2] purchased from United Kingdom in 1976.[3]
  •  Honduras: 1 in service as of 2024; purchased from United Kingdom in 1981.[2]
  •  Latvia: 115 Spartan vehicles received from United Kingdom between 2015-22, including some number of Sultan, Samaritan and Samson vehicles.[4][3]
  •  Ukraine: Some number of Spartan, Sultan, Samaritan and Samson vehicles donated to Ukraine as aid in response to the War in Ukraine.[3]

Former Operators

  •  Belgium - Out of service.
  •  Nigeria: A small number of Sultan ACVs purchased from the United Kingdom in 1975.[3]
  •  Oman: 20 Sultan and Samson vehicles purchased from United Kingdom in 1983.[3]
  •  United Kingdom - Out of service.
  •  Venezuela: 6 Sultan and 5 Samson purchased from United Kingdom in 1988.

Vehicles on display

Philippines

References

  1. ^ "FV105 Sultan".
  2. ^ a b International Institute for Strategic Studies (2024). The Military Balance 2024. Taylor & Francis. ISBN 978-1-040-05115-3.
  3. ^ a b c d e SIPRI. "SIPRI Arms Transfer Database". SIPRI. Retrieved 12 December 2024.
  4. ^ Ministry of Defence (4 September 2014). "Latvian army purchases UK armoured combat vehicles". Gov.uk. Archived from the original on 29 September 2014. Retrieved 19 August 2017.
  5. ^ "Philippine museums to visit for a quick trip down history lane".