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FV103 Spartan APC, UK
from Fighting Vehicles
by Dellvzla
Stormer APC UK
The Stormer tracked APC was originally developed by the British Ministry of Defence and first shown, as the FV4333, in 1978. It was intended to be a general purpose APC or combat vehicle platform created by extending the overall length of the Spartan chassis (see previous entry) and adding an extra road wheel station each side; engine, transmission and suspension changes were also incorporated. This virtually doubled the carrying capacity of the Spartan and provided a much more versatile platform for further development.
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The prototypes, armed with a 7.62 mm MG over the commander's position, underwent much testing and trials before the manufacturing and marketing rights were acquired by Alvis Vehicles, Further development ensued but the Stormer has yet to be employed operationally as an APC. Instead the extended armoured box hull model has been acquired fitted out as a command vehicle by Oman to support their Chieftain 2 MBTs.
The British Army has procured Stormers in a modified form to act as the mobile platform for the Shorts Starstreak high velocity missile (HVM), the first of 151 systems originally ordered entering service from 1995 onwards. On this variant, which has a three-man crew, the Starstreak launchers are located towards the rear together with their target sensors. Reload missiles are carried inside the hull. (A similar arrangement has been proposed for the Shorts Starburst air defence missile system.).
A future Stormer application may be that of flat bed carrier for the British Army's scatterable mine system, once it has been selected; a Giat Minotaur mine dispensing system and Stormer flat bed combination was taken to the Gulf in 1990/1991 but not tested operationally,
Other proposed roles for the basic Stormer are many, including an IFV with a cannon-armed turret on the roof; several trials installations have been made,
Another trial vehicle was configured as a forward artillery observation vehicle, equipped with suitable sensors and communications equipment.
Specification
Crew: 3 Seating: 8
Weight: (combat, max) 12,700 kg
Length: 5.33 m
Width: 2.4m Height: 2.27m Ground clearance: 0.425 m Track: 1.892m Max speed: (road) 80 km/h Fuel capacity: 405 litres Range: 650 km Fording: l . lm Vertical obstacle: 0.6m Engine: Perkins T6.3544 diesel
Power output: 250 hp
Suspension: torsion bar Armament: See text Variants: Starstreak HVM - see also text
