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Defence News - France / Saudi Arabia
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| Wednesday,
December 26, 2012, 10:42 AM |
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| Saudi
Arabia National Guard ordered 68 MPCV air defense vehicles from French company
Lohr |
According to French
financial daily "Les Echos", the Saudi Arabian National Guard
ordered 68 MPCV air defense vehicles from French company Lohr. Very
little information is avaiblable on this specific vehicle, however Army
Recognition saw it during Eurosatory 2012 back in June. We are therefore
able to provide some details on this little-known vehicle.
The MPCV (Multi-Purpose Combat Vehicle), based on a Mercedes Unimog
5000 chassis, is an armored high-mobility 4x4 vehicle offered by SOFRAME
(Lohr group). It is designed for a crew of four to ten men depending
on its configuration and missions.
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The MPCV (Multi-Purpose Combat Vehicle) by SOFRAME is based on a Mercedes
Unimog 5000 chassis and is fitted with 4x Mistral SAM & 1x 12.7mm
machine gun
(Picture: Army Recognition)
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The
version that has been ordered by Saudi Arabia National Guard is fitted
with an MBDA turret which comprises:
» MBDA's MISTRAL 2 Surface-to-Air missiles
» A12.7mm self-defence machine gun
» An electro-optic sensor suite
» A fire control system
» Communication systems
MPCV, with four ready-to-fire Mistral 2 missiles (plus 4 additional munitions
inside the vehicle), permits the interception of manoeuvring air targets
at ranges exceeding 6 km and altitudes exceeding 3,000 m. The very-high
mobility and short reaction time (2 seconds) provides this vehicle configuration
with excellent air defence capabilities against saturating threats: a
unit of four MPCVs can engage up to 16 different targets coming from any
direction in less than 15 seconds. The system is also well adapted to
the protection of deployed units or convoys, not only through its performance
in autonomous detection and identification (integrated IFF) but also thanks
to its capability to lock-on to targets and fire if required even when
the vehicle is on the move.
MPCV has been designed to minimize crew workload and facilitate long duration
operations. It can be operated by a single soldier or by a two-man crew
including a team leader. Significantly for operational flexibility, MPCV
can be operated from within the vehicle or, remotely, through a state-of-the-art
fully mobile workstation which can be installed in a building, a bunker
or any other protected position if static operations are called for.
The SOFRAME MPCV basic specifications are as follow:
» Max speed: 90 Km/h
» Poids 13,000 Kg
» Ballistic protection: Level 2 & 2A
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