Egypt Debuts Cutting-Edge Armored Vehicles at El Alamein Aerospace Expo

alhadath – cairo

The ST100 and ST500 armored vehicles were exhibited at the first edition Egypt International Air and Space Exhibition held in New Alamain Airport, amid a big turnout by visitors from Egypt and other countries.

The two armored vehicle were produced by the Egyptian Ministry of Military Production, inside the Military Factory 200, and are resistant to mines and ambushes.

They also come with a foreign partnership, as the percentage of their local components constitutes about 50%, while the design, installation and implementation are 100% Egyptian, in addition to the electronics and the remote-controlled combat tower.

ST100 Armored Vehicle

The ST100 armored vehicle has 10 different forms. The armored vehicle is also a multi-tasking vehicle that can be equipped – as needed – to carry out different types of missions, as follows:

An armored personnel carrier for attack and intervention missions as well as command and control missions. It can also serve as an ambulance, as it is capable of transporting four individuals.

The armored vehicle is considered an air defense unit equipped with anti-aircraft missiles/artillery. It is also a tank-hunting vehicle equipped with anti-armor guided missiles (Tank Hunter), a rocket Launcher, a mortar carrier, a carrier of precision-guided surface-to-surface anti-armor/personnel missiles, precision attack missile carrier, and communication/electronic warfare vehicle.

The armored vehicle weighs 14.5 tons and reaches 18 tons with maximum payload. Its length reaches 6.4 meters, its width reaches 2.6 meters, and its height reaches 3.8 meters. The number of crew members is “5,” including the driver, commander, and 3 others for the patrol version, and the number reaches 8 for the attack and intervention version. The maximum speed of the armored vehicle reaches 115 km/h.

The most important feature of the vehicle is its unique design dedicated to resisting explosive devices and mines, in the shape of the letter V at the bottom, which places it in the category of vehicles resistant to mines and explosive devices, noting that it does not have a traditional chassis, but rather has a unified structure, as if it were a shell or capsule, but it is reinforced in the lower section with highly explosion-resistant materials.

Also, if the vehicle is exposed to a high-explosive device, the part containing the crew is separated from the rest of the armored vehicle to ensure their survival, and it can be installed on another body without problems. In addition, the seats for individuals themselves are equipped with technology to absorb shocks resulting from the explosion of explosive devices and mines. It is also distinguished by the possibility of disassembling and installing/replacing the engine without any complications to facilitate maintenance or replacement work in the theater of operations.

The vehicle is equipped with a camouflage net that reduces radar and thermal signatures, in addition to having an integrated combat and protection system that can – upon request – contain the following:

– An electronic blocking and jamming system on various communications bands and wireless networks to neutralize remote explosive device detonation systems. It was jointly developed by IMUT and the Ministry of Military Production, with the assistance of specialists in the field of electronic countermeasures from Switzerland.

– A French system specialized in monitoring and identifying sources of fire through acoustic fingerprinting to direct the automatic weapon station operating by remote control to eliminate snipers and armed elements during fighting in cities and narrow areas.

– An active defense system consisting of monitoring and warning sensors against laser beams and anti-armor missiles, with means of thermal/electro-optical jamming, smoke screen launchers, and aerosol, which blocks the ability of electro-optical, thermal, laser, and radar guidance, as it contains particles of burning red phosphorus, aluminum covered with fiberglass, as well as some brass particles (consists of 30% zinc and 70% copper).

The vehicle can be armed with a multiple machine gun caliber 7.62 x 51 mm, a heavy machine gun caliber 12.7 x 99 mm, or a grenade launcher caliber 40 mm, all of which can be installed on a remote-controlled weapon station. The defense system and the automatic machine gun station are controlled through a digital battle management system. Which can be added to armored vehicles, especially the specialized combat versions, which can be armed with anti-tank missiles, anti-aircraft missiles, or mortars.

The armored vehicle contains a set of cameras and thermal sensors to support the driver and transmit everything that is happening around it to the crew’s internal screens, to ensure cognitive awareness of the surrounding situation in the area of operations.

The vehicle is equipped with an American-made Cummins ISL 6-cylinder diesel engine with a capacity of 8900 cc, generating 400 horsepower at 2100 rpm with a 6-speed automatic transmission, model ZF EcoLife, from the German company ZF Friedrichshafen.

The level of armor protection against bullets can reach Stanag 4 if additional armor is provided, which can withstand 14.5 x 114 mm bullets.

ST500 Armored Vehicle

The ST-500 armored vehicle is used for transporting soldiers, special forces operations, or ambulancing.

It is the younger sister of the ST-100 and operates as a light tactical vehicle for transporting soldiers, special forces operations, or ambulances. The vehicle can be armed with a remote-controlled weapon station equipped with multi-caliber machine guns, 30 mm grenade launchers, an anti-tank missile launcher, or a mortar carrier other than smoke launchers.

The troop-carrying version can accommodate 3 members of the main crew, in addition to 5 other members, and the ambulance version can accommodate 3 crew members, in addition to two stretchers to carry the wounded. As for the mortar or rocket launching version, it can accommodate 3 people.

The vehicle weighs 8 tons and reaches 10.5 tons with maximum payload. It is 5.6 meters long, 2.4 meters wide, and 3.1 meters high. Its maximum speed reaches 140 km/h and its range is 700 km.

The vehicle’s level of protection against bullets is BR6 / BR7, which withstands 7.62 * 51 mm bullets in its standard and piercing versions.

The vehicle is equipped with an American Cummins QSB 6.7 diesel engine with a capacity of 6700 cc, turbocharged and generating a power of 300 horsepower at 2500 rpm with an American automatict

ransmission model Allison 3000 SP.