ACE 72433 FV-603B Saracen Mk.II

The FV603 Alvis Saracen was a British Cold War armored personnel carrier. The first prototypes were built in 1952, and serial production was carried out in the period 1952-1972. In total, 1,838 examples of this vehicle were built. Alvis Saracen was powered by an engine Rolls-Royce B80 Mk.3A with 160 HP. The vehicle was armed with two 7.62 mm or 7.7 mm machine guns.

Alvis Saracen was created in response to the British Army's demand for a new armored personnel carrier in the early 1950s. When designing the Alvis Saracen, the emphasis was placed on providing the crew and the landing party (up to 10 people) with good protection against small-caliber weapons, as well as high off-road mobility and high top speed. In order to shorten the design time and reduce production costs, many components of the FV601 Alvis Saladin were used. The Alvis Saracen armored personnel carrier proved to be a successful design and was the basic vehicle of this class in the British Army until the introduction of the FV432 in the 1960s. He served in the British Army until 1993! He also played a large role in the Anglo-Irish conflict in Ulster, being used extensively there. He also took part in several conflicts of the Cold War period, including the war in Biafra (1967-1970) or the civil war in Lebanon (1975-1990). Alvis Saracen has also been exported to several countries, such as Indonesia, Jordan and Sri Lanka.