FV180 Combat Engineer Tractor

FV180 Combat Engineer Tractor
FV180 Combat Engineer Tractor
CET 02BG.jpg
Type Armoured combat engineering vehicle
Place of origin  United Kingdom
Service history
In service British Army, Indian Army, Singapore Army
Specifications
Weight 17.5 tonnes (19.3 short tons; 17.2 long tons)
Length 7.54 m (24 ft 9 in)
Width 2.94 m (9 ft 8 in)
Height 2.67 m (8 ft 9 in)
Crew 2

Armour Honeycombed twin skin aluminium alloy
Main
armament
None (Crew armed with personal weapons only)
Engine Rolls Royce C6TFR
320 hp (240 kW)
Power/weight 19 hp/tonne
Suspension Torsion Bar
Operational
range
480 km (300 mi)
Speed 56 km/h (35 mph) (road)
8 knots (15 km/h; 9.2 mph) (water)

The FV180 Combat Engineer Tractor or C.E.T. is an amphibious specialist armoured vehicle of the British Army and has been in general service since 1976. The CET is used by Royal Engineers in ground preparation for bridge construction and towing activities in the front line of battle, such as digging vehicle fighting pits, constructing earthen barriers, repairing roads, recovery of disabled vehicles from water and other obstacles, preparing riverbanks for vehicle crossings and clearing obstacles.[1]

It is a tracked, lightly armoured vehicle, with amphibious capability. The two crew sit in tandem positions on the left hand side of the vehicle, each with a set of driving controls facing opposite directions. A large earthmoving bucket is fitted at the rear of the vehicle and a rocket-propelled anchor on a 100m hawser attached to an 8 tonne winch can be fitted to the front. When operated from the rear seat the bucket is used for earth moving; clearing obstacles, paths or digging tank or gun pits and anti-tank ditches. When operated from the front-facing seat it can be driven on the road, and the anchor can be used to pull the CET up steep obstacles such as riverbanks. The winch rope can be deployed to the front or the rear of the vehicle with a maximum pull of 8 tonnes in both configurations. The vehicle is NBC (Nuclear, Biological and Chemical) proofed and has an air filtration unit, supplying clean air to the crew when operating with the crew hatches closed down in a contaminated environment. The NBC air system is also used to inflate the buoyancy aids required to trim the vehicle when swimming.

An Auxiliary lifting attachment(ALA) - a davit with a winch rope roller - fitted to the inside of the earthmoving bucket was used for lifting loads of up to 4tonnes. Loads such as Medium Girder Bridge pallets could be lifted vertically to a height of 1.8m. This then allowed a cargo vehicle to back under the suspended load, the CET could not travel or turn with a suspended load on the ALA due to lateral weakness of the ALA and the proximity of the load to the earthmoving bucket. Use of the ALA was discontinued in the 1990s due to difficulties in annual testing of the safe working load, and a reduced requirement for its use.

The amphibious propulsion is provided by to two Dowty water impellers, one mounted on each side of the vehicle and controlled by the commander in the rear seat facing forwards. The water jets are used to steer the vehicle when swimming, this is with the use of movable cowls directing the flow of water. When not in use, the propulsion unit water intakes are closed off with armoured covers to prevent damage during digging operations. Flotation aids are required to trim the vehicle for swimming and a "wash board" is fitted to the front of the vehicle to prevent the bow wave flooding the crew compartment when entering water. Maximum speed in water is 8.5 knots, the vehicle will wade in 1.8m of water and requires preparation for operating in deeper water this as it achieves buoyancy.

The CET is scheduled to be replaced by a new, larger vehicle - the 30 tonne Terrier. The Terrier vehicle will be better protected, equipped with night vision and be remotely operated if required in more hazardous circumstances.

References

  1. ^ http://www.khakicorpsimports.com/in-tractor.htm

External links

Media related to FV180 Combat Engineer Tractor at Wikimedia Commons


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужен реферат?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Combat Engineer Tractor FV 180 — Der FV 180 CET (Combat Engineer Tractor) ist der Pionierpanzer der britischen Streitkräfte. Combat Engineer Tractor FV 180 Entwickelt wurde der CET zum Bau von Straßen, Beseitigen von Hindernissen, zum Schaffen von Deckungen für Panzer und… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Combat engineering — is a combat service support role of using the knowledge, tools and techniques of engineering by troops in peace and war, but specifically in combat. A combat engineer, in many armies also called pioneer or sapper, is a military specialist in… …   Wikipedia

  • Military engineering vehicle — The EBG combat engineering vehicle, based on the AMX 30 tank, is used by the engineers of the French Army for a variety of missions …   Wikipedia

  • Terrier vehicle — The Terrier [ [http://www.baesystems.com/ProductsServices/l and a ls terrier.html Products Services BAE Systems ] ] [http://www.army.mod.uk/linkedfiles/ceso/trained soldiers/kit magazine/kit61 hi res.pdf page 10 of Kit magazine] vehicle is an air …   Wikipedia

  • Armoured Vehicle Royal Engineers — (AVRE) is a title given to a series to armoured vehicles operated the Royal Engineers (RE) for the purpose of battlefield engineering support. These vehicles have been either purpose built or have been post production modifications of existing… …   Wikipedia

  • CET — may mean: Certified Electronics Technician, a service professional designation Carbon emissions trading Carrier Ethernet Transport Center for Environmental Technology, a radio receiver designer. Central England temperature a set of monthly… …   Wikipedia

  • ROF Nottingham — Royal Ordnance Factory NottinghamBackgroundR.O.F. Engineering FactoryFactory Number 23First opened in 1916First opened as an ROF January 1936One of a number of Royal Ordnance Factories created at the start of World War IIEarly site history and… …   Wikipedia

  • List of Gulf War military equipment — is a summary of the various military weapons and vehicles used by the different nations during the Gulf War of 1990 1991.=Coalition= =United States Of America= Land BasedTanks *IMP1 Abrams MBT (Main Battle Tank) *M1A1 Abrams MBT (Main Battle… …   Wikipedia

  • Coalition of the Gulf War — Map of Coalition countries (Green Blue levels) and Iraq (Orange). The Coalition of the Gulf War were the countries officially opposed to the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait during the 1990 / 1991 Persian Gulf War. Contents …   Wikipedia

  • List of military vehicles — Military vehicles include all land combat and transportation vehicles, excluding rail based, which are designed for or are in significant use by military forces throughout the world. See also list of armoured fighting vehicles. Contents:… …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”