The vehicle was developed as a replacement for the Daimler Ferret type for the French Army by Panhard. The prototype was shown to the army in 1959 and production vehicles began to take over in 1961. Since then, over 4,800 examples of this vehicle have been produced. The design of the vehicle used the same powertrain as the Panhard M3 armored personnel carrier (both types use 95% identical parts).
The vehicles were also produced under South African licence by Sandock Austral under the Eland designation. These machines then took part in fighting in Angola in South African colours in the 1980s.
The basic layout of the vehicle is the same for all versions. The driver is seated in the front, with a fighting body with a turret for two men behind him. The engine is located at the rear of the hull.
Due to its considerable extension, the type took part in a number of combat operations and wars. These included the Lebanese Civil War, Falklands War, the guerrilla war in Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe), the wars in the Portuguese colonies in Africa, the fighting in Angola, and the Lebanon Crisis of Spring 2007.
Users: France, Algeria, Argentina, Bahrain, Benin, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Chad, Djibouti, Ecuador, El Salvador, Gabon, Iraq, Ireland, Yemen, South Africa (Eland), Ivory Coast, Kenya, Lebanon, Lesotho (Eland), Malawi (Eland), Malaysia, Mauritania, Morocco, Mexico, Niger, Niger, Portugal, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Somalia, Sudan, Sudan, Togo, Tunisia, Venezuela, Zimbabwe (Eland)
Producer: Société de Construction Mécaniques Panhard et Levassor, Paris, France
Version
AML-60 - version armed with a 60 mm mortar and 7.62 mm machine gun
AML-60 with HE60-7 turret - version armed with 60 mm mortar and two 7.62 mm machine guns
AML-60 with HE60-12 turret - version armed with 60 mm mortar and 12.7 mm machine gun
AML-60 with HE60-20 turret - armed with 60 mm mortar and 20 mm cannon
AML S530 - anti-aircraft version with two 20 mm cannons used in Venezuela
AML-20 - a version modified for the Irish Armed Forces, the original 60 mm mortar replaced by a 20 mm G20 cannon
AML-90 - version armed with 90 mm cannon in H90 turret
AML 90 Lynx - Hispano-Suiza turret version equipped with GIAT F1 gun, rangefinder and night vision equipment
Eland Mk.7 - South African license type with 60 mm mortar
Eland Mk.9 - South African license type with 90 mm gun
Technical and tactical data (AML-90)
Combat weight: 5 550 kg
Crew: 3
Dimensions:
- Overall length: 5 110 mm
- Hull length: 3 790 mm
- width: 1 970 mm
- height: 2 070 mm
- ground clearance: 330 mm
Wading distance: 1.1 m
Overrun: 0.8 m
Displacement: 0.3 m
Climb: 60%
Power unit:
- Type: Panhard 4HD, air-cooled four-cylinder
- Maximum power: 90 hp at 4,700 rpm
Maximum speed: 92 km/h
Driving range: 600 km
Armament:
- D-921 F 1 cannon, 90mm calibre, with 20 rounds of ammunition (aiming: -8° to +15°, sighting: 360°)
- 7,62 mm machine gun with 2 000 rounds of ammunition
Argentine Army AML-90 captured by the British Army during the Falklands conflict
(©Radek Havelka)
(©Radek Havelka)