GKN Simba

This article is about the military vehicle. For other uses, see Simba (disambiguation).

GKN Simba
A GKN Simba in a live public exhibition.
Type	Armoured personnel carrier
Place of origin	United Kingdom
Service history
In service	1990s-Present
Used by	Philippines
Wars	Anti-guerilla operations in the Philippines
Production history
Designer	GKN
Manufacturer	GKN
Variants	AIFV, Fire support vehicle, Internal security, Anti-tank, Mortar carrier
Specifications
Weight	11.2 - 11.9 tons (Depending on role)
Length	5.35 m (17 ft 7 in)
Width	2.5 m (8 ft 2 in)
Height	2.19 m (7 ft 2 in) low profile cupola
Crew	3+8/10
Armor	8 mm steel armor (maximum estimate)
Main armament	1 x 7.62 mm Machinegun
Secondary armament	40 mm grenade launchers
Engine	Perkins 210 Ti diesel turbo charged intercooler engine 210 bhp
Power/weight	18.75 bhp/ton
Operational range	660 km (410 mi)
Speed	100 km/h (62 mph)

The Simba is a wheeled armoured personnel carrier designed by GKN Sankey (acquired since then by Alvis plc and now part of BAE Systems) and is currently in service with the Philippine Army.

History

The Simba Light Combat Vehicle (LCV) was designed by GKN primarily for export market sales and following continuous and rigid trials was selected by the Armed Forces of the Philippines which placed an initial order of 150 vehicles.

Of the 150 vehicles ordered, eight were delivered in complete kit form, two in knocked-down kit form, and the remainder were later assembled in the Philippines in a facility owned by the joint venture company Asian Armoured Technologies Corporation in Subic Bay.

Design

Front side of the GKN Simba in Philippine Army service.

The driver is seated conventionally front-left with the powerpack to his right and the troop compartment extending up to the rear of the vehicle. The troops on seats down either side can dismount the vehicle via the door in the rear or the door in the left side of the hull. The driver and commander can dismount via the cupola hatch and the driver's side door. The vehicle used by the Philippine Army has a one-man turret armed with a .50 BMG (12.7x99mm NATO) M2 Browning heavy machine gun. Some vehicles were fitted with a one-person gun turret armed with a 25mm cannon and a co-axial 7.62mm General-purpose machine gun.

A wide range of optional equipment can be fitted to the vehicle including a front-mounted winch, heater/air-conditioning system, and various weapon systems.

Simbas in Philippine Army service are fitted with an air-conditioning system, due to the tropical climate of the country. These vehicles have seen action from anti-insurgency campaigns against communist rebels in the north and central part of the country and have dealt with terrorists in counter-terrorism campaigns in the southernmost provinces in the island of Mindanao.

Variants

The following variants are known to be in production/service:

• Command & Control
• Recovery Vehicle (Each ASV can flat tow another ASV or HMMWV)
• Reconnaissance Surveillance & Target Acquisition (RSTA)
• Ambulance
• Infantry Carrier Vehicle

A fire-support and anti-tank variant with a 90mm Cockerill gun was also offered by the United Kingdom, but not adopted.

References

Bibliography

• Jane's Tank Recognition Guide (Fourth Edition), Christopher F. Foss, HarperCollins Publishing, ISBN 0-00-718326-7. Published (2006)