ACMAT Bastion
| ACMAT Bastion | |
|---|---|
 MINUSMA Bastion APC in Northern Mali, 2015 | |
| Type | Armoured personnel carrier |
| Place of origin | France |
| Service history | |
| In service | 2012–present |
| Wars | Insurgency in the Sahel Somali Civil War Yemeni Civil War |
| Production history | |
| Designer | ACMAT |
| Variants | Bastion APC Bastion PATSAS |
| Specifications | |
| Mass | 12 tonnes[1] |
| Length | 6 m (19 ft 8 in)[1] |
| Width | 2.2 m (7 ft 3 in)[1] |
| Height | 2.4 m (7 ft 10 in)[1] |
| Crew | 2 |
| Passengers | 8-10 |
| Armour | STANAG 4569 level 1 to level 3[1] |
Main armament | 7.62 mm or 12.7 mm ring or remote control turret[2] |
| Suspension | wheeled |
Operational range | 1,400 km (870 mi)[3] |
| Maximum speed | 110 km/h (68 mph)[1] |
The ACMAT Bastion is a French modern armoured personnel carrier, manufactured by ACMAT.
Design
Its chassis is based on the ACMAT VLRA.[1] In 2018, Arquus, owner of ACMAT, signed a contract with AM General to propose the Bastion as an armored ambulance for the U.S. Army.[3]
Bastion PATSAS
The Bastion PATSAS (PATrouille SAS) is a variant designed for special forces.[3] It is lighter (10 tonnes) and carry 5 equipped soldiers. It is armed with a 12.7mm heavy machine gun and can carry 3 additional medium machine guns.[4]
Operators
Burkina Faso - 10 Bastion APC in 2012.[5][6]. One was destroyed by Ansar ul Islam in the 2016 Nassoumbou attack.[7]
Cameroon - 23 Bastion APC in 2015-2016, supplied via U.S. DoD.[5]
Chad - 22 Bastion PATSAS in 2013.[4]
Ethiopia - 12 Bastion APC in 2016, supplied via U.S. DoD.[5][6]
Mali - 5 Bastion APC in 2016,[5] used by the 134th Escadron de Reconnaissance (Recce Squadron).[8]
Saudi Arabia - 71 Bastion PATSAS in 2016.[5] Some were possibly used in the intervention in Yemen.[9]
Somalia - 13 Bastion APC in 2016, supplied via U.S. DoD.[5][6]
Togo - 30 Bastion APC in 2014.[5][6]
Tunisia - 4 Bastion APC in 2016, supplied via U.S. DoD.[5][6]
Uganda - 19 Bastion APC in 2017, supplied via U.S. DoD.[5][6]
Evaluation only
France - Bastion PATSAS evaluated by the French special forces.[10]
References
- ^ a b c d e f g "Bastion APC ARQUUS: 4x4 Wheeled Armored Personnel Carrier Vehicle France". armyrecognition.com. 9 October 2018.
- ^ "Bastion". arquus-defense.com. Retrieved 5 January 2019.
- ^ a b c Lagneau, Laurent (8 October 2018). "Le groupe français ARQUUS s'allie avec AM General pour tenter d'imposer son blindé Bastion aux États-Unis". Zone Militaire.
- ^ a b Lagneau, Laurent (19 February 2013). "Les forces armées tchadiennes ont reçu leurs premiers véhicules blindés Bastion Patsas". Zone Militaire.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i "Trade Registers". Armstrade.sipri.org. Retrieved 5 January 2019.
- ^ a b c d e f "United States ordered Acmat Bastion APCs for African partners". defenceweb.co.za. 13 October 2015.
- ^ Nsaibia, Héni; Weiss, Caleb (March 2018). "Ansaroul Islam and the Growing Terrorist Insurgency in Burkina Faso". CTC Sentinel. 11 (3): 21–26.
- ^ "Mali: training in the use of the armored vehicle "Bastion"". difesaonline.it. 22 February 2016.
- ^ Fédération Internationale des Ligues des Droits de l’Homme; Observatoire des armements; Ligue des Droits de l’Homme; Sisters Arab for Human Rights (April 2018). Ventes d'armes françaises : "indices de présence" au Yémen et nécessaire refonte des mécanismes de contrôle des exportations (PDF). p. 13.
{{cite book}}: Check|last2=value (help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ "First order of ACMAT Bastion Patsas Special Forces protected vehicle for Tchad Presidential Guard". armyrecognition.com. 17 October 2012.