Condor (APC)

Condor APC
A Condor of the Malaysian Army.
Type	Armoured personnel carrier
Place of origin	West Germany
Specifications
Mass	12.4 metric tons
Length	6.13 m
Width	2.47 m
Height	2.18 m
Crew	2+12
Main armament	20 mm cannon
Secondary armament	7.62 mm
Engine	Mercedes Benz OM352A / 6 cylinder diesel engine 168 hp (125 kW)
Suspension	Portal axle with coil spring, 4x4 road wheels
Operational range	900 km
Maximum speed	95 km/h

The Rheinmetall Condor is a 4×4 wheeled armoured personnel carrier originally designed by Thyssen-Henschel of Germany and manufactured by Henschel Wehrtechnik GmbH. It is based on the chassis of the UNIMOG and uses the same key components such as the engine, gearbox and axles. Serviceability is high and the vehicle is easy to maintain since support is readily available from civilian sources.

Design

The Condor was designed to provide overall protection against small arms, shrapnel and small mines. Combat with the Malaysian Army during the rescue operations following the Battle of Mogadishu highlighted its vulnerability against RPG-7 rocket rounds. One Malaysian soldier was killed when an RPG round penetrated the driver compartment of his vehicle.

The vehicle is amphibious and is air-transportable in C-130 Hercules and in C-160 Transall type aircraft.

Variants

The Condor is available in multiple configurations, these include:

• Personnel and/or cargo carrier
• Command and control
• Reconnaissance / surveillance / observation
• Liaison
• Weapons carrier
• Light air defence
• Anti-riot
• Border control
• Logistics / recovery
• Ambulance

The Malaysian Army uses mainly the Condor primarily in its armoured personnel carrier configuration, but variants such as mortar carriers and ambulances are also in service.

Operators

Map of Condor APC operators in blue

Current operators

• Kuwait, 8 Condor 2
• Malaysia, 457 Condor 1
• Portugal, 12 Condor 1 (operated by Polícia Aérea - Portuguese Air Force Police) [1]
• Thailand, 19 Condor 1
• Turkey, 25 Condor 1 (inactive being retired.)
• Uruguay, 64 Condor 1
• South Korea, Unknown

See also

• British Saxon APC
• Brazilian EE-11 Urutu
• Canadian LAV III
• Finnish Sisu XA-180