Bison (armoured personnel carrier)
| Bison | |
|---|---|
| Type | Armoured Personnel Carrier |
| Place of origin | Canada |
| Service history | |
| In service | 1990-Present |
| Used by | See: 'Operators' |
| Wars | War in Afghanistan (2001–present) |
| Production history | |
| Designer | MOWAG/General Motors Diesel Division |
| Designed | 1988 |
| Manufacturer | General Motors Diesel Division Canada |
| Produced |
1988 (prototype) 1989 (regular production) |
| Specifications | |
| Weight | 13 t (14 short tons) |
| Length | 6.5 m (21 ft) |
| Width | 2.6 m (8.5 ft) |
| Height | 2.6 m (8.5 ft) |
| Crew | 2 (driver & commander) + 8 passengers |
|
| |
Main armament | 1 x 7.62mm machine gun |
| Engine |
Detroit Diesel 6V53T two-cycle turbo-charged diesel 275 hp |
| Transmission | Allison 5 speed MT653 |
| Suspension | 8x8 |
Operational range | 650 km (400 mi) |
| Speed |
100 km/h (62 mph) (land) 10 km/h (5.4 kn) (water) |
The Bison is an armoured personnel carrier based on the 8x8 MOWAG Piranha II platform, and was produced by General Motors Diesel Division (now General Dynamics Land Systems Canada) in London, Ontario. They were purchased and intended for operation by the Canadian Forces Primary Reserve, but were rapidly appropriated by the regular force of the Canadian Army.[1]
Design
By starting with a basic Piranha II, the Bison design process took only 7 days.[2] The Bison differs from the baseline Piranha II by raising the height of the roof, removing the turret ring, placing a commander's cupola behind the driver, and incorporating a rail mount system in the cargo/passenger compartment to quickly change mission specific equipment. The driver is seated in the front-left of the crew compartment. The commander has a slightly raised position directly behind the driver with access to his own hatch and mounted machine gun. The engine is to the right of the crew compartment.
The Canadian Forces began upgrading the Bison between 2002 and 2008. The upgrades include improved engine power, new torsion bars, fittings for add-on armour, air conditioning, and the VRS respirator system for NBC defence.[3]
Variants
The Bison's rail mount system allows it to be adapted to a variety of roles without any major modifications. Bisons used by the Canadian Forces have been adapted for use as armoured personnel carriers (original configuration - mostly replaced in this role by the LAV III), 81mm mortar carriers, ambulances (32), Mobile Repair Team (MRT) vehicles (32), Armoured recovery vehicles (32), Electronic Warfare vehicles (25), and NBC Reconnaissance vehicles (4).
Operators
Current operators
-
Australia
- Australian Army - 97[2] (See ASLAV Type II)
-
Canada
- Canadian Army - 199[2]
-
United States
- US National Guard - 12[2]
See also
- Coyote Reconnaissance Vehicle - Canadian armoured reconnaissance vehicle also based on the Piranha II platform
- LAV III - Canadian infantry fighting vehicle. Replaced the Bison in many roles. Based on the Piranha III platform
- MOWAG Piranha - Vehicle that the Bison originated from
References
- ↑ "Bison Mobile Repair Team vehicle delivered to CF" (Press release). Department of National Defence (Canada). 2009-05-26. Retrieved 2009-07-27.
- 1 2 3 4 "Bison Armoured Personnel Carrier". Military-Today.com. Retrieved 2009-07-24.
- ↑ "Canadian Army > Bison Armoured Vehicle". Department of National Defence (Canada). Retrieved 2009-07-24.
External links
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