FV106 Samson

FV106 Samson
Type	Armoured recovery vehicle
Place of origin	United Kingdom
Specifications
Weight	8.7 tonnes
Length	5 m (including Vice and bench)
Width	2.4 m
Height	2.8 m (Including A-frame)
Crew	Commander, driver and crew
Main armament	1 x 7.62 mm L7 GPMG
Secondary armament	8 Smoke dischargers
Engine	Jaguar 4.2 litre petrol
Operational range	483 Km
Speed	72 km/h

FV106 Samson is a British Army armoured recovery vehicle, one of the CVR(T) family. The main role of this vehicle is to recover the CVR(T) family of vehicles, but can recover other light tracked vehicles such as the FV430 series.

Design and features

The Samson was conceived in the early 1970s with the final design entering production in 1978. The hull is an all-welded aluminium construction. It usually carries a crew of three operating a 3.5T capstan winch that can also be utilised in a lifting configuration. It carries suitable equipment to enable a 4:1 mechanical advantage with 228m of winch rope. This winch is capable of recovering up to 12 Tonnes of vehicle. A manually operated earth anchor is situated at the rear to anchor the vehicle while operations are carried out.

Rear view of a Samson showing the rear crew hatch, A-frame and anchor

The Samson can be fitted with a floatation screen so it can be operated amphibiously using its own tracks at 6.5 km/h or at 9.6 km/h if also fitted with a propeller kit. The Samson can also be fitted with a full NBC protection unit.^[1]

Operators

Map of FV106 operators in blue

Current operators

•  Belgium
•  Brunei
•  Philippines 6 vehicles
•  Oman 3 vehicles
•  Thailand
•  United Kingdom Army and RAF

Examples on Display

The REME Museum of Technology has an example of a Samson on display in The Prince Philip Vehicle Hall.

See also

• Armoured recovery vehicles
• CVR(T)
• REME

References

• Foss, C and Gander, T, "Jane's Military Logistics" (1988) 9th edition

1. Gordon L. Rottman (1 January 1993). Armies of the Gulf War. Osprey Publishing. p. 21. ISBN 978-1-85532-277-6.