×
Aircraft / Aviation Vehicles & Artillery Infantry Arms Warships & Submarines Military Pay Chart (2023) Military Ranks
Advertisements
HOME
ARMOR
MODERN ARMIES
COUNTRIES
MANUFACTURERS
COMPARE
BY CONFLICT
BY TYPE
BY DECADE
COLD WAR
MODERN
Land Systems / Battlefield

Panhard M3


Light-Armored Multirole Combat Car / Security Vehicle [ 1973 ]



The Panhard M3, introduced in the early 1970s, saw considerable success in the foreign market where its type was well appreciated.



Authored By: Staff Writer | Last Edited: 07/08/2019 | Content ©www.MilitaryFactory.com | The following text is exclusive to this site.

GO TO SPECIFICATIONS [+]
Advertisements
Like many other low-risk, light-armored vehicles, the Panhard M3 was developed as a private venture by the French company in an effort to generate interest in the export market. The compact vehicle, built atop a 4x4 wheeled arrangement, went on to become a relative success with over 1,200 units built and seeing operations /service all over the globe. The M3 continues in service today (2017) and has seen combat exposure as recently as the Yemeni Civil War (2015-Present). It has proven serviceable as both a military- and security-minded vehicle.

Panhard M3 Development and Production
The pilot (prototype) model appeared in 1969 and underwent the usual trials and certifications before production commenced in 1971. To keep costs under control and maintain logistical friendliness with other Panhard products, the M3 was given up to 95% commonality of parts with the Panhard AML vehicle (detailed elsewhere on this site). Production spanned from 1971 until 1986 and a plethora of foreign operators soon emerged - running from Abu Dhabi and Algeria to Togo and Yemen. Customer concentration was mainly on the continent of Africa where the vehicle proved to be versatile, cheap-to-procure and easy-to-maintain.

M3 Walk-Around
The M3 was given an all-welded steel hull construction allowing protection against small arms fire. Its base crew was two but there was provision for carrying an additional ten in the passenger compartment. Access to the vehicle was through a collection of hinged doors located at the sides (single doors) and rear of the hull (twin doors). The driver, seated at middle-center in the bow, was given a dedicated access hatch. The vehicle commander took up a position in the center-middle and was afforded his own roof-mounted hatch. This position sometimes displayed a complete turret with armament or pintle-mounted machine guns as needed. There were also smaller hatches at the side roof lines for occupants to engage outside parties with their personal small arms. Armor protection reached between 8mm and 12mm at the various facings.

Armament
Armament fits were variable and highly dependent upon customer needs / requirements. One version saw the vehicle carry a twin-gunned turret featuring 2 x 7.62mm FN MAG machine guns while another was fielded with a single 7.62mm machine gun but carried 3 x LRAC F1 anti-tank rocket launchers (detailed elsewhere on this site). A simple ring sometimes would take the place of a full-fledged power-operated turret and, in this case, the turret could seat a 7.62mm or 12.7mm machine gun or an 20mm automatic cannon. Another form mounted a 20mm autocannon in an enclosed turret. An anti-tank version of the vehicle was outfitted with 4 x HOT Anti-Tank Guided Missiles (ATGMs) for the tank-killing role and the anti-aircraft counterpart (M3 VDA) had 2 x 20mm autocannons for the airspace denial role. A secondary 7.62mm machine gun could also be fitted over the rear hull of the vehicle to protect the vehicle's "six" from approaching dangers.

Power, Performance and Specs
The vehicle was given a decent amount of ground clearance for its role at about 14 inches. The tires were well spaced at each corner of the hull and a spare was carried over the starboard side of the hull wall. Drive power was from a Panhard 4HD engine of 90 horsepower output. This allowed the vehicle to reach road speeds of 56 miles per hour out to ranges of 370 miles. Structurally, the M3 had an overall length of 4.4 meters, a width of 2.4 meters and a height of 2.4 meters. Its weight is 6 tons.

Combat Deployments
The M3 has been fielded in conflicts throughout the latter-half of the 20th Century including the Second Malayan Emergency (1968-1989), the Lebanese Civil War (1975-1990), the Angolan Civil War (1975-2002), the Iran-Iraq War (1980-1988), the Gulf War (1991), Operation Iraqi Freedom (2003-2011), the subsequent Iraqi Civil War (2014-Present) and the Yemeni Civil War (2015-Present) to name a few.

Panhard M3 Variants
Primary variants to emerged include the M3 VTT personnel transport, the M3 VDA anti-aircraft vehicle, the M3 VAT repair platform, the M3 VPC command vehicle, the M3 VLA engineering vehicle, the M3 VTS battlefield ambulance and the M3 VSB radar carrier. The M3 VPM has a turret-mounted 81mm field mortar and the M3 VTT 60B uses the 60mm CM60A1 mortar. The Saymar M3 APC is an Israeli-modified model. The Irish Army upgraded their M3s in the mid-1980s to feature the Peugeot V6 gasoline engine of 140 horsepower. At least fourteen were brought up to this standard (some forty-four M3 vehicles were taken into service overall).

Former operators of the Panhard M3 include Angola, Ireland, Malaysia, Portugal, Spain and South Africa. ©MilitaryFactory.com
Note: The above text is EXCLUSIVE to the site www.MilitaryFactory.com. It is the product of many hours of research and work made possible with the help of contributors, veterans, insiders, and topic specialists. If you happen upon this text anywhere else on the internet or in print, please let us know at MilitaryFactory AT gmail DOT com so that we may take appropriate action against the offender / offending site and continue to protect this original work.
Advertisements

Specifications



Service Year
1973

Origin
France national flag graphic
France

Crew
2
CREWMEN
Production
1,200
UNITS


Panhard - France / Saymar - Israel
(View other Vehicle-Related Manufacturers)
National flag of Algeria National flag of Angola National flag of Bahrain National flag of Chad National flag of Gabon National flag of Iraq National flag of Ireland National flag of Lebanon National flag of Malaysia National flag of Morocco National flag of Niger National flag of Nigeria National flag of Portugal National flag of Rwanda National flag of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia National flag of Senegal National flag of South Africa National flag of Spain National flag of Sudan National flag of Yemen Abu Dhabi; Angola; Algeria; Bahrain; Bosnia-Herzegovina; Burkina Faso; Burma; Burundi; Chad; Democratic Republic of the Congo; Gabon; Iraq; Ireland; Ivory Coast; Kenya; Lebanon; Malaysia; Mauritania; Morocco; Niger; Nigeria; Paraguay; Portugal; Republic of the Congo; Rwanda; Sahrawi Republic; Saudi Arabia; Senegal; South Africa; Spain; Sudan; Togo; Yemen
(OPERATORS list includes past, present, and future operators when applicable)
Anti-Aircraft / Airspace Denial
Base model or variant can be used to search, track, and neutralize airborne elements at range.
Anti-Tank / Anti-Armor
Base model or variant can be used to track, engage, and defeat armored enemy elements at range.
Engineering
Onboard systems provide solutions to accomplish a variety of battlefield engineering tasks.
Infantry Support
Support allied ground forces through weapons, inherent capabilities, and / or onboard systems.
Armored Car
Design, of typically lightweight nature, providing onroad/offroad capabilities for the scouting or general security roles.
Reconaissance
Can conduct reconnaissance / scout missions to assess threat levels, enemy strength, et al - typically through lightweight design.
Utility
General utility-minded design to accomplish a variety of battlefield tasks, typically in a non-direct-combat fashion.
Special Purpose
Special purpose design developed to accomplish an equally-special battlefield role or roles.


Powerplant: 1 x Panhard 4HD gasoline-fueled engine developing 90 horsepower driving conventional four-wheel arrangement.
(Showcased performance specifications pertain to the base Panhard M3 production variant. Compare this entry against any other in our database)
Variable depending on mission role. Some forms armed simply with 7.62mm / 12.7mm machine guns in open mounts. Others have turreted machine guns. Still others are optimized for the AA or AT roles and carry 20mm autocannons and missiles.


Supported Types


Graphical image of a tank automatic cannon
Graphical image of a tank medium machine gun
Graphical image of a tank heavy machine gun


(Not all weapon types may be represented in the showcase above)
Dependent upon armament fit.


M3 - Base Series Designation
M3 VAT - Repair vehicle; outfitted with specialized equipment; crew of five.
M3 VDA - Anti-Aircraft (AA) vehicle; 2 x 20mm autocannons fitted to turret; radar-directed.
M3 VLA - Engineering vehicle; specialist model with dozer blade.
M3 VPC - Command vehicle; additional communications equipment fitted for battlefield command role.
M3 VPM - 81mm mortar carrier
M3 VSB - Radar carrier
M3 VTS - Battlefield ambulance; room for four patient litters; crew of three.
M3 VTT - Troop transport variant
M3 VTT 60B - 60mm mortar carrier
Saymar M3 - Israeli modified form; armored personnel carrier role.


Military lapel ribbon for the American Civil War
Military lapel ribbon for pioneering aircraft
Military lapel ribbon for the Arab-Israeli War
Military lapel ribbon for the Battle of the Bulge
Military lapel ribbon for the Battle of Kursk
Military lapel ribbon for the Cold War
Military lapel ribbon for the Falklands War
Military lapel ribbon for the Indo-Pak Wars
Military lapel ribbon for the Korean War
Military lapel ribbon for the 1991 Gulf War
Military lapel ribbon representing modern aircraft
Military lapel ribbon for the Soviet-Afghan War
Military lapel ribbon for the Spanish Civil War
Military lapel ribbon for the Ukranian-Russian War
Military lapel ribbon for the Vietnam War
Military lapel ribbon for the World War 1
Military lapel ribbon for the World War 2
Military lapel ribbon for the Yom Kippur War
Military lapel ribbon for experimental military vehicles


Ribbon graphics not necessarily indicative of actual historical campaign ribbons. Ribbons are clickable to their respective campaigns / operations.

Images Gallery



1 / 1
Image of the Panhard M3
Image copyright www.MilitaryFactory.com; No Reproduction Permitted.


Advertisements




Disclaimer | Privacy Policy | Cookies


2023 Military Pay Chart Military Ranks DoD Dictionary Conversion Calculators Military Alphabet Code Military Map Symbols

The "Military Factory" name and MilitaryFactory.com logo are registered ® U.S. trademarks protected by all applicable domestic and international intellectual property laws. All written content, illustrations, and photography are unique to this website (unless where indicated) and not for reuse/reproduction in any form. Material presented throughout this website is for historical and entertainment value only and should not to be construed as usable for hardware restoration, maintenance, or general operation. We do not sell any of the items showcased on this site. Please direct all other inquiries to militaryfactory AT gmail.com.

Part of a network of sites that includes GlobalFirepower, a data-driven property used in ranking the top military powers of the world, WDMMA.org (World Directory of Modern Military Aircraft), WDMMW.org (World Directory of Modern Military Warships), SR71blackbird.org, detailing the history of the world's most iconic spyplane, and MilitaryRibbons.info, cataloguing military medals and ribbons.

View day-by-day actions of the American Civil War with CivilWarTimeline.net. View day-by-day actions of World War II with SecondWorldWarHistory.com.


©2023 www.MilitaryFactory.com • All Rights Reserved • Content ©2003-2023 (20yrs)