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After Saddam Hussein's forces were soundly beaten following the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq in 2003 and the euphoria of liberation had faded, the second phase of the war began as guerilla forces loyal to the former regime took up arms to remove the invaders. Part of the coalition force was the British Army and it fielded the venerable Armored Personnel Carrier (APC) version of the FV430 vehicle family as the "FV432". With increased use by the enemy of Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) and Rocket-Propelled Grenades (RPGs), the vehicle soon shown itself highly susceptible to these hidden threats. This prompted the service to take on an up-armored form of the troop carrier mark as the FV430 Bulldog Mk III.

The Bulldog entered service in useful numbers by mid-2007 and more or less retained the form and function of the original vehicle. The most important change became the armor package built upon the existing framework of the hull. This provided considerably more shielding against IED and RPG threats by covering the most critical facings of the vehicle - the front and sides of the hull superstructure - with reactive armor. The resulting vehicle was a success for its part in the war.

Overall weight became 15.3 tonnes and drive power was from a single Rolls-Royce K60 multi-fueled unit outputting 240 horsepower. Road speeds reached 32 miles per hour with operational ranges out to 360 miles.

Internally the standard operating crew remained two - driver and commander - with seating for up to ten in the passenger area at rear. A powered door arrangement seated at the rear hull wall allowed the necessary entry-exit for infantry and roof hatches were set over the crew positions. Local defense was through a single 7.62mm machine gun fitted to the roof and could be operated remotely from within the vehicle - again owing to the dangers of urban warfare and a hidden enemy.

Specifications

BASICS [+] MANUFACTURER(S) [+] OPERATORS [+] ROLES [+] DIMENSIONS & WEIGHTS [+] POWER & PERFORMANCE [+] ARMAMENT [+] AMMUNITION [+] VARIANTS [+] HONORS [+]

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