Saxon

The Saxon is a wheeled Armoured Personnel Carrier used by mechanised infantry battalions. Capable of travelling across very rough terrain and fording 3 feet of water the vehicle has excellent battlefield mobility. Fitted with a 7.62 millimetre machine gun. The vehicle has excellent battlefield mobility and is extremely versatile. Saxon variants in British service included a Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers (REME) recovery vehicle; armoured ambulance; command post vehicle; internal security version; and vehicles modified to carry an L37 General Purpose Machine Gun (GPMG) turret.

The Saxon was manufactured by GKN Defence and the first units for the British Army were delivered in late 1983. Saxon APCThe vehicle, which can be best described as a battlefield taxi, is designed around truck parts and does not require the same level of maintenance of track and running gear normally associated with APC/AIFVs. Essentially a mine-proof lorry, rather than an armoured personnel carrier, the vehicle has been used very successfully by Mechanised Battalions serving with the UN in Bosnia and is in operational service with British forces in both Iraq and Afghanistan.

The Saxon Internal Security vehicle for service in counter insurgency operations has a Cummins BT 5.1 engine, instead of the Bedford 6-cylinder installed on the APC version and other enhancements, such as roof-mounted searchlights, improved armour, a barricade removal device and an anti-wire device. This comes in two versions, a troop-carrier which carries ten men and an ambulance which carries two stretcher cases.