National Army Produces First Armored Vehicle in Aleppo Countryside

Modelled on the Turkish BMC-type armored vehicles, the vehicle produced by the Hamza Division can hold 10 people and includes 1.5cm armor plating writes Alsouria Net.

The Hamza Division, which is part of the Second Corps of the National Army, produced the first armored vehicles in the northern Aleppo countryside, using the Turkish armored vehicles as a model.

On Monday, the Second Corps published a video on Telegram that showed the armored vehicle, which was called “al-Fahed” and resembled the Turkish BMC-type armored vehicles.

The armored vehicle is characterized by steel mesh on the front and sides to increase its resistance to shells. It is six meters in length and 1.75 in width, and weighs eight tons at a height of three meters.

The video showed the armored plating of the vehicle to be 1.5cm for the whole car, with treated steel, and features four-wheel drive. Its maximum speed is up to 80km/hour on flat roads and 30km/hour off-road.

The vehicle is equipped with summer and winter conditioning, and a hydraulic rear door, as well as seven side openings for shooting, and bullet-resistant glass, as well as protection against light and heavy mines, and steel mesh to resist RPG shells.

It can fit 10 fighters, including a crew of five people—a commander and driver, shooter, ammunition and medical official.

This is the first of its kind in the northern Aleppo countryside, which is under control of the National Army in the Euphrates Shield and Olive Branch areas.

The Hamza Brigade, which made the armored vehicle is part of the Second Corps and is a military brigade composed of special forces, which played a major role in the battles to take control of Afrin from the People’s Protection Units.

The Anadolu agency said that the, “Free Syrian Army (FSA) has launched its defensive manufacturing plans by setting up a defensive factory to meet its light, medium and heavy military needs.”

It said that, “experts in the FSA had succeeded in producing the first armored vehicle to transport troops, called the al-Fahad, and modelled on the Turkish armored vehicles.”

In December last year, the Nour Eddin al-Zinki made troop transporters in the western Aleppo countryside in the first step of its kind with regards to military manufacturing in FSA-controlled areas.

The Turkish army and FSA was able, during the Euphrates Shield operation, to take control over broad parts of the northern countryside of Aleppo countryside from the Islamic State between August 2016 and March 2017.

On Mar. 24, 2018, in coordination with the FSA, the Turkish army carried out the Olive Branch operation and took control over the entire Afrin area from the YPG, 64 days after it was launched.

 

This article was translated and edited by The Syrian Observer. Responsibility for the information and views set out in this article lies entirely with the author.

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