Land Rover 101
The 1-ton forward-control Land Rover-generally described as the 101- was developed as a heli-portable light artillery tractor which could also carry the gun's crew and a quantity of ammunition.
In 1967, Rover started building five forward-control 1-ton military prototypes, the first of which appeared in 1969. Although it generally resembled the production 101, there was a short bonnet projection, required to house the Rover P5 six-cylinder engine. A General Statement of Requirements(GSR 3463) was issued in June 1968, clarifying the role of the vehicle, stating that it should be capable of towing the new 105mm light gun, or a load of up to 1,814kg/4,000Ib. Other possible roles included command post, Rapier and MILAN missile launcher, missile test/repair vehicle, computer exchange unit, dry-air generator, power-supply vehicle, battery-charging truck, line layer, load carrier, and battlefield ambulance. Demountable doby panels allowed vehicle weight to be reduced for lifting by a Wessex helicopter. it was also to be air-portable in Andover and Britannia aircraft. The specification also stated that the vehicle be capable of towing a powered-axle trailer via a special coupling and detachable propshaft.
In 1970, Rover produced 10 prototypes for trials, this time using the Buick-designed Rover 3,528cc V8 petrol engine, mated to a Range Rover gearbox with a permanent four-wheel drive transfer box. There were heavy-duty Salisbury axles incorporating larger half-shafts than normal. An inter-axle differential lock was also fitted. Suspension was by live axles on semi-elliptical tapered multi-leaf springs, with an anti-roll bar at front. Double-acting telescopic shock absorbers were fitted to all four wheels.
Tested in trials against the Volvo-Ailsa 4140 series Laplander, the Land Rover emerged as the clear winner and went into production in 1975 as the FV19000 series. There were four production variants in all-GS, ambulance, and two types of signals body. Both right- and left-hand drive vehicles were produced. The vehicle remained in production until 1978, with 2,669 vehicles manufactured. Of these, 127 went to the RAF and 2,129 went to the British Army. The 101 was also supplied to the armies of Australia, Egypt, Iran and Luxembourg, and evaluated by Canada and others.
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