32-681: The Sri Lanka Armoured Corps (SLAC) provides the armour capability of the Sri Lanka Army , with vehicles such as the T-55AM2 main battle tank ; the BMP infantry fighting vehicle ; and the BTR-80 and WZ551 armoured personnel carriers . It comprises five regular armoured regiments , a volunteer regiment, and a regimental band . It has an independent Armoured Brigade and is headquartered at Rock House Army Camp , Colombo . The Ceylon Army
64-699: A Type 86 armoured recovery vehicle which were assigned to the 3rd Reconnaissance Regiment replacing the British armoured cars. That year the SLAC introduced main battle tanks with the formation of its first tank regiment , the 4th Armoured Regiment at Clappenburg in Trincomalee equipped with T-55A medium tanks and T 55 ARVs brought down from the Czechoslovakia. In 1992, SLAC deployed twenty Type 86 infantry fighting vehicles . The two T-55A tanks of
96-627: A Czech T 54 AVLB bridge-layer . Many of the SLAC units deployed in the Operation Riviresa in 1995 and became the first units enter Jaffna. The 6th Regiment was raised in January 1997 and was initially deployed in an infantry role. In 1998, thirty three BTR-80 APCs and BTR-80 A IFVs were added to the 'A' vehicle fleet shared between the 1st, 3rd, 6th recce regiments and were used in Operation Jayasikurui . In May 1998,
128-734: A Stalwart. On 15 December 1988, the Armoured Brigade was formed under the command of Brigadier Y. Balaretnarajah who became the first Armoured Brigade Commander bring under it the 1st, 3rd Reconnaissance Regiments and the ACTC. Its expansion was limited since the Government of Sri Lanka face difficulties in precuring spares and new military equipment from its traditional suppliers in the United Kingdom and Singapore due to pressure from Western countries. The US government approved
160-483: A squad of eight soldiers plus a troop commander could be carried. Most models carried a small turret on the roof, carrying a Browning .30 machine gun . A .303 Bren gun could be mounted on an anti-aircraft ring mount accessed through a roof hatch and there were ports on the sides through which troops could fire. Although removed from active service, it saw extensive use into the 1980s in Northern Ireland and
192-623: A third squadron. When Sri Lanka became a republic in 1972, the CAC became the Sri Lanka Armoured Corps. Following the insurrection, the regiment deployed a saber squadron to provide security for the Criminal Justice Commission from 1973 to 1976. A forth squadron was raised in 1974. The first volunteer ( reserve ) unit of the SLAC, the 2nd (Volunteer) Regiment, Sri Lanka Armoured Corps was formed in 1979 under
224-541: A variety of operators around the world and is still in use in secondary roles in some countries. The Saracen became a recognisable vehicle as a result of its part in Operation Banner in Northern Ireland as well as for its role in the South African government 's enforcement of apartheid . The FV603 Saracen was the armoured personnel carrier of Alvis's FV600 series. Besides the driver and commander,
256-782: Is killed, "he were run over by a Saracen" when he attempts to escape his IRA captors. During the 2009 G-20 demonstrations in London, members of the Space Hijackers protest group drove their Saracen into the City of London and parked it outside the Royal Bank of Scotland in Bishopsgate. The Saracen, which had been painted bright blue with black and white chequered stripes , was equipped with CCTV and marked "RIOT" (but not "police"). The group were reportedly there to protect
288-583: The Queen's Dragoons Guards received four British Ferret unturreted scout cars along with twenty BSA M20 with side cars that were armed with Bren light machine gun . The squadron expanded its number of personal and increased its training. In 1957, the squadron moved to Ampara on flood relief duties and in December moved to Rock House Army Camp in Colombo, which became its regimental headquarters. In 1958,
320-535: The Stalwart high mobility load carrier. The punt chassis , suspension, and H-drive drivetrain remained similar, but the engine, transmission, and braking systems varied significantly. The Saracen was in turn used as an armoured personnel carrier, armoured command vehicle, and ambulance. The FV 603 model saw many variants in detail, including radio or command fitments and specialist equipment for artillery or signals use. The Saracen series also includes: Saracen
352-796: The 3rd Armoured Regiment as it was converted to a tank regiment. The army was negotiating the purchase of twenty Al Khalids from Pakistan when the war ended. Following end of the war, the 9th and 10th reinforcement regiments were disbanded and amalgamated with the 8th regiment in 2012. The Armoured Corps Training Centre (ACTC) was established in 1984 at the army camp at Kalattewa, Anuradhapura to train tradesmen needed to operate its fleet of AFV. Its programs includes; Main battle tanks Light tanks Armoured recovery vehicles Armoured vehicle-launched bridges Infantry fighting vehicles Armoured cars Armoured personnel carriers Sri Lanka Army Sri Lanka Army Too Many Requests If you report this error to
SECTION 10
#1732783666586384-567: The 4th Armoured Regiment captured by the LTTE in the Battle of Pooneryn in November 1993. One of these destroyed by the air force and the other was re-captured at the end of the war. The 5th Regiment raised in 1994 as an infantry role and converted to an armored role as the 5th Reconnaissance Regiment with the arrival of Russian sixteen BMP-1 IFVs, followed by Chinese thirty Type 63 II APCs and
416-463: The 7th Battalion, Sri Lanka National Guard was transferred as the SLAC as the 7th (Volunteer) Regiment in an infantry role. In 1999, the 8th Regiment was raised as a reinforcement regiment in an infantry role. In 1998 the SLAC was presented with the President's Standard in recognition of the service it has rendered. In 2000, Czech T-55 AM II MBTs , BMP-2 , BMP-3 IFVs were added followed by
448-550: The BMP-2 command vehicles in 2002. The regiments underwent reorganizing with new equipment, the 4th Armoured Regiment was reorganized in 2001 with three squadrons of T-55 AM II; 3rd Reconnaissance Regiment received one squadron of T-55A and the 1st Reconnaissance Regiment phased out its old British AFVs and was fully equipped with BTR 80s and BTR 80A. With the hostilities resuming in 2006, SLAC units deployed in offensive operations on all fronts. Its 4th Armoured Regiment lost six tanks in
480-797: The Ceylon Armoured Corps. The 1st Recce Regiment was deployed on several occasions in the 1950s and 1960s on flood relief and internal security operations. It was deployed for counter-insurgency operations in Kurunegala and Anuradhapura districts under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Cyril Ranatunga during the 1971 Insurrection against the JVP . In 1971, the regiment received twelve British Alvis Saladin armoured cars in May and ten Soviet BTR-152 armored personnel carriers (APCs) in November to supplement its counter-insurgency operations with
512-514: The RBS building from "bad" demonstrators, although the police declined their assistance. Instead, the vehicle was searched and police questioned the protestors, who were dressed in plain blue overalls and helmets. The vehicle's eleven occupants were arrested for impersonating police officers and for traffic offences, and were later charged with impersonating police officers, although the case was dropped before coming to court. A community protest against
544-537: The South African Police. In the 1983 debut album Script for a Jester's Tear , by British progressive rock group Marillion , the Saracen was referred to in the final song: "...crawling behind a Saracen's hull from the safety of his living room chair..." The lyrics of Forgotten Sons describe the conflict in Northern Ireland and the discrepancy between what was really happening and the perception of
576-489: The Wikimedia System Administrators, please include the details below. Request from 172.68.168.132 via cp1112 cp1112, Varnish XID 943738210 Upstream caches: cp1112 int Error: 429, Too Many Requests at Thu, 28 Nov 2024 08:47:46 GMT Alvis Saracen The FV603 Saracen is a six-wheeled armoured personnel carrier designed and produced by Alvis from 1952 to 1976. It has been used by
608-555: The command of Lt. Col Eustace Jayasekara with troops from the Ceylon National Guard . With the escalation of the Sri Lankan civil war , three saber squadrons were deployed in the northern and eastern provinces of the country, to provide fire support for infantry and for the protection of road convoys. The forth squadron was deployed in Colombo for the defense of the capital. The Armoured Corps Training Centre (ACTC)
640-614: The conflict by the British public. In the Irish rebel music song Kinky Boots (a parody of The Combine Harvester ) reference is made to the Saracen in the opening line of the song. In the 1984 Indonesian film Pengkhianatan G30S/PKI , Saracens were used by the Indonesian Army and the Kostrad as patrol vehicles during the infamous 30 September Movement coup d'etat . Saracens are also used as transport during state funerals of
672-638: The deployment of the Indian Peace Keeping Force in the North and East provinces, the regiment deployed a saber squadron each in Jaffna and Kilinochchi , while it deployed the remaining two squadrons in Colombo and Gampaha as the 1987–1989 JVP insurrection started in the south of the island. In November 1988, the 3rd Reconnaissance Regiment was raised with Saladins, Saracens, Ferrets and
SECTION 20
#1732783666586704-459: The female leading role), the villainous Dr Matthew Chivers (played by Francis Matthews) is trying to smuggle a Saracen FV 603 out of a British Army testing area by shrinking it to toy size with the help of a machine invented by his boss Professor Rushton (played by Noel Howlett). In the Tom Sharpe novel Riotous Assembly , a Saracen is destroyed by an elephant gun fired by Constable Els of
736-662: The first amphibious landings made by the army in Operation Balavegaya to break the siege on Elephant Pass . The siege on Elephant Pass made it clear that the civil war had shifted from an insurrection into a conventional war. The army looked for new sources of heavier weaponry and found it in China and Czechoslovakia. It looked for tracked vehicles for better cross country movements and larger caliber guns. In 1991, Sri Lanka Armoured Corps received from China twenty Type 85 light tanks , ten Type 90 APCs , command vehicles and
768-518: The key Battle of Jaffna . The 6th recce regiment was disbanded in February 2007 with its personal and equipment transferred to the newly formed Mechanized Infantry Regiment . In August 2007 a new 6th Reinforcement Regiment was raised followed by the 10th Reinforcement Regiment was raised in August 2008. In 2009 more Chinese WZ551 APCs were added and the 3rd Reconnaissance Regiment was re-designated as
800-562: The sale of Cadillac Gage armored cars without turrets and guns and the British government's refusal to supply spare parts for the Alvis Saladins and Ferret armoured cars. The SLAC received 10 Type 63 (YW531) APC from China in 1988. The 2nd (Volunteer) Regiment was transferred to the Sri Lanka Light Infantry as its 5th (Volunteer) battalion in 1989. Three saber squadrons from the two regiments were deployed for
832-469: The six Army generals who became victims of the coup. Saracens were used almost unchanged in the 1995 film of Judge Dredd as carriers for prisoners and personnel carriers for Judges . 101 FCs were used as the basis for taxis, fitted with a prop bodyshell. The Saracen is mentioned in the Irish Republican song " Little Armalite ". In the 1992 film The Crying Game, one the main characters
864-399: The squadron was deployed to counter the communal riots and on 15 December 1958 it was expanded to a formation reconnaissance regiment with two recce squadrons and had increased its fleet with BSA M21 motorcycles, eight Ferret Mk II Scout Cars and two Daimler Armoured Cars . The 1st Reconnaissance Regiment became allied to and inherited the traditions of Queen's Dragoons Guards and it became
896-523: The turret, and a Bren light machine gun for the gun-ring at the rear of the vehicle. Later Marks carried the LMG and L37 GPMG . A Saracen masquerades as a German armoured car in the 1964 film 633 Squadron , which was set during World War II , a decade before the Saracen was first built. In the 1967 episode "Mission... Highly Improbable" of the TV series The Avengers (the penultimate episode with Diana Rigg in
928-650: Was a familiar sight, nicknamed 'Sixers', during " The Troubles ". At times, they appeared on the streets of Hull , a less-hostile atmosphere for driver training in a city of similar appearance to Belfast , and only a few miles from the Army School of Mechanical Transport . As a member of the FV 600 series, it shared a similar chassis to the FV601 Saladin armoured car, the Salamander airfield crash truck , and
960-534: Was established in 1949. Under Prime Minister Colonel Sir John Kotelawala , the Government of Ceylon decided on the need to add armor to support infantry elements of the newly established regular army. To this effect a cavalry arm was considered and the 1st Reconnaissance Squadron was established on 1 October 1955 under the command of Major D. S. Attygalle at the Echelon Barracks . Squadron moved to Ridiyagama for training with British Army advisers from
992-519: Was established on 1 January 1984 at Kalattewa, Anuradhapura . The regiment received several Alvis Stalwart amphibious vehicles in 1985 and thirty two Alvis Saracen APCs in 1986. With the Saracens the SLAC was able to allocate two Saracens per troop providing assault troops to provide close combat support in the form of mechanized infantry . In the 1980s the regiment supported all major military operations, notably Vadamarachchi Operation . Following
Sri Lanka Armoured Corps - Misplaced Pages Continue
1024-609: Was produced before Saladin because of the urgent need for a personnel carrier to serve in the Malayan Emergency , entering production in 1952. The Saracen was produced both with and without turrets fitted. They are popular with collectors due to their prices being as low as $ 20,000 in Australia and $ 11,000 in the Czech Republic . Saracens were initially equipped with an L3A4 ( 0.30-inch Browning ) machine gun in
#585414