Designation: | Walid |
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Manufacturer: | Kader Factory for Developed Industries | |
Product type: | Auxiliary Vehicles | |
Name: | Patrol Vehicle |
The Walid 1 Armoured Personnel Carrier (APC) was designed and developed by the Kader Factory for Developed Industries near Cairo, with first production vehicles completed in 1960. It is also referred to as the Waleed and was used in combat for the first time in the 1967 Middle East campaign.
It basically consists of a German Magirus Deutz (4 × 4) chassis, which was at that time manufactured under licence in Egypt, fitted with an armoured body.
The vehicle is very similar in appearance and performs a similar role to the Russian BTR-40 (4 × 4) APC, which was also used by the Egyptian Army. The BTR-40 can be distinguished from the Walid by the vertical rather than sloped sides to the troop compartment. The improved Walid 2 was introduced in 1981 and is based on Mercedes-Benz automotive components.
In Egyptian Army service the Walid was replaced by the Kader Factory for Developed Industries Fahd (4 × 4) APC, covered in detail in a separate entry. This has been built in large numbers for the home and export markets. Production of the Fahd is now undertaken on an as-required basis. As far as it is known there has been no recent production of the Fahd.
The hull of the Walid is made of all-welded steel with the diesel engine at the front, driver and commander in the centre and the troop compartment at the rear. The driver sits on the left with the commander to his right, both with a door in the side of the hull, the upper part of which folds down on the outside for increased visibility. Both the commander and driver have an individual windscreen to the front which, when in action, can be covered by an armoured shutter hinged at the top.
The open-topped troop compartment is at the rear of the hull and entry is by a door on which the replacement wheel and tyre are carried. Three observation/firing ports are provided in each side of the hull with a further two at the rear of the hull, one either side of the spare wheel.
The Walid has no NBC system, no night vision equipment and no amphibious capability. A central tyre pressure-regulation system is fitted as standard. This allows the driver to adjust the tyre pressure to suit the terrain being crossed.
The basic model is armed with a 7.62 mm pintle-mounted machine gun but additional weapons can be mounted around the top of the hull. As far as it is known these weapons are not provided with a shield to protect the gunner.
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