After developing and producing the FUG (4 × 4) amphibious scout car the Hungarian defence industry went on to produce a wheeled APC. This is used in the Hungarian Army in place of the Russian or Czech/Polish models, in spite of the fact that it carries a smaller landing party and has a reduced cross-country capability.

In the past there has been some confusion has arisen over this vehicle and its predecessors. The original Hungarian scout car was officially known as the FUG and, because of the small size and 4 × 4 configuration, observers in the West promptly dubbed the 1966 prototype and the PSZH-IV as FUG-66 and FUG-70. The so-called FUG-66, which mounted an egg-shaped turret and dummy automatic cannon, appeared only on a single manoeuvre parade in Bratislava.

PSZH in Hungarian is Páncélos Szálltó Harcjármü (or armoured personnel carrier). It is also referred to as the FUG-2, although its correct Hungarian designation, under the Conventional Forces Europe (CFE) Treaty, is the PSZH D-944. These vehicles are no longer in service with Hungary. Description

The all-welded steel armour hull of the PSZH-IV provides the occupants with protection from small arms fire and shell splinters. The commander and driver are seated at the front of the vehicle. Both have a hatch cover in front of them hinged at the top and opening forwards, and a windscreen with a wiper blade. The hatch cover is equipped with an integral vision block for observation when the hatch is closed.

A door, four vision blocks and two firing ports are provided in each side of the hull. The ports are positioned one either side of the hull door, next to a vision block. The six infantrymen are seated around the sides and rear of the fighting compartment in what must be very cramped positions. The side door is in two parts, top and bottom, with both parts opening towards the front of the vehicle.

The turret is in the centre of the vehicle and is a different shape from that of the Russian BRDM-2 (4 × 4) amphibious scout car, with a stepped top and forward-facing day periscopes in the top part. Like the turret fitted to the BRDM-2 it has no roof hatch. The sight for aiming the armament is in the roof of the turret, just in front of the periscope. A ventilator fan is provided in the left side of the turret.

The water-cooled diesel engine is behind the turret and is much more powerful than that installed in the earlier FUG. The PSZH-IV is fully amphibious and propelled in the water by two water-jets at the rear of the hull. Before entering the water a trim board, which is stowed folded on the glacis plate when not in use, is erected at the front of the hull. Standard equipment includes infra-red driving lights, an NBC system, a power-operated winch and a central tyre-pressure system that allows the driver to adjust the tyre pressure to suit the type of ground being crossed.

Installed on the roof is a 14.5 mm KPVT machine gun and there is a 7.62 mm PKT machine gun mounted coaxially to its left. An infra-red searchlight is mounted coaxially to the right of the main armament. Variants

A turretless version of the PSZH-IV is used as a command vehicle and other variants of the vehicle exist such as an ambulance and a radiological-chemical reconnaissance vehicle. There is also a turreted command vehicle, which does not carry the landing party of six but is armed with a 14.5 mm KPVT machine gun.

There is also known to be an NBC reconnaissance version of the PSZH-IV (4 × 4) in service which has similar equipment to that fitted to the NBC reconnaissance version of the Russian BRDM-2 (4 × 4) vehicle (see separate entry).

It has recently been disclosed that some of these vehicles have designators; these include:

This is the turretless version and was probably only used by the former East German Army. As far as it is known, none remain in service today.

These are command vehicles.

These are NBC reconnaissance vehicles.

This is the ambulance version.