The Iguana's specially designed, multi-link hydro-pneumatic suspension is mounted on a very rigid structure, providing the vehicle with excellent road performance, small turning circle and comfortable clearance over humps. The large diameter wheel and long suspension travel give the Iguana excellent off-road capability and obstacle crossing.

he Iguana is a permanent 4x4, designed with inherent upgrade potential to offer incredible versatility through the payload capacity. In basic configuration the interior can accommodate six members in addition to the commander and driver.

In addition to its low silhouette, the Iguana offers an excellent field of vision and comfortable interior, helping to ease fatigue on long patrols. Equipped with a powerful Daimler-Chrysler turbo-diesel inter-cooled engine, and a 5 speed automatic gearbox, the Iguana provides excellent fuel economy and can cover more than 600 km on a single tank of fuel.

The welded monocoque is manufactured from high quality ballistic steel, providing protection against 7.62 x 51mm ball (AP can be provided in basic configuration) at 30metres and being upgradable with 'Add-On1 armour kits for improved protection against 14.5mm API at 200metres. The vehicle can easily be modified to be equipped with overhead weapon stations or anti-tank missile launchers.

Substantial design history and extensive experience of our engineering teams enables us to have a high level of confidence in the design of the vehicle. Engineered with a high reliability objective, the vehicle is designed around well proven off-the-shelf components offering an excellent reliability combined with easy access to spare parts.

The Iguana (4 × 4) FV4 Light Armoured Vehicle (LAV) was developed by Sabiex International as a private venture for the export market, with the first prototype completed in early 2002.

A key feature of the Iguana design is that it can be adopted for a wide range of roles such as troop carrier, fitted with anti-tank guided missiles or used as a dedicated reconnaissance platform.

To reduce overall life cycle costs it uses proven Commercial Off The Shelf (COTS) subsystems wherever possible. Maximum combat weight is 6.25 tonnes, of which 1.25 tonnes is payload. Crew depends on mission but is typically commander, driver and four troops.

Sabiex International was established as far back as 1967 to supply spare parts for a wide range of tracked and wheeled armoured fighting vehicles.

Since then, the company has also moved into the overhaul and upgrade market and has made significant sales in many parts of the world, especially Central and South Africa. This has included large numbers of upgraded AMX-13 series tracked armoured vehicles to Mexico.

More recently, the company has started to develop specialised variants based on the chassis of the AMX-13 light tank and Leopard 1 series tank chassis. It has recently supplied two Heavy Armoured Recovery Tanks (HART) to Brazil based on a much-modified Leopard 1 tank chassis.

In mid-2006 it was stated that the United Arab Emirates was expected to place a production contract for the Iguana FV4-270 by the end of 2006 but as of September 2007 there had been no official confirmation of this order. Sabiex is also involved in the United Arab Emirates Heavy Infantry Fighting Vehicle (HIFV) based on components of the Italian OF-40 MBT.

Sabiex has already signed a joint venture agreement with the local company of Al Badie Group under which the company will manufacture and market the Iguana FV4-270 in Abu Dhabi with the longer term aim being to market the vehicle to other countries in the Gulf Co-operation Council.

It is understood that Sabiex has an agreement with Venezuela for an initial batch of 12 Iguana FV4-270 vehicles. As of September 2007 this order had not been confirmed.

The hull of the Iguana is of all-welded steel armour and the baseline version provides the occupants with protection from attack against 7.62 × 51 mm ball attack from a range of 30 m. As an alternative, it can be supplied with protection against 7.62 mm AP attack.

An additional appliqué armour kit provides protection against attack from 14.5 mm API rounds fired from a range of 200 m. According to the manufacturer, the hull design of the Iguana is such that it can withstand a Russian TM-57 anti-tank mine exploding under any wheel station.

The power pack is located at the front of the vehicle and consists of a Mercedes-Benz turbocharged intercooled diesel developing 215 hp coupled to a five speed automatic transmission and a two speed transfer case.

The driver is seated at the front left side of the hull and is provided with bulletproof windows front and sides. Over his position is a single piece roof hatch although he can also exit through the rear troop compartment.

The troop compartment is at the rear with three small bulletproof windows in the upper part on either side. The number of roof hatches and weapon station depends on the role that the Iguana is undertaking.

A typical vehicle would have the commander/machine gunner to the rear of the driver's position and this station would be provided with a cupola armed with a 7.62 mm machine gun. The cupola design depends on the user's requirements and can have extensive observation equipment.

In the roof to the right of the commander/machine gunner are the air inlet/outlet louvres for the power pack. Over the rear troop compartment are four roof hatches, two either side.

The crew enter and leave via a single door in the hull rear with four troops typically being seated two either side facing inwards. There is also a bulletproof window either side of the rear door, which opens to form a ramp.

For improved cross-country mobility the Iguana is fitted with a specially designed multilink hydro-pneumatic suspension system with optional adjustable spring and damping characteristics. This is claimed to provide the vehicle with a small turning circle and a good ramp break over angle. In addition, the large road wheel travel and diameter are claimed to give excellent off-road capability and obstacle crossing capabilities.

Standard equipment on the Iguana includes anti-lock braking system, power steering, run flat tyres, central tyre inflation system and an air conditioning system.

A wide range of optional equipment is available including an NBC system, two water jets, a front-mounted winch with a capacity of five tonnes and a vehicle management system.

The baseline vehicle is normally referred to as the FV 270A. The armour package provides the occupants with protection up to STANAG 4569 Level 1.

The second model is the FV 270, which provides the occupants with protection up to STANAG Level 2 and with Level 4 as an option. Landmine protection is STANAG Level 2a. This model has a baseline weight of 6,500 kg and a maximum weight of 9,500 kg.

Finally, there is the FV290 Mine Protected Vehicle (MPV), which provides the occupants with protection up to STANAG 4569 Level 2, with Level 3 as an option. Landmine protection is STANAG 4569 Level 2b and 3a. It has a baseline weight of 7,500 kg and a maximum weight of 9,500 kg.

The vehicle is being projected for a wide range of roles and can be fitted with various overhead weapon stations and anti-tank guided missile launchers. It can also be fitted with a mast-mounted sensor pod when used in the reconnaissance role, as well as extensive communications equipment.

AV4 (4 × 4) light armoured vehicle is very similar to the Sabiex Iguana (4 × 4) light armoured vehicle. As of September 2007 the AV4 is understood not to have entered quantity production.