Saur 2 8×8 Armoured Personnel Carrier

The Saur 2 is an 8x8 wheeled armoured vehicle developed for the Romanian Armed Forces. Image courtesy of Dragoş Anghelache (Magazine Fortelor Terestre).

The Saur 2 provides safe transportation and fire support for the armed forces operating in challenging battlefield environments. Image courtesy of Dragoş Anghelache (Magazine Fortelor Terestre).

The Saur 2 wheeled armoured vehicle is fully amphibious and can swim at a speed of 10km/h. Image courtesy of Dragoş Anghelache (Magazine Fortelor Terestre).

The Saur 2 8x8 wheeled armoured vehicle on display at Expomil 2011. Image courtesy of Dragoş Anghelache (Magazine Fortelor Terestre).

A Saur 2 8x8 wheeled armoured vehicle demonstrates its mobility at the Mihai Bravu firing range. Image courtesy of Adrian Curiman (Magazine Fortelor Terestre).

Saur 2 is an 8×8 wheeled armoured vehicle manufactured by Romania-based Uzina Automecanica Moreni (UAM), a subsidiary of the state-owned company Romarm. The vehicle was developed as a successor to the Saur 1 vehicle.

The Saur 2 provides safe transportation and fire support for the armed forces operating in challenging battlefield environments. The vehicle offers superior armour protection and comfort than the Saur 1.

The Saur 2 APC was unveiled at the Black Sea Defence & Aerospace (BSDA 2008) exhibition in Bucharest. About 80% of the funding for the Saur 2 project is provided by UAM and the remaining by Romarm.

Saur 2 military vehicle design and features

The Saur 2 incorporates an armoured hull made of all-welded steel. It has a redesigned nose section. Driving axles are fitted within the hull for protection.

The vehicle can carry 12 personnel including a driver, commander, a gunner and nine infantrymen. The driver’s position is in the front on the left of the hull and the power pack is placed to his right. The commander is seated behind the driver and troops are provided with individual seating arrangements.

The vehicle has a length of 7.7m, width of 2.95m and a height of 2.2m. It weighs 12.8t.

The Saur 2 features a new engine, bigger tyres and new seats providing better protection against mines. It has seven firing ports, four on the right and three on the left of the troop compartment. The vehicle is equipped with a hydraulic winch mounted forward of the vehicle.

The modular design concept provides flexibility to convert the base platform for specific missions. The vehicle can be modified as an ambulance, command post vehicle, APC, logistics vehicle, recovery vehicle, vehicle tank and 120mm mortar carrier.

Observation and armaments of the 8×8 wheeled armoured vehicle

The driver and commander are provided with single-piece hatch covers. The weapon station has two hatches above the rear troop compartment. Three periscopes at the front are used for forward observation.

The centre one can be replaced with a passive periscope for night driving. The vehicle is also mounted with thermal imaging camera.

The Saur 2 can be mounted with a remote controlled weapon station fitted with different types of weapon systems of up to 30mm calibre. The common weapon configuration includes a 25mm Oerlikon cannon and a 7.62mm coaxial machine gun.

Self-protection and armour on the Saur 1 successor

The steel hull protects the crew from small arms fire and shell splinters. The frontal arc is provided with additional protection.

The vehicle offers STANAG 4569 level two anti-mine and ballistic protection. It can be hinged with an add-on armour kit for increasing the protection to level three to withstand the blasts of eight kilogram TNT anti-tank mines.

The vehicle is fitted with smoke grenade launchers for better survivability.

The crew and engine compartment is equipped with an automatic fire extinguishing system. The NBC protection equipment includes air tubes and individual air masks. The vehicle is also equipped with dust filter separation compressor and absorbent filter.

Engines and mobility of Uzina Automecanica Moreni’s (UAM) Saur 2

Saur 2 is powered by a Type EURO 3 MAN diesel engine coupled to an Allison automatic gearbox. The engine delivers a power of 326hp.

The high power engine improves the mobility of the vehicle and also allows the installation of heavier weapon systems. The vehicle has a maximum road speed of 100km/h and a range of 700km.

The fully-amphibious vehicle is propelled in water by two water-jets. It can swim at a maximum speed of 10km/h. The vehicle can negotiate a gradient of 60% and side slope of 30%. It can cross a vertical obstacle of 0.5m and a trench of two metres.

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