ERC 90 Sagaie

ERC 90 Sagaie
A ERC-90 of the French Army during a parade
Type	Armored Car
Place of origin	France
Service history
Wars	Peacekeeping missions in Lebanon Gulf War Bosnian war Kosovo war First Ivorian Civil War Chadian Civil War (2005–2010) Second Ivorian Civil War Northern Mali Zapatista uprising Boko Haram insurgency
Specifications
Weight	8.3 tonnes
Length	7.7 metres (25 ft)
Width	2.50 metres (8.2 ft)
Height	2.25 metres (7.4 ft)
Crew	3
Armour	10 mm
Main armament	90 mm cannon
Secondary armament	2× 7.62 mm machine gun
Engine	Peugeot V-6 Petrol 155 hp at 5,250 rpm
Operational range	730 kilometres (450 mi)
Speed	90 km/h

External images

ERC 90 Sagaie-Lynx

Lynx Characteristics

Sagaie Characteristics

The Panhard ERC 90 (Engin à Roues, Canon de 90 mm) is a French six-wheeled armoured all-terrain vehicle which is highly mobile and amphibious with an option of being NBC-proof. While various models were tested, only two versions of the ERC were developed and produced: the Lynx and the Sagaie. The main difference between the two versions is the type of turret and 90 mm gun fitted. Sagaie is French for assegai, a type of African spear.

The Sagaie was originally a private venture aimed at the export market. It was developed by Panhard in the latter half of the 1970s as a heavier, six-wheeled successor to Panhard's highly successful AML range of armoured vehicles.

The ERC and VCR are a family of six wheel armoured reconnaissance vehicles, the ERC being the cannon-armed turret model and the VCR being the armoured personnel carrier version. ERC is the French abbreviation of term Engin à Roues, Canon or Gun-armed Wheeled Vehicle. The ERC shares many components of the VCR vehicles. Two main versions of the ERC were developed: first the ERC F1 90 Lynx, then the ERC F4 90 Sagaie. The Lynx appeared about 1977 and the Sagaie followed approximately two years later in 1979. The Lynx was developed primarily as an armoured reconnaissance vehicle. The Sagaie was also an armoured reconnaissance vehicle, with the added secondary role of tank-destroyer. In 1977, Panhard offered the ERC and VCR to the French Army as an armoured personnel carrier (APC) and gun-armed reconnaissance vehicle. The Army instead chose the VAB four-wheeled armoured vehicle from Saviem for the larger APC contract, and the AMX 10 RC from GIAT for the reconnaissance requirement. Panhard also offered the vehicles to France's Mobile Gendarmerie (a much smaller order), but the Gendarmerie chose the Saviem VBC-90. Panhard later found success for both the VRC and ERC in the world export market, and later with the ERC version with the French Army entering service in 1984.