The French Panhard AML 4×4 Scout Car

The French Panhard AML 4×4 Scout Car aka The Automitrailleusse Legere was developed and manufactured by French firm Panhard to meet the requirements of the French Army for an indigenous 4×4 Scout Car. The first prototype was completed in 1959 and production commenced in 1961. It was later offered to the export model and by 2004 over 4800 had been built.

South African licence built Panhard AML, the “ELand” 

The original Production model

Layout

Driver sits in the front centre and has 3 vision periscopes. The 2 man turret (commander and gunner) in the middle and engine in the rear.

The Hispano-Suiza H 90 turret version

The H 90 turret has a full 360 degree traverse and mounts a 90mm main gun with a coaxial 7.62mm MG. The main gun fires High Explosive, HEAT and smoke rounds. It has an elevation of -8 to +15 degree’s. A further 7.62mm or 12.7mm MG can be mounted on the Commanders station.

Spec’s

Crew: Driver, Gunner & Commander
Dimensions: Length 3.79m (with gun 5.11m) / Width 1.97m / Height 2.07m
Engine: Panhard Model 4 HD air-cooled 90hp petrol
Top road speed: 90mk/h
Max road range: 600km
Fording: 1.1m
Weight: 5.5 tonne (combat)
Protection: Steel, no NBC protection

The HE60 Mortar turret versions

HE60-7 Turret 60mm mortar and x2 7.62mm Machine Guns
HE60-12 Turret 60mm mortar and x1 12.7mm Machine Gun
HE60-20 Turret 60mm mortar and x1 20mm Chain Gun

Upgrades

Lynx turret

H 90 turret can be replaced with the Lynx 90 Turret as used on later French 6×6 wheeled vehicles. Has a a powered traverse, laser rangefinder, night vision equipment and changes to the commanders cupola.

Peugeot engine

Later production vehicles were equipped with a Peugeot XD 3T 96hp diesel engine. The new engine gave greater power to weight ratio and an increase in maximum range to 700km+.

Panhard upgrade package

For original production models with the H 90 turret, Panhard has a package that has a new diesel engine, improved working components, new exhaust, modifications to the 90mm main gun so it can fire Armour Piercing Fin Stabilised Discarding Sabot rounds, laser ranger finder and new night vision equipment.

AML 20

Irish Army version introduced in recent years replacing the AML 60 armament with a 20mm chain gun.

The Eland

 

South African Firm Sandock Austral (now part of BAE Systems) built the Hispano-Suiza H 90 turret version (designated the Eland 90) and the HE60 Mortar turret version (designated the Eland 90) from 1962 onwards. Several hundred were built for the South African Army, who operated the vehicle in several wars. It was well exported and was replaced in South African service by the indigenously  developed Rooikat. South Africa also exported the Eland.

APC Version

Riding on the success of the AML, Panhard developed as a private venture for the export market the M3 Armoured Personnel Carrier. Click here to view vehicle page.

Operators

Over 4800 vehicles in total have been built by both Sandock Austral (now part of BAE Systems) and Panhard. The  has been or is in service with:

Algeria, Argentina, Bahrain, Benin, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Burkina, Burundi, Chad, Democratic Republic of Congo, Djibouti, Ecuador, El Salvador, Gabon, Guinea, Ireland, Ivory Coast, Kenya, Lebanon, Lesotho, Malawi, Malaysia, Mauritania, Morocco, Niger, Nigeria, Portugal, Rwanda, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Somalia, south Africa, Sudan, Togo, Tunisia, Uganda, United Arab Emirates, Venezuela, Yemen and Zimbabwe.

Combat history

Angolan Civil War
Rhodesian Bush War
South African Border War
Namibian War of Independence
Western Sahara War
Falklands War
Gulf War