Alvis salamander
Alvis Salamander FV651 / 652 Fire Crash Tender is a highly off-road rapid response and airfield fire-fighting vehicle developed in 1956 , which was specially developed for use in the military sector.
development
The Alvis FV651 / 652 Fire Crash Tender was developed in 1956 on the chassis basis of the Alvis Saracen and put into service in 1960 as an all-terrain rapid response and airfield fire-fighting vehicle.
It had the same 6x6 configuration and motorization as the amphibious truck Alvis Stalwart, which was built a little later . A 2500 liter water or foam compound tank was used to fight the fire, using a high pressure water cannon. The car was considered extremely agile.
Assignments and dissemination
The tasks of the vehicle were primarily to fight fires in crashed aircraft that were away from an airfield or in rough terrain. The Royal Air Force (RAF) was the main customer of this special fire fighting vehicle and used it successfully on almost all airfields. With the designation G19, the salamander was used by the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF). Only more modern designs, such as the Thornycroft Nubian Major , which appeared at the end of the 1970s, gradually replaced this vehicle.
A total of 125 examples of the salamander were built.
