The AV8 will replace the obsolete infantry fighting vehicles SIBMAS 6×6 and Condor 4×4 being used by the Malaysian Army.
Malaysia’s armored vehicles used to be largely of foreign origin, but it is now able to build its own military equipment. AV8 Gempita is the latest generation of 8×8 armored personnel carriers of the Malaysian armed forces. It is a multi-purpose amphibious armored vehicle developed by Malaysian defense company DefTech with support from Turkish defense company FNSS. The vehicle was officially put into operation in 2014, and so far about 257 units have been produced.
The AV8 will replace the obsolete infantry fighting vehicles SIBMAS 6×6 and Condor 4×4 being used by the Malaysian Army. The Deftech AV8 8×8 is also considered a modernized variant of the Turkish FNSS Pars AFV model. It is Malaysia’s first indigenous 8×8 armored vehicle. AV8 has a weight of about 30 tons, length is 8m, width is 2.7m, and height is 2.17m. The crew of 3 includes: commander, gunner and driver.
The driver and the commander seats are located at the front of the vehicle, the turret in the middle and the troop’s compartment at the rear. There is three large day periscopes at the front position of driver and commander and one on each side that provide excellent visibility. Eleven infantrymen can be seated at the rear of the hull on individual seats down each side of the hull facing inwards. All shock-absorbing seats are fitted with five-point seatbelts as standard. Back of the driver and commander position, there is an access passage to the troop compartment at the right side of the hull. The troops leave and enter the vehicle via a large hydraulic ramp mounted at the rear of the hull.
The LCT25 or IFV25 is an amphibious variant, and is armed with a one-man Sharpshooter Turret, with a Bushmaster 25mm autocannon. A 7.62mm coaxial machine gun is mounted to the left side of the main armament. The turret is fully stabilised and can fire on the move in both day and night. The IFV25 variant has additional floats on the right side of the vehicle to balance the vehicle during amphibious operations.
Gempita is expected to become the backbone of Malaysia’s armored divisions. AV8 is rated as equivalent to LAV-25 or BTR-3. It shows the amazing progress of the Malaysian military industry. With its will and determination, Malaysia can completely move towards independent production of this widely used vehicle.
