FV106 Samson

The FV106 Samson was a British Army armoured recovery vehicle in the CVR(T) family, designed mainly to recover other members of that family but able to tow other light tracked vehicles such as the FV430 series. It was conceived in the early 1970s and went into production in 1978, with an all-welded aluminium hull and a crew of three. A 3.5 tonne capstan winch can also work as a lifting rig, giving a four-to-one mechanical advantage with 228 metres of rope and recovering up to 12 tonnes, and a manual earth anchor holds the vehicle in place at the rear. It can swim with a flotation screen, at 6.5 km/h or 9.6 km/h with a propeller kit. A single Samson served in the Falklands War, and operators include Oman, the Philippines and Ukraine.