Until recently, the main armored transport for El Salvador’s Armed Forces (ESAF) was the UR-416 — basically a German-designed guntruck mounted on a Mercedes Unimog U-416 2-ton truck chassis. In 1974, Colonel Arturo Molina’s government purchased 10 vehicles that operated alongside locally built M35 gun trucks (called “Rayos”, or lighting). In 1977, the Armed Forces Workshop (Maestranza) started building additional gun trucks on Jupiter 7-ton truck chassis and other commercial trucks. Although Maestranza drew plans to make exact copies of the UR-416 on existing U-416 chassis during the civil-war, the plans were later modified to use Ford F-250 chassis instead, and 20 were produced—nicknamed Astroboy; these were complemented with 66 locally assembled Dodge M37B1 gun pick-up trucks (Cashuat LAV) in 1984.

In January 1977, Colonel Molina negotiated the acquisition of 12 Saladin and 8 Ferrets in the United Kingdom and eventually settled for 12 Saladin and 3 Ferret vehicles, excess of the British Army in Northern Ireland, for £850,000 according to author Mark Phythian in his book, “The Politics of British Arms Sales Since 1964: To Secure Our Rightful Share.” In July 1977, Colonel Molina is replaced by General Carlos Humberto Romero Mena as president, and, in early 1978, the British government impounded the already-bought equipment and, according to Salvadoran sources, refused to refund the money. General Romero Mena then turned to France, paying $4.8 million for 12 AML-H90 vehicles (with 90mm gun turret), around 12 AML-60 vehicles (with 60mm mortar and MG turret), and a similar number of Panhard M3 APCs (with TL.2.1.80 turret mounting twin 7.62mm machine guns). However, Romero was deposed on October 15 1979, and consequently only 10 H90-variants reached El Salvador by mid-1980. By this time, the French government had become sympathetic to the FMLN guerrilla front and stopped the delivery of equipment and additional ammunition to El Salvador. Apparently, only $800,000 would be returned, so each Salvadoran AML would cost $400,000… without spare parts.

The Salvadoran Cavalry would have only 10 AML-H90 for fire support, while riding its UR-416 and Cashuat APC into battle against the then FMLN’s guerrillas.

Combat losses

On July 30, 1975, the El Salvadorian security forces used the UR-416 for the first time in public to crush a student march in the vicinity of the Salvadoran Institute of Social Security (ISSS). On August 12, 1982, Police Sub-Sergeant Jacinto Mendoza slipped a package under one of the police UR-416s, and shortly after there were two explosions that overturned the vehicle and caused considerable damage to other police vehicles in the parking lot and set fire to a gasoline pump. Mendoza had been a guerrilla infiltrator since 1975 when his brother was reportedly killed during the demonstration.

On February 28, 1983, the cavalry regiment lost another UR-416 during intense combat near the town of Suchitoto. During an ambush, the leading AML was hit by an M72 LAWW rocket and taken out of commission while the rear of the column UR-416 rolled down an embankment and flipped over. Shortly after, in April 1983, an armored section carried out patrols along the Littoral Highway in the contested Usulután department when a foot patrol was ambushed around La Normandia Ranch. As the armored section responded, the guerrillas remotely activated an improvised explosive device (IED) that pulverized one of the AMLs.

On November 12, 1989, two UR-416s, numbers 308 and 310, were disabled when they were hit by RPG rounds and caught fire while advancing towards La Zacamil neighborhood during an FMLN’s assault on San Salvador. On November 17, as fighting spread, an armored section was cut-off and overwhelmed in the vicinity of San Sebastián neighborhood, east of San Salvador. During the fight, the leading UR-416 (no. 310) ended up in the middle of the killing zone, and was taken out of action. Twelve days later, UR no. 302 was hit by an RPG-7 in the vicinity of Las Palmas while defending the general headquarters of the joint chiefs of staff of the armed forces (EMCFA) security perimeter.

Postwar

The UR Ford-250s (and most gun trucks and tractors) would disappear after the 1992 peace agreement, but the Cashuats were retained, and efforts were made to upgrade them; four were modified with rear axles from the M35 truck. Surprisingly, all 10 UR-416s were restored to service, and in 1998, two Argentina-made Mercedes U-426 chassis were acquired to upgrade two URs. However, the armored bodies did not fit the chassis. That same year, the cavalry regiment received 38 AIL M240 Jeeps. The M240 uses a number of components available commercially in Israel, but not in El Salvador… so they proved extremely expensive, if not impossible, to operate. An honest evaluation report from the regiment on the condition of the fleet forced a cancellation of a follow up order, shutting down the “arrangement” from higher command, and costing the position of the regiment’s commander.

In 2006 the U.S. offered 18 armored HMMWV (“Humvees”) and ended up delivering 21 M1151s and four M1165s in 2009. By then, the FMLN had gained power as a political force, freezing the delivery of another 25 M1152s. In addition to protected troop transports, the M1152s could had been used as weapons platforms, replacing the existing 18 M240 AT variants with the M40A1 RCL and as TCM-20 carriers for basic ADA roles. U.S. military assistance restarted in 2012, but instead of transferring excess M1097s and M1152s to complement the M1151s, the U.S. supplied a handful of J8 Jeep Armored Patrol Vehicles (APV), which were diverted to the Salvadoran Army HQ Security Battalion. By 2018, the U.S. had offered 15 ATVs, without specifying the type, but these had failed to materialize in 2022.

The need for modern reconnaissance, transportation and internal security armor led the ESAF to sign an agreement on October 11, 2021, with the Mexican company IBN Military Industries for the supply of ten Yagu armored military vehicles. The Yagu is a small ultralight armored tactical vehicle based on the Arctic Cat Wildcat recreational off-road vehicle. Its armored hull was created by Israel’s Plasan, while the Arctic Cat is produced by a subsidiary of Textron, Inc., so its parts are commercially affordable.

The contract was worth $2,591,349s and covered two vehicles modified as drone launchers and equipped with a camera masts at $311,474 each; another five Yagus equipped only with camera masts, each at $251,600; and the remaining three purchased at $236,800 each, and lacking the two specified accessories.

The ESAF also ordered its first five SandCat armored tactical vehicles for $2,420,000, apparently from the same IBN Military Industries. The Mexican Army acquired 249 second-generation Tactical Protector Vehicle variants between 2011 and 2012 manufactured locally by Blindajes Epel, a former local partner of Oshkosh/Plasan. Epel developed the SandCat MX and the Mexican Army Military Industries developed the DN-XI based on a Ford F550 chassis. Therefore, it was initially believed that those ordered by the ESAF were SandCat Mex from Blindajes Epel. However, IBN Military Industries offered a fourth-generation model, thanks to a 2016 agreement between Plasan and that Mexican company that allowed manufacturing of a SandCat Stormer variant. Therefore, the Salvadoran SandCat are of a more flexible and modular design, mounting a kitted monocoque hull with overlapping bolted and bonded (not welded) armor, made of steel base layer with a mix of internal/external aluminum, composite/ceramic and Kevlar components. Its chassis is based on the Ford F550 truck, with a 6.7L V8 turbo diesel engine, which, together with the gearbox, are placed on a sub-frame assembly that bolts to the monocoque. The vehicle has greater level of underbody blast protection without increasing the height, center of gravity, or weight of comparably configured base vehicles. Additional protection is provided to the radiator, front wings, and critical engine components. The interior has air-conditioning as standard, and it has seats for up to ten passengers.

In addition, the ESAF invested $3,600,000 in eight Hurricane-type armored tactical vehicles. This is a vehicle built by the Mexican firm WBA Blindajes Alemanes. This model was developed using an International 3300 truck chassis, derived from the International DuraStar since 2004, and commonly used for the construction of buses with conventional bodies. It is widely used commercially, making its maintenance and logistics cost-efficient and readily accessible in the civilian-market. Mexican sources indicate that the Hurricane is equipped with the Navistar MaxxForce DT I6 7.6 L (466 cu in) 24V twin-turbo inline six, but this powerpack was offered until 2014. Those built for El Salvador are 2021 models, so they are likely equipped with the now-standard Cummins ISB 6.7L I6 (409 cu. in.) 24V turbocharged engine. The chassis has been modified with an armored hull that provides ballistic protection against 12.7mm rounds. It has ballistic glass (said to be 90mm thick). It has four side doors with anti-explosive overlaps, and a rear door for access, all of them with combat locks. The hull provides level B6 protection in the engine compartment up front and shielding to the fuel tank, break air tanks, and battery systems. The floor provides protection against two-DM51 grenades per square meter. It is provided with a 10-ton capacity winch, and it has a load capacity of 3 tons. Its interior provides ergonomic seating for up to 10 passengers, each equipped with four-point seat belts and seven firing ports. It is provided with a top hatch, and the ring can accommodate either a M60D or a M2HB machine gun. There are two other side hatches at the rear.

Upgrading

By 2009, all 10 UR-416s had been mothballed. However, as the need for an armored transport persisted, the Army’s Logistical Command (CALFA) undertook a recovery project that achieved the reconstruction of the original engines and transmissions, managing to restore six copies by 2018, and the armored hulls were eventually accommodated on the U-426. By 2022 there were eight UR-416, and one UR-416 serves as Static Guardian within the cavalry regiment. However, the UR-416s’ interior needs a complete overhaul; new wall liners, impact seats, seat belts, infrared cameras, navigation and communication equipment, and other devices. The accommodation of a modern diesel engine and automatic transmission is also desired. If only the current eight to 10 UR-416s are retained, the numbers are insufficient for the current task, so these could be transferred, along with all the M240, to the military police, allowing for replacements for the regiment. Another alternative is to acquire sufficient second-hand UR-416s to complete a squadron of 20 to 30 units, and all be subjected to modernization and standardization.

The Mexican military industry could make the upgrade of the UR-416 a reality. The Mexican military industry built several models that share DNA with the UR-416, such as the DN-VI Ocelote. Two prototypes were developed in 1987 by the then Mexican Defense Secretariat’s Department of Military Industry (DIM) now General Directorate of Military Industry (DGIM), on the chassis of a Mercedes Benz UNIMOG U1700L truck. It was basically a Mexican copy of the German TM-170 model. It’s worth noting that South Korea’s Hanwha-Defense produces the modern Barracuda based on this design. The Mexican DN-VIII was another armored vehicle built on the U1700L chassis and inspired on the German UR-425 Condor design developed in 1987. The UR-425 Condor is used today by Uruguay and Malaysia, where modernization packages have been developed to keep them running for many more years. The Cimarrón, on the other hand, is a modern Mexican solution developed from 2015, mounting an armored troop transport box on the chassis of a UNIMOG U5000. It is equipped with cameras on all four sides for night vision, and it mounts a 218-horsepower four-cylinder diesel engine. The updated model was presented to the public on September 16, 2021.

Regarding the AML, the CALFA upgraded six vehicles, exchanging their original gasoline engines with Nissan diesels, but the vehicles are still overloaded with the 1700kg H-90 turret. Furthermore, the Salvadoran H90 is manually operated and obsolete by today’s standards. Therefore, it’s probably not a bad idea to replace the H-90 turret with something lighter such as excess Cadillac Gage 50/40 one-man turrets that use a 1-meter ring, which would require some work to reduce the AML’s ring diameter.

The H-90 turret, on the other hand, could be recycled to a more stable and capable platform sharing mechanical train with the accompanying APC. It is notable that Mexican Panhards are equipped with the Lynx turret, a more advanced H-90 turret that allows a higher arc of elevation, IR sights, laser-rangefinders and stabilizer. The Lynx model could serve as an inspiration to update the Salvadoran models, as long as a new platform is found to recycle them. Otherwise, the H90 are likely to be discarded very soon.

By Julio A.Montes

On a South American TV station, there was a preview of “El Golpe,” a Spanish documentary from the History Channel on the Argentinean Coup of the 70s. A wheeled gun truck was shown supporting troops storming an installation. Although the footage suggested that the vehicle was part of the Argentinean Army, the shot wasactually a self-propelled M55A2 system of the Salvadoran National Guard during the conflict in that country, and certainly not a participant of the Argentinean coup.

There have been few tracked vehicles in service with the armed forces of El Salvador. The first tracked armored vehicles acquired by the Salvadoran military consisted of a handful of CV-33 Ansaldos acquired in Italy around 1937, which oddly enough ended up in the hands of the National Police after a failed coup against General Maximiliano Hernández Martínez. These were followed by eight M3A1s supplied as part of Lend-Lease by the US in 1944, which continued to operate well into the 1970s. In 1978, the Salvadoran Army purchased 27 Woodmaster tractors in Augusta, Georgia, using funds from the Agricultural Ministry. These were no other than discontinued M114 vehicles stripped of plates. Upon arrival to the Santo Tomas Port in Guatemala they were immediately escorted to the Armed Forces Workshop (Maestranza) in El Salvador, where 23 were later rebuilt into armored personnel transports. Although the new armored body provided much needed protection, the mechanical defects of the M114 “tractors” remained. These included an unreliable and breaking-down prone Chevrolet V8 gasoline engine of 160hp, and poor traction. Within a year, Maestranza had adapted the LDT-465IC diesel V6 of 140hp engines from the M35 trucks. This improved range but reduced maximum speed to some 50km/h. Nevertheless, the vehicles easily overheated, and this confined them to be used as reaction tools rather than their intended field supportive role.

When Maestranza started to rebuild the M114 tractors it concentrated in three basictypes. The initial tracked transport variant presented a simple box-like structure; even American advisers often confused this variant for modified M113. The gun carrier variant appeared more like a WWI tank, sporting several machine gun turrets or pedestals. Finally, the utility/ cargo variants sported an open bed and were used for diverse roles, including one modified as an amphibious assault/patrol vehicle.

Yugoslavian M55A2 Systems

In the early 1970s, the Army acquired some 32 M55A2 anti-aircraft gun systems, and distributed them between units around the country. Ilopango AFB received 12 M55A2 systems, but only one battery (with six pieces) was ever operational under the local control of the base Security Battalion. The M55A2 is basically the former Hispano-Suiza (HS) 630 mount, consisting of three 20mm HS-804 cannons mounted on a two wheeled undercarriage built under license from Switzerland by the Federal Supply Bureau Yugoslavia. The weapon weighs 970 kg when in firing position (without ammunition), and 1,110kg in traveling mode (with ammunition), and each gun is fed by a drum type magazine with 60-rounds. Rate of fire is claimed to be 700 rpm per gun, with an effective range of 1,200 meters in the anti-aircraft role. The maximum horizontal range is 5,500m, and the maximum vertical range is 4,000m. Although the system can fire from the traveling position, the usual method of employment is with the wheels raised from the ground and the system resting on a tripod. Elevation is accomplished by rotating a small disk located in front of the gunner’s seat; maximum elevation is +83 degrees with a minimum depression of -5 degrees. This capacity proved vital during the civil war since the system was employed against guerrilla attacks, and not against the intended air threat. A fireselector (single-automatic) is conveniently located under the gunner’s seat. The guns can traverse 360 degrees, but it would be difficult to keep track of a high velocity, low-level target. Traverse is accomplished by rotating a crank on the left side of the gunner’s seat.

The Self Propelled Gun Carrier is Born

By 1978, Captain Oswaldo Marenco had developed a gun truck based on an International Harvester dump truck for the National Guard. This was later used to field the first M55A2 self-propelled system, and this was the system featured in the History Channel piece on Argentina over 28 years later. Marenco designed a simple box-like turret where a cage with two side plates welded and linked at the top by an overhead plate replaced the wheels from the undercarriage, and access to the turret was made possible through two small doors immediately behind of the gunner’s seat. The manual operations of the system remained unchanged, and the turret could rotate 360 degrees, but no provisions were made for optical sights or any other electronic or electrical assistance.

As the turret developed by Marenco allowed the standard M55A2 tripod to remain intact, when the time came to accommodate the weapon into the M114 utility/cargo this was accomplished simply by depressing the tripod legs to accommodate them into “hooks” inside the vehicle’s main body. Four tracked selfpropelled M114/M55A2s are known to have been built: Model-10012 was delivered to the Treasury Police, and later to Ilopango AFB, and Model-10016 to the National Guard.

In the late 1970s, officers of the 3rd Infantry Brigade requested the conversion of one of their MAN 630 trucks to a M55A2 self-propelled armored system. A larger turret was developed providing more protection than the previous designsand, in theory, the guns could be loaded from inside the cramped space of the turret. A pair of 90mm M67 RCLs were placed on top of the turret and were synchronized to the HS-804 cannons. The 20mm were actually used as spotting “rifles” for the RCLs. The HS-804 cannons could not be elevated more than +25 degrees. The system was later reported with the 5th Infantry Brigade.

Modernization is the Key

The M55A2 is a manually operated system. Although powerful, it cannot deal properly against even older generation fighters at low level. Nevertheless, there are advanced, computer and powered assisted variants of the M55 developed in Yugoslavia that could be used as a model to improve and modernize the Salvadoran pieces.

Such is the case of the M55A3B1, which uses the PANS-20/3 sight, good to engage air and ground targets. The sight helps to engage targets at a maximum range of 1,500m, moving at speeds up to 1,000 km/h. The M55A3 model has powered elevation and traverse provided by a 6kW petrol Wankel engine. This engine is mounted on the traversing mass alongside the gunner gunlayer. The M55A4B1 variant is even more advanced, with the Wankel engine moved beneath the gunner’s seat. The sight is a hydraulic servomechanism computing J171, which is basically an Italian-designed P- 56 model, allowing engagement of ground and air targets at a horizontal range of 2,500m. It is also feasible that the M55A2 system can be upgraded using Swiss GAIDO1 components.

Another alternative for the Salvadorans could consist in converting the triple mounts to lighter, single gun models, using components of the Yugoslavian M75/ 1, or the equivalent Oerlikon-Contraves GAI-BO1 model. An M-75/1 model equipped with a M73 reflex sight is a costeffective air defense and fire support weapon that can be easily accommodated on flat bed pickups such as the Humvee M1097.

French HS-404 Cannons

At the end of the war, the Salvadoran Armed Forces had at least 30 HS-404 20mm guns in storage. The cannons come from retired Ouragan planes since each fighter was equipped with four weapons. Although the fighters are no longer in service, the cannons can still be very useful. Lt. Col. Vicente Bolaños from the Cavalry Regiment indicated in early 1998 that a Cashuat had been modified as suggested, and in 1999, the Cavalry Regiment presented an upgraded Cashuat light armored vehicle equipped with a pintle-mounted HS- 404 cannon.

Furthermore, it has been demonstrated that the Salvadoran technicians posses the knowhow to develop a simple powered turret that could accommodate the gunner and firing mechanism for the gun. In the fighter-model, the cannon was belt fed, and linked to an ammunition box with 125 rounds. This same installation can be modified for mounting on a small turret, similar – at least in concept – to that opentopped model found in the German Wiesel AFV. Another example could be the older Swedish Hägglund and Söner HS-20 turret that mounted a HS-404 cannon in a cylindrical lightly armored encasement. Right: “New” AAA piece completed with HS404 cannons recycled from obsolete Ouragan fighter. (CCP via von Santos) The one-man turret was equipped with several periscopes, and a monocular sight of 8x magnification, along with an M18 external open sight for aerial engagements. A machine gun pod was provided later. The turrets could be mounted on the surviving UR-416 armored vehicles.

The HS-404 can be used to replace or complement the M29 cannons used by the Salvadoran Navy as well. For now, the sailors have developed a mount – based on the Mk-68 models – to adapt two MGs. The same pedestal could accommodate the HS-404 on patrol boats or on flatbed vehicles (Cashuat AFV or similar).

Around 2002, Maestranza developed a manually operated air defense piece with two of the HS-404 cannons, and an undercarriage inspired on the M55A2 model. However, a major technical problem remained with the high rate of fire of the HS404. Finally, in 2005, a technical officer from Maestranza was able to overcomethe drawback, and the cycle of fire was reduced to a more appropriate rate for use against ground targets, and a battery of 6 double-gun pieces was finally fielded. In 2006, the successful development of the Salvadoran twin 20mm gun system inspired a newer, power operated, AAA piece housed in an armored tub. The powered assisted turret is lightly armored and open-topped. The system was then mounted on an elderly 6×6 M809 fiveton truck, modified with an armored body and a redesigned forward armored cabin (much similar to the M977). This new Mad-Max style self propelled system then was successfully field-tested, and is now ready for service. It was later verified that four machines have been assembled and ready…If only the US could supply the M977 with armored kit…

It is not clear whether the new AAA systems are able to properly track air targets since the joystick has to be perfectly synchronized to follow it rather than depending on high-speed of traverse and elevation for shooting. I believe that a better mounting to take inspiration from was the TCM-20 mount, which also uses the HS- 404 guns. Even today, the US could supply M41/M55 Quad .50 caliber multiple machine gun mount systems from Vietnam stocks (if there are still some leftover somewhere) to accommodate the HS-404 in place of the machine guns. These can be easily be accommodated on the Cashuat armored vehicle for something similar to the M16 half-track ADA system of WWII or more recent M3/ TCM20, and able to be used against ground targets and air targets while providing limited protection for the crew, gunner and ammunition. A Cashuat equipped with this weapon could be deployed for convoy escort, perimeter defense, airport defense, mobile air defense, and infantry support vehicle.

The self-propelled systems allowed the gunner to fire the weapon without exposing himself and under the protection of the turret. The main drawback was that once the 180 rounds of ready ammunition were used-up, the crew had to load the guns in the open. They were used mainly for perimeter and convoy security since the awesome firepower of the HS- 804 cannons could easily overwhelm any guerrilla attack. However, the Army failed to take advantage of this firepower and failed to develop an appropriate doctrine and tactics to use them. Today, the Salvadoran Army lacks any ADA self-propelled system since the International Harvester gun truck was dismantled in 1988, and the modified M114 and MAN truck were retired from service in 1992.

During the battle of Najaf in mid 2004, a Salvadoran patrol was trapped until it ran out of ammunition; after much pleading to their Spanish HQ, four BMR/VECs were dispatched to help, arriving just on time to find the trapped Salvadoran unit engaged in a hand-to-hand struggle for their lives. The incident highlighted the need for counting on its own armored support. It is important to remember that out of all our allies in Latin America, the Salvadorans are the only ones that have retained soldiers in Iraq, fighting side-byside with our US forces. Salvadoran troops in Iraq have finally been equipped with several M1114 up-armored vehicles for in-theater operations. Salvadoran Cuscatlán Battalion soldiers in Iraq have been recipients of US medals for valor when defending US officials, and they have sustained casualties in the process. However, the promised 24 M1114 by the US to be delivered to the Cavalry Regiment back home have not materialized in 2007.

The Salvadoran Army deploys two gun trucks built at local workshops that are basically useless for anything other than parades. The upcoming platoon of four gun trucks being built now on the M809 trucks chassis and HS-404 guns will provide considerable firepower in a low-level conflict as long as the proper tactics and doctrines are developed for their use. Until the formal introduction of the “new” self-propelled systems, the four tracked and two wheeled M55A2 ADA systems deployed between 1979 and 1992, remain as the most powerful support vehicles ever assembled in El Salvador.