FV106 Samson

FV106 Samson was a British Army armoured recovery vehicle, one of the CVR(T) family. The main role of this vehicle was to recover the CVR(T) family of vehicles, but could also recover other light tracked vehicles such as the FV430 series.

FV106 Samson
Type	Armoured recovery vehicle
Place of origin	United Kingdom
Production history
No. built	136[1]
Specifications
Mass	8.7 tonnes
Length	5 m (including Vice and bench)
Width	2.4 m
Height	2.8 m (Including A-frame)
Crew	Commander, driver and crew
Main armament	1 x 7.62 mm L7 GPMG
Secondary armament	8 Smoke dischargers
Engine	Jaguar 4.2 litre petrol
Operational range	483 Km
Maximum speed	72 km/h
References	[2]

Rear view of a Samson showing the rear crew hatch, A-frame and anchor

Design and features

The Samson was conceived in the early 1970s with the final design entering production in 1978. The hull is an all-welded aluminium construction. It usually carries a crew of three operating a 3.5T capstan winch that can also be utilised in a lifting configuration. It carries suitable equipment to enable a 4:1 mechanical advantage with 228m of winch rope. This winch is capable of recovering up to 12 Tonnes of vehicle. A manually operated earth anchor is situated at the rear to anchor the vehicle while operations are carried out.^[2]

The Samson can be fitted with a flotation screen so it can be operated amphibiously using its own tracks at 6.5 km/h or at 9.6 km/h if also fitted with a propeller kit. The Samson can also be fitted with a full NBC protection unit.^[3]

Operators

A single Samson accompanied the two troops of Blues and Royals CVR(T)s to the Falklands War.^[4]

Current operators

• Togo One in service.^{[citation needed]}
• Belgium^{[citation needed]}
• Brunei Darussalam – 2 vehicles in service.^{[citation needed]}
• Latvia^[5]
• Oman – 3 vehicles in service.^{[citation needed]}
• Philippines – 6 vehicles in service.^{[citation needed]}
• Thailand^{[citation needed]}
• United Kingdom – No longer in service with the British Army and Royal Air Force.^{[citation needed]}
• Ukraine - 5 vehicles from the United Kingdom in 2022.^{[citation needed]}

Map of FV106 operators in blue

Examples on display

Philippines

• FV106 Samson retired Philippine Army is on outdoor static display at Fort Bonifacio in Taguig, Philippines.^[6]

United Kingdom

• The REME Museum has an example of a Samson on display in The Prince Philip Vehicle Hall.^[7]

See also

• Other military references to Samson: Samson § Military
• Armoured recovery vehicles
• CVR(T) – Armoured fighting vehiclesPages displaying short descriptions of redirect targets
• REME – Maintenance arm of the British ArmyPages displaying short descriptions of redirect targets