In 2018, the Technical Institute of the Algerian Armed Forces developed a new wheeled anti-tank armored vehicle based on the French AML-60 wheeled armored vehicle which is also in service with the Algerian army. A light wheeled armored vehicle originally designed to serve the French Army at the end of the Algerian War.
The original AML series turret was removed and replaced with a new rectangular turret with two anti-tank missile launchers mounted on either side. The driving position is also modified, the single hatch is replaced by three bulletproof windows offering a wide view to the front and sides. According to the Menadefense website, the vehicle could be armed with Russian-made AT-5 or Kornet anti-tank missiles. The AT-5 Spandrel, also called in Russia 9M113 Konkurs, is a SACLOS (Semi-automatic command to line of sight) of Russian manufacture. The missile entered service in 1974. The original 9M113 with a single-charge warhead can penetrate up to 600 mm and has an operational range of 70 to 4,000 m. The 9M133 Kornet (AT-14 Spriggan, export designation Kornet-E) is a modern Russian man-portable anti-tank guided missile (ATGM) capable of destroying main battle tanks. It was first put into service with the Russian Army in 1998. The Kornet is available in variants with thermobaric warheads for use against soft targets. It was later developed into the 9M133 Kornet-EM, which has increased range, fire-and-forget capability, and an improved warhead. The first version of the Kornet missile has a range of 100 to 5,500 m, while the Kornet-EM has a maximum firing range of 10,000 m with a thermobaric warhead. The AML is a French-made wheeled armored vehicle designed and manufactured by the Panhard company and the first production vehicles were delivered to the French army in 1961. The French army's total purchase was 210 AML 90s and 425 AML 60-7; the French Gendarmerie purchased 70 AML 60-7s and 45 AML 90s. Panhard AML light armored vehicles were gradually withdrawn from front-line service in the French army in early 1990. In the 1960s and 1970s, older vehicles Panhard AML-90 armored vehicles were sold or offered in hundreds of units to African countries allied with France. AML armored vehicle families have been improved in different variants. In June 2018, at the Eurosatory defense exhibition in Paris, the French company SOFEMA presented a reconditioned, modified and improved version of the AML-90 in collaboration with Thales. The work covers the engine, transmission, fire control system, digital combat management system, air cooling and communication system.
The cost of these modernized vehicles is about a third of that of a new vehicle. SOFEMA is particularly specialized in the refurbishment and, at the client's request, the upgrading of obsolete French military vehicles whose basic structure remains remarkably suitable for developing countries with low defense budgets.
The AML-60 and AML-90 armored vehicles remain in service with many armed forces in Asia and Africa.