Alvis Salamander

The Alvis Salamander is a 6X6 Airport Crash Tender with off-road capabilities, developed in 1956.

It shares the same common six-wheel-drive chassis and other components with the FV 601 Saladin armoured car and FV 603 Saracen armoured personnel carrier. In turn it led to the FV 620 Stalwart load carrier which was derived from the Salamander.

Fire fighting equipment was provided by Pyrene. They could produce 7,500 gallons of foam per minute and carried a crew of 6.

125 Salamanders were built and used in the Royal Air Force (as the Avis Salamander/Pyrene Mark 6) and the Royal Canadian Air Force. From the late 1970s on they were replaced by vehicles like the Thornycroft Nubian Major Pyrene Mark 7.

It is still in used in Scotland in the Highlands and central reserves.