Armored Vehicles

AML-90 armored car

Also known as
  • Panhard AML-90
  • Panhard AML 90
  • AML 90
  • AML H 90
  • Panhard AML 245
  • Automitrailleuse Legere AML-90
  • Eland 90
  • Mk-6

The AML-90 is a French Panhard 4x4 reconnaissance armored car armed with a 90 mm low-pressure gun. Documented cases include Iraqi AML-90s captured during the 1990 Gulf War, Moroccan use of the South African Mk-6/Eland derivative in the 1975 Western Sahara War, and Yemeni Army AML-90 stocks during the 2014 Yemen Civil War.

AML-90 armored car, 4x4 reconnaissance armored car with 90 mm gun, Armored Vehicles
Image source: AML-90 image

Role in Conflicts

1975 Western Sahara War
Role in conflict
Armored reconnaissance and direct fire

The African Activist Archive reproduces a contemporary memorandum saying Polisario captured South African Mk-6 armored vehicles from Moroccan troops in a March battle and identifies the Mk-6 as a South African-built version of the French Panhard AML-90.

Service And Variant Notes

Sources identify both French-built AML-90 vehicles and closely related South African Eland/Mk-6 derivatives, so the conflict notes distinguish the exact vehicle or derivative named by each source.

ContextDocumented noteDistinction
French AML-90Army Guide describes the AML-90 with H 90 turret and GIAT 90 mm D 921 F1 gun as part of the Panhard AML 60/90 family.Primary identity, specifications, and ammunition relationships.
South African Mk-6 / Eland 90The African Activist Archive memo identifies the Mk-6 as a South African-built version of the French Panhard AML-90 captured from Moroccan troops.Western Sahara coverage is limited to derivative use rather than French-built vehicle use.
Yemeni Army stocksOryx lists AML-90 armored cars in pre-war Yemeni Army fighting-vehicle holdings during its 2014 Yemen Civil War battlefield inventory series.The Yemen claim is limited to army-origin stocks without assigning a specific later unit.
Profile / Specs

Profile

Origin
France
Built by
Panhard
Type
4x4 reconnaissance armored car with 90 mm gun
Service note
Cold War armored car with documented 1990 Gulf War, 1975 Western Sahara War, and 2014 Yemen Civil War conflict evidence
Designer
Panhard
Designed
Prototype completed in 1959 after a 1956 French Army requirement
Unit cost
Not publicly established in consulted sources
Produced
Production began in 1960; no recent production reported by Army Guide.
Number built
More than 4,000 AML 60/90 vehicles reported by Army Guide, with broader AML and M3 family totals higher.

Specifications

Crew
3
Armament
90 mm D 921 / GIAT F1 low-pressure gun with coaxial 7.62 mm machine gun; the gun fires HE, HEAT, smoke, and canister rounds.
Weight
About 5,900 kg in Army Guide AML-90 modernization data.
Mobility
Permanent 4x4 drive; Army Guide lists 95 km/h maximum road speed and up to 900 km road range for the upgraded AML-90.
Protection
All-welded steel hull and turret with light armored-car protection against small-arms fire and fragments.
Variants

Army Guide treats the AML as a 60/90 family: the AML-90 designation centers on the 90 mm gun turret, while South Africa produced license-built Eland 60/90 derivatives.

VariantConfigurationDesignation notes
AML with H 90 turret90 mm gun turret

Army Guide describes the H 90 turret version as armed with the GIAT 90 mm D 921 F1 gun and coaxial 7.62 mm machine gun.

Sources: Army Guide AML reconnaissance vehicle

AML with Lynx 90 turretImproved 90 mm turret

Army Guide says the Lynx 90 turret replaced the H 90 in production and retained the same armament while adding options such as passive night vision, laser range-finding, and powered traverse.

Sources: Army Guide AML reconnaissance vehicle

Panhard AML 60 Serval, Wheeled reconnaissance armored car, Armored VehiclesPanhard AML 60 ServalAML family mortar/cannon variant

Army Guide lists the HE 60-20 Serval turret as an AML family variant with a 60 mm mortar and 20 mm cannon rather than the 90 mm gun.

Sources: Army Guide AML reconnaissance vehicle

Eland 90 / Mk-6South African license-built AML-90 derivative

Army Guide reports South African license production of Eland 60/90 vehicles, and the African Activist Archive memo identifies the Mk-6 as a South African-built version of the French Panhard AML-90.

Sources: Army Guide AML reconnaissance vehicle, Arquus Panhard AML presentation, African Activist Archive South African Arms to Morocco

Ammunition Fired

The AML-90's GIAT 90 mm F1 gun is documented as firing HE, canister, HEAT, and smoke projectiles.

AmmunitionAmmunition typeFiring evidence
90 mm HE projectile, 90 mm high-explosive fin-stabilized projectile, Munitions90 mm HE projectileHigh-explosive projectile

Army Guide says the Giat Industries 90 mm F1 gun currently fires HE projectiles, and Military Periscope says the AML-90 is the most widely deployed platform fitted with that gun.

Sources: Army Guide AML 90 modernization, Military Periscope 90-mm CN-90-F1 overview

90 mm canister projectile, 90 mm canister anti-personnel projectile, Munitions90 mm canister projectile90 mm canister projectile

Army Guide says the Giat Industries 90 mm F1 gun currently fires canister projectiles, and Military Periscope says the AML-90 is the most widely deployed platform fitted with that gun.

Sources: Army Guide AML 90 modernization, Military Periscope 90-mm CN-90-F1 overview

90 mm HEAT projectile, 90 mm high-explosive anti-tank projectile, Munitions90 mm HEAT projectile90 mm high-explosive anti-tank projectile

Army Guide says the AML-90's GIAT 90 mm F1 gun fires HEAT projectiles, and Military Periscope likewise says the CN-90-F1 tank gun fires a HEAT projectile.

Sources: Army Guide AML 90 modernization, Military Periscope 90-mm CN-90-F1 overview

90 mm smoke projectile, 90 mm white phosphorus smoke projectile, Munitions90 mm smoke projectilesmoke projectile

Army Guide says the Giat Industries 90 mm F1 gun currently fires smoke projectiles, and Military Periscope says the AML-90-mounted CN-90-F1 tank gun also fires smoke projectiles.

Sources: Army Guide AML 90 modernization, Military Periscope 90-mm CN-90-F1 overview

Timeline

AML-90 armored car Key Events

  1. French Army requirement

    The French Army issued a requirement for a Ferret-like armored car with heavier armament after North African service experience.

    Sources: Army Guide AML reconnaissance vehicle

  2. Panhard prototype completed

    Panhard completed the Model 245 prototype that became the AML armored-car family.

    Sources: Army Guide AML reconnaissance vehicle

  3. First French Army deliveries

    The first production AML vehicles were delivered to the French Army, including AML-90 vehicles with 90 mm armament.

    Sources: Army Guide AML reconnaissance vehicle, Arquus Panhard AML presentation

  4. Iraqi AML-90 captured during Desert Storm

    U.S. archive imagery identifies an Iraqi AML-90 light armored car captured during Operation Desert Storm.

    Sources: NARA Iraqi AML-90 Desert Storm photo

  5. Yemeni Army AML-90 stocks documented

    Oryx listed AML-90 armored cars among pre-war Yemeni Army fighting vehicles as Yemen's civil war exposed legacy armored inventories.

    Sources: Handbook Of Pre-War Yemeni Fighting Vehicles

Media

AML-90 armored car Videos

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Sources

Army Guide AML 90 modernizationPublisher: Army Guide | Note: Supports the GIAT 90 mm F1 gun's ammunition types, including HE, canister, HEAT, and smoke projectiles, and the AML-90 vehicle context. | Accessed: 2026-06-29Army Guide AML reconnaissance vehiclePublisher: Army Guide | Note: Supports Panhard AML background, French manufacturer, development and service dates, production context, variants, all-welded steel hull description, and AML-90 armament. | Accessed: 2026-06-29Arquus Panhard AML presentationPublisher: Arquus | Note: Supports official historical background for the Panhard AML family, including 3-person crew, 1961 operational debut, export service, and South African Eland license-production context. | Accessed: 2026-06-29Military Periscope 90-mm CN-90-F1 overviewPublisher: Military Periscope | Note: Supports the French GIAT 90-mm vehicle gun series, the AML-90 mounting, and the fact that the gun fires HE, canister, HEAT, and smoke projectiles. | Accessed: 2026-06-29NARA Iraqi AML-90 Desert Storm photoPublisher: National Archives and Records Administration via GetArchive | Note: Supports 1990 Gulf War direct conflict use: the archival caption identifies an Iraqi AML-90 light armored car captured during Operation Desert Storm. | Accessed: 2026-06-29African Activist Archive South African Arms to MoroccoPublisher: African Activist Archive | Note: Supports 1975 Western Sahara War direct conflict use: the memorandum says Polisario captured South African Mk-6 vehicles from Moroccan troops and identifies the Mk-6 as a South African-built version of the French Panhard AML-90. | Accessed: 2026-06-29Handbook Of Pre-War Yemeni Fighting VehiclesPublisher: Oryx | Note: Supports 2014 Yemen Civil War direct conflict use: AML-90 armored cars are listed in pre-war Yemeni Army stocks in a source cataloging fighting vehicles that entered Yemen's battlefield after the army fragmented. | Accessed: 2026-06-29AML-90 imagePublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Supports image provenance and public-domain licensing context for the AML-90 replacement image. | Accessed: 2026-06-29