Profile
- Type
- 4x4 amphibious armored personnel carrier
- Conflict side
- Yemeni government and coalition forces
- Origin
- France
- Service note
- Introduced in 1971; legacy export APC still documented in Yemeni inventories during the Yemen Civil War
Armored Vehicles
Panhard M3 armored personnel carrier
The Panhard M3 is a French 4x4 amphibious armored personnel carrier derived from the AML armored-car family, built for export customers that wanted a light troop carrier sharing automotive components with existing Panhard fleets. In Yemen Civil War sourcing it appears as a legacy Yemeni Army APC type rather than a newly supplied system, so its documented role is conservative: protected movement for small troop elements where serviceable vehicles remained available.
- Conflict side
- Yemeni government and coalition forces
- Built by
- Panhard
- Built in
- France
Service History
- In service
- Entered production service in 1971; exported widely to Africa and the Middle East
- Used by
- Yemeni Army, Saudi Arabian Army, United Arab Emirates Army, Iraqi Army
- Wars
- Yemen Civil War, Iran-Iraq War, Gulf War
Production History
Specifications
- Crew and passengers
- Crew of 2 with space for up to 10 troops
- Weight
- About 6,100 kg
- Dimensions
- 4.45 m long, 2.4 m wide, 2.48 m high
- Armament
- Typically a 7.62 mm or 12.7 mm machine gun; some users fitted heavier weapons or turrets
- Engine
- Panhard 4HD four-cylinder air-cooled petrol engine, 90 hp
- Mobility
- 4x4 wheeled; 90 km/h road speed, 600 km road range, amphibious at about 4 km/h
- Payload
- Up to 10 troops or about 1,360 kg of cargo
Conflict Usage
- Yemen Civil War
- Side: Yemeni government and coalition forcesRole: Light protected troop transport
Documented by Oryx as a pre-war Yemeni Army armored personnel carrier type available to Yemeni battlefield parties after the Houthi takeover; this entry treats the side as the government-aligned inventory context and does not claim a specific engagement.
Panhard M3 armored personnel carrier Images
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Handbook Of Pre-War Yemeni Fighting VehiclesPublisher: Oryx | Note: Supports Yemen Civil War direct conflict-use context: fielded by the Yemeni Army before the Houthi takeover and listed as available to Yemeni battlefield parties, including the Panhard M3 VTT. | Accessed: 2026-06-20M3Publisher: The World Wars.net | Note: Supports background on the M3 as a Panhard APC, commonality with the AML family, troop capacity, armament options, variants, and recent service in Yemen. | Accessed: 2026-06-20M3 Wheeled Armoured Personnel CarrierPublisher: Army Guide | Note: Supports manufacturer, layout, troop capacity, armament options, amphibious capability, dimensions, weight, speed, range, engine output, and production background. | Accessed: 2026-06-20M3 and BuffaloPublisher: Forecast International | Note: Supports production-period and production-total background for the Panhard M3 family. | Accessed: 2026-06-20PanhardM3.pngPublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Supports image provenance and licensing for the primary Panhard M3 gallery image. | Accessed: 2026-06-20PanhardM3old.JPGPublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Supports image provenance and licensing for a Panhard M3 prototype gallery view. | Accessed: 2026-06-20PanhardM3second.JPGPublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Supports image provenance and licensing for a second Panhard M3 prototype gallery view. | Accessed: 2026-06-20PanhardM3Front.JPGPublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Supports image provenance and licensing for a front-view Panhard M3 gallery image. | Accessed: 2026-06-20