Big Bang Ricochet 017: Belgiums BDX APC (d20)
One of the most unusual military vehicles of the last 35 years¸ the Irish-designed Timoney 4x4 Armored Personnel Carrier did much to change the rules of AFV design. It was a very unusual vehicle¸ pulling back from the ever-increasing number of wheels placed on APCs¸ providing the driver with large¸ bulletproof windows for high visibility¸ rather than the typical periscopes and hatch¸ and providing firing ports for passengers¸ uncommon on any vehicles outside the Soviet Union. While the Timoney 4x4 APC did not find any significant success in its Irish homeland¸ it did find success elsewhere¸ with the designed licensed for production in Belgium as the BDX APC. A total of 128 units were purchased between Belgium and Argentina. In the last decade¸ the BDX has gained a legacy it shares with WW2 Allied military vehicles; a second life. Much like the Shermans¸ halftracks and jeeps of WW2¸ the BDX has found new life as a second hand military vehicle sold to a less wealthy government. As of 2002¸ Mexico had obtained and refurbished 95 BDX APCs from Belgium¸ deploying them as part of their own regular military.