The FV430 series was developed by GKN Sankey for the British Army during the 1950s and 60s with the aim of producing a family of Armoured Fighting Vehicles from a common chassis and powertrain. Alongside the FV432 in the FV430 series, GKN also developed a host of specialist vehicles including engineers, communications and radar variants mortar carriers and a self-propelled gun, in total some 3,000 of all types were produced. The FV432, or Trojan as it is often known, was designed to be the Armoured Personnel Carrier variant of the FV430 series. The FV432 went into service with the British Army in the 1960s and during the 1980s around 2,500 of these were still in use. The British Army used hundreds of FV432s during Operation Desert Storm, and many Trojans also saw service in Bosnia, Kosovo and during Operation Telic (second Gulf War). With the introduction of more modern vehicles such as the Warrior, the role of the FV432 has switched mostly to specialised and support roles so the number of vehicles in use has declined. However the British Army currently still has in the region of 1,500 FV432s in service and a quantity have recently been heavily upgraded by BAE Systems with new engines, steering units, braking systems and improved armour for use in Iraq and Afghanistan, these upgraded FV430s are referred to as Bulldogs'.
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