FN AS-24

     Notes: This lightweight vehicle, designed for airborne forces, is little more than a large motorized tricycle with a rudimentary seat and steering mechanism.  It normally tows a small two-wheeled trailer designed on the same chassis; this trailer can hold 250 kg.  The small bench seat may hold passengers or cargo.  The vehicle folds into a package measuring only 1.065x1.64x0.75 meters.  It is a vehicle that, with its trailer, has surprising utility despite its small size. The engine is very small and low-power, but adequate for the task; it is a two-cylinder motorized bike engine with a modest 15 horsepower. The steering can be disconnected from the front and reconnected in the rear, so someone could walk behind the trike and steer it. Gas and brakes are on the steering column.

     463 total AS-24s were built. The AS-24 was used primarily by Belgian Paratroopers, most notably during Operation Dragon Rouge in 1964. A single example was procured by the US Army and given extensive testing, but not adopted. 130 returned to service with French Airborne units, but were replaced by the Lohr Fadier in 1984.