During World War II, the airborne troops have developed rapidly, not only the scale has been expanding, but also participated in famous battles and battles such as the Normandy landings, at that time the lack of heavy equipment has always been the biggest problem of the airborne troops, after the development of technology after World War II, countries have designed a variety of motor vehicles for the airborne troops, of which the small wheeled all-terrain vehicles similar to flatbed cars are the focus of development, although they lack armor protection, the bearing capacity is also weak, but they can bring valuable mobility to the airborne troops, and still have a large number of equipment in service.
In the early 1970s, Citroën produced a small-size economy private car that caused a sensation at the 1973 show, which was similar to today's mini car, and the company soon discovered that this model also had military uses, and soon developed a 4×4 at-terrain vehicle, which was the Citroën. Raul. Citroen Lohr Fardier.
Raul. The Fadil ALL-Terrain Vehicle has a very compact structure, and he has two basic versions: the FL 500 and the FL 501. The FL 500 is fitted with a 24-horsepower twin-cylinder engine in a flat-panel body, with a bare driver in the front, basic headlights and other equipment at the front, and an aluminum flat plate behind the driver's seat, which can carry 480 kilograms of items or tow a 500-kilogram trailer.
The basic structure of the FL 501 has not changed, mainly replacing the engine with a 36 hp gasoline engine, the maneuverability of the vehicle has been greatly improved, the carrying capacity has been appropriately enhanced, and the trailer weighing 800 kg can be towed.
As an all-terrain vehicle used by a small airborne force, its size is indeed a mini, taking the FL 500 as an example, its length is only 2.35 meters, its width is 1.5 meters, its height is 0.8 meters, its wheelbase is 1.75 meters, its ground clearance is 220 mm, its empty weight is 620 kg, and its maximum driving speed is nearly 100 km/h. Such a vehicle may be embarrassing in the hands of conventional ground troops, but it is a valuable mobile force in the airborne troops, it can transport troops and materials, and the installation of two stretchers in the rear is a battlefield ambulance, it can also load machine guns and mortars as combat vehicles, or install anti-tank missiles as self-propelled anti-tank vehicles.
This small car also has a strong strategic mobility, a C-130 can transport up to 12 at a time, and if they are equipped with parachutes for parachute projection, it can also transport up to 6 vehicles at a time, in addition to it can also be easily lifted by helicopters such as The Cougar.
The vehicle itself also received many modifications in the future, such as the installation of new exhaust devices, electronic ignition systems, modified carburetors, etc. After these adjustments, Raul. Fadir's performance has indeed improved a lot, and the starting, steering and other operations are better.
However, the car also has some insurmountable defects, both the vehicle is compact and has enough off-road and transportation capabilities, which is a huge test for the engine and transmission system, and the overhaul interval is shorter, requiring more careful maintenance by the user.
Different articles have different data on the production of the car, and the French army generally bought 200 to 300 vehicles themselves, and a small number of them were exported to Spain and Tunisia.