Tank Designs

[Georg]

description please

Wiesel Mk I is a German light air-transportable armoured fighting vehicle
The Wiesel was developed for the German Army to meet a requirement for an air-transportable light armored vehicle for use by its airborne troops, as the infantry of the German Bundeswehr, especially airborne infantry, were considered unprepared to successfully fight enemy main battle tanks (MBT) in the 1970s. The requirements were that the vehicle should fit in common NATO transport planes and could eventually be air-dropped. It should be able to fight infantry as well as enemy tanks or aircraft. Porsche produced some prototypes of the future fighting vehicle for the Bundeswehr in 1975, but the Bundeswehr stopped the project in 1978 due to lack of funds. Nevertheless, Porsche continued development, because of interest from other countries.

The Bundeswehr eventually ordered 343 of the vehicles in 1985. The Wiesel was introduced as new weapon system for the Bundeswehr with deliveries beginning in the late 1980s. The vehicle was named Wiesel ("weasel") because of its small size and agility, which make it very difficult to detect on the battlefield. Production of the Wiesel 1 ended in 1993. Of 343 Wiesel 1 vehicles, 210 were armed with Raytheon Company's TOW anti-tank guided missile system and 133 have the one-man KUKA turret E6-II-A1 armed with the dual-feed Rheinmetall 20 mm autocannon. Germany deployed both types to Somalia in 1993 as part of the United Nations forces.

The Wiesel 2 is an enlarged and extended version of the Wiesel 1 with five road wheels instead of four, and a more powerful engine. The Bundeswehr ordered 178 of the new vehicle in various types, including air defense, radar, and anti-aircraft missile launcher, 120 mm mortar carrier, command and fire control, and ambulance variants. The Wiesel 2 entered service in 2001.

Wiesel 1
Variants in Service

• Wiesel 1 Aufklärung: reconnaissance
• Wiesel 1 ATM TOW: anti-tank vehicle fitted with TOW missiles
  • Wiesel 1TOW: Uprated with BMS
• Wiesel 1 MK20: fire support version with a Rheinmetall MK 20 Rh202 20mm autocannon
  • Wiesel 1 MK20 Variant 1: Uprated with new sight
  • Wiesel 1 MK20 Variant 2: Uprated with BMS
• Remotely controlled Wiesel 1 equipped with ground-scanning radar as part of the Route Clearance System

Wiesel 2
The Wiesel 2 is a stretched version of the Wiesel 1, with a fifth roadwheel. The engine was changed to a 1.9L Volkswagen in-line four-cylinder turbo diesel with direct injection and intercooler, giving 109 hp (81 kW) coupled to a ZF automatic transmission. The Wiesel 2 is generally bigger, faster and stronger than the Wiesel 1, with advanced features for the protection of the crew such as enhanced armour, an air conditioning system, and NBC protection.

• Wiesel 2 Light Air Defence System (leichtes Flugabwehr System - LeFlaSys)
  • Wiesel 2 Air Defence Command Post
  • Wiesel 2 Air Defence Reconnaissance and Fire Control Vehicle (RFCV): fitted with air defence radar
  • Wiesel 2 Air Defence Weapon Carrier (Ozelot): fitted with air defence missile launchers (two box launchers containing four ready-to-fire FIM-92 Stingers, or, alternatively, a (currently unknown) number of vertical launch cells with LFK NG missiles)
• Wiesel 2 Ambulance
• Wiesel 2 Engineering Scout: combat engineer reconnaissance
• Wiesel 2 Command Post: battalion command post
• Wiesel 2 Advanced Mortar System
  • Wiesel 2 Company C2/ JFSCT: Command and control for combined and joint fire
  • Wiesel 2 Lightweight Armoured Mortar: 120 mm automatic laying weapon system
  • Wiesel 2 Joint Fire Support Team: Reconnaissance Vehicle

Current Operators
German Bundeswehr
US Army

thechnical specs
Weight 2.75 t to 4.78 t
Length
Wiesel 1: 3.55 metres (11.6 ft)
Wiesel 2: 4.78 metres (15.7 ft)
Width
Wiesel 1: 1.82 metres (6 ft 0 in)
Wiesel 2: 1.87 metres (6 ft 2 in)
Height
Wiesel 1: 1.82 metres (6 ft 0 in)
Wiesel 2: 2.17 metres (7 ft 1 in)
Crew 2 or 3

Armor Protection against small arms only

Main armament
Varies

Secondary armament
Varies
Engine
Wiesel 1: 2.1 L Audi 5-cylinder in-line turbo-diesel
Wiesel 2: 1.9 L Volkswagen Straight-4 turbo-diesel with direct-injection
Wiesel 1: 64 kilowatts (86 hp)
Wiesel 2: 81 kilowatts (109 hp)
Suspension torsion bar

Operational range
200 kilometres (120 mi)
Speed 70 kilometres per hour (43 mph)

 

[Georg]

VT Tanks...

The Versuchsträger 1-2 (abbreviated: VT, meaning "test-beds" or "experiment carrier") were two German prototype twin gun turretless main battle tanks, much like the earlier World War II Jagdpanzer designs. Since the early 1970s a number of West German companies have been working on conceptual designs for a successor to the Leopard 1. This project had the name Kampfpanzer 3 (KPz 3). The KPz 3 project was temporarily a British-German joint project, until the UK withdrew because they wanted a turreted tank. The Germans had already developed the Leopard 2 and therefore didn't see the need for another conventional tank. One of the companies involved was MaK, developing the VT 1-1 and VT 1-2. The test programme ended proving that a twin-gunned turretless tank could be created with enough technical effort, but had drawbacks in both practical and tactical use.

History
The first VT tank, VT 1-1, was built in 1974 by Maschinenbau Kiel (MaK). One year later they produced the second VT tank, the VT 1-2. For further testing of the mobility and the concept of a tank with two main guns, five Gefechtsfeldversuchträger (GVT, "battlefield test-beds") were designed and built in 1975 and 1976.

Design
The VT 1-1 was based on the shortened chassis of the cancelled MBT-70 tank. Since the tank had no autoloaders, a crew of four was needed to operate it. All VT tanks followed in some extent the traditional design of German Jagdpanzers like the post war Kanonenjagdpanzer. The VT 1-2 featured a turbocharged engine, which was capable of 1,500 PS sustained and 2,400 PS for short periods of time. The tank had a three-man crew seated at the front, with driver between commander and gunner. A comparison with the Leopard 2 was held, which proved that the VT 1-2 tank wouldn't have any significant advantages over the Leopard 2. The engine of the Leopard 2 wasn't defining the concept and could therefore be replaced by the more powerful 12-cylinder engine of the VT 1-2 if required. The Leopard 2 also had a high first round hit probability, due to its advanced fire control system, which corresponds to or even surpass the calculated first round hit probability of the twin guns.

The VT tanks were designed to:

• reach a higher weapon efficiency through short reaction times, higher hit probability and higher kill probability by using twin guns in a casemate structure.
• be more mobile by using a stronger engine and a new suspension.
• have a higher level of survivalability by reducing the crew compartment, using heavy frontal armour and the ability to use the Wedelkurs technique, i.e. driving sideward (like beating on land).

The VT 1-1 was armed with two 105 mm rifled guns, which were loaded manually. The VT 1-2 carried two 120 mm smoothbore guns equipped with 6-round automatic loaders. The GVTs were not fitted with guns, instead they mounted two gun simulators. For combat simulations they used Talissi laser fire simulators. The propellant gases were created with a 20 mm cannon mounted on the roof.

Variants

• VT 1-1 - 105 mm rifled guns with manual loading.
• VT 1-2 - 120 mm smoothbore guns with an automatic loader and an engine upgrade.
• GVT 01 - GVT 05

Type

Tank destroyer
Place of origin West Germany
Production history
Designer MaK[1]
Designed 1970s
Manufacturer MaK
Produced 1974 and 1975 (VT 1-1 and VT 1-2)
No. built 2 VTs and 5 GVTs
Variants VT 1-1, VT 1-2, GVTs
Specifications
Weight 43.5 tonnes (42.8 long tons; 48.0 short tons)
Length 9.06 m
Width 3.54 m
Height 2.04 m
Crew 3 (commander, driver, gunner)

Main armament
2 x 105 mm guns
or
2 x Rh 120 guns
Engine MTU MB803 Ra-500
1,500 PS (sustained )(1,100 kW)
2,400 PS (short time)(1765 kW)
Power/weight 34.5 PS/t(sustained)(25.3 kW/t)
55 PS/t (short time)(40.5 kW/t)
Suspension hydropneumatic
Speed 70 kilometres per hour (43 mph)
40 kilometres per hour (25 mph) offroad

VT 1-1 with 105mm

VT 1-2 with two 120mm

GVT 01-05

note the GVT were not armed with guns but lasers for tactical testing the concept in platoon size

 

[UkroTurk]

TURKISH ROKETSAN's ERA M60!

Thanks @ zeki At least we have seen.

 

[Georg]

That M60 ERA design looks very clean and well sorted covering almost everything... what puzzel me a little bit is that the briks are very thin compared to what other nations currently use as ERA

 

[Oldman1]

That M60 ERA design looks very clean and well sorted covering almost everything... what puzzel me a little bit is that the briks are very thin compared to what other nations currently use as ERA

Does look pretty thin. Unless the Turks developed a new type of explosive that doesn't require a thicker ERA.

 

[Penguin]

Wiesel Mk I is a German light air-transportable armoured fighting vehicle

Ah, the Wiesel, my favorite rushhour vehicle.

That M60 ERA design looks very clean and well sorted covering almost everything... what puzzel me a little bit is that the briks are very thin compared to what other nations currently use as ERA

They are not stacked in layers.

 

[UkroTurk]

That M60 ERA design looks very clean and well sorted covering almost everything... what puzzel me a little bit is that the briks are very thin compared to what other nations currently use as ERA

More explosives and heavy ERA could damage vehicle.

This ERA against RPGs. Thin bricks enough to stop RPG.

The thicker slay , the heavier armour needs more power full engine .
This ERA can be also used on light IFV'S like a m113.

This is an Israeli m60 ERA .

ERA block is Monolithic . Block in a single piece.

Of course Turkish M60 looks totally cute!

 

[pzfz]

anyone know of any non-western tanks that have western style gun mantlets? the closest one seems to be the polish twardy upgrade (pt16).

 

[Natan]

This is an Israeli m60 ERA .

ERA block is Monolithic . Block in a single piece.

These blocks do not seem very monolitic:

 

[Penguin]

These blocks do not seem very monolitic:

Monolithic: formed of a single large block
Meaning: each block being monolithic, one piece, solid.

Composite (laminate) armor can be monolithic: a type of vehicle armour consisting of layers of different material such as metals, plastics, ceramics or air.

As opposed to ERA blocks:

Or spaced armor blocks

 

[UkroTurk]

Guys may i have your attention

Here is the Turkish gorgeouse's
FNSS medium tank

ALTAY Antisymetric war tank

ALTAY MBT

 

[UkroTurk]

 

[vostok]

Light amphibious tank "Object 685" (year 1975) , which was to replace the PT-76. It became the prototype of BMP-3.

 

[UkroTurk]

 

[T-55]

T-72 "Scarab" from "Excalibur Army"

http://gurkhan.blogspot.ru/2017/06/t-72-scarab-excalibur-army.html