The Jordanian Temsah Heavy APC

[BLACKEAGLE]

Temsah

The Temsah (Crocodile) heavy armored personnel carrier is a conversion of the Centurion main battle tanks. Temsah was developed by Jordanian King Abdullah II Design and Development Bureau (KADDB) cooperating with South African and British companies. Vehicle was revealed in 2001.

The Centurion MBT has a rear power pack arrangement, what became an issue for the designers in attempt to make troop compartment in the rear part of the vehicle. Designers of the Temsah found a simple solution and swapped front end of the vehicle with the rear, so the vehicle is driving backwards comparing with the original Centurion. Thus the spacious front space of the Centurion was converted to the troop compartment.

The Temsah heavy armored personnel carrier has a low-profile welded hull with a significant inclination angles. Hull sides are covered with massive side skirts. It is claimed that frontal arc provides protection against 120-mm ammunition. Additional passive or explosive reactive armor packages might be fitted.

Prototype of the Temsah was armed with a French GIAT M621 20-mm cannon, however production models should have a British stabilized cannon of the same caliber. Additional armament consists of a 7.62-mm coaxial machine gun. It is claimed that production models of the Temsah will have an anti-tank guided missile launcher.

The Temsah heavy APC has a crew of two and provides accommodation for ten troops. Troops enter and leave the vehicle via a rear ramp or five roof hatches. No firing ports are provided.


Crew: 2 men
Personnel: 10 men

Dimensions and weight:

Weight ~ 35 t
Length ~ 7.8 m
Width 3.4 m
Height ~ 2 m

Armament

Main gun 20-mm cannon
Machine guns 1 x 7.62-mm
four Denel Ingwe anti-tank missiles

81-mm mortar

Mobility

Engine AVDS-1790-V12
Engine power 750 hp
Maximum road speed ~ 50 km/h
Vertical step 0.9 m
Trench 3.35 m
Fording 1.45 m

Variants

1- SWARM (Stabilized Weapon And Reconnaissance Mounting) overhead weapon station, fitted with 20-mm cannon, coaxial 7.62-mm machine gun

2- SWARM (Stabilized Weapon And Reconnaissance Mounting) overhead weapon station, fitted with 20-mm cannon, coaxial 7.62-mm machine gun and four Denel Ingwe anti-tank missiles

3- Mortar carrier, armed with 120-mm mortar.

 

[BLACKEAGLE]

The Jordanian Army upgraded its existing British Centurion Medium Battle Tanks to the Tariq during the 1980’s. Jordan went on to receive the Khalid Shir, which was an upgraded Chieftain Main Battle Tank in 1979. As the Challenger 2 entered service in the British Army in the 1990’s, Jordan purchased its former Challenger 1’s under the designation Al Hussein.

As well as their M60A3’s, the Jordanian Army has been upgrading them, making the Tariq obsolete. Most nations simply scrap surplus tanks, however there has been a recent trend, the Israelis being the first, to convert these surplus tank hulls, which offer greater armoured protection than purpose built APC’s & IFV’s into heavy personnel carriers.

The Jordanians are no exception to this rule and have been converting their Tariq’s in to the Temsah Heavy Personnel Carrier.

The centurions engine, like 90% of tanks is located at the rear. On APC’s/IFV’s, the door for the embarked troops to exit is also at the rear, which left the Jordanians with a conundrum. So they flipped the vehicle around so that the rear of the vehicle with the engine was now the new front and the old front is now the rear with a door for the troops to exit from. They then built a higher roof for the superstructure which replaced the turret and where the troops are situated.

It is claimed that frontal arc provides protection against 120-mm ammunition. Additional passive or explosive reactive armour packages might be fitted.

The Temsah heavy APC has a crew of two and provides accommodation for ten troops. Troops enter and leave the vehicle via a rear ramp or five roof hatches. No firing ports are provided.

 

[BLACKEAGLE]

Temsah' tracked, heavy, Infantry Combat Vehicle ( ICV ), developed by KADDB in cooperation with Mechanology Design Bureau ( MDB ) of South Africa, CLS Jordan and General Dynamics ( USA ). Temsah is designed and fabricated to accommodate surplus-to requirement MBTs major components to provide a mission-capable, multi-configured, heavily-protected ICV that can operate alongside the latest generation MBTs.

Can be configured as a Tracked Ambulance, Command Post, Artillery and Mortar-Howtzer platforms.

Levels of Protection

- Low silhouette to minimise visual profile without compromising internal height and volume
- High hardness ballistic steel to protect the crew-compartment and engine-bay
- Front mounted engine to increase protection in the frontal arc
- High Capacity and Payioad
- Crew of two (commander/weapons system operator and a driver) and a dismount section of up to 10 men
- Stowage for combat supplies to enable 48 hours self-support
- Can be configured as a Tracked Ambulance, Command Post, Artillery and Mortar Howtzer platform
- Surveillance, Firepower and Survivability
- Stabilised Weapon remotely controlled overhead weapon station
- Multi-barreled smoke grenade dischargers

Specifications


- Number of guided missiles
4

- Auxiliary gun calibre (mm)
7.62

- Troops
10

- Ammunition of the main gun
300

- Ammunition of the auxiliary gun
2600

- Elevation (degree)
40

- Depression (degree)
-8

- Traverse arc (degree)
360

- Length (mm)
7962

- Height to hull top (mm)
2080

- Width (mm)
3766

- Ground clearance (mm)
500

- Weight (kg)
49500

- Payload (kg)
4000

- Crew
2

- Engine power output (h.p.)
950

- Main weapon caliber (mm)
25

 

[Mootaz-khelifi]

it's look like a BMP do ur military have BMPs

 

[DESERT FIGHTER]

A self propelled mortar carrier is something tht Pak Army lacks.....despite the fact tht we build almost every armoured vehicle!

Great going Jordan!

 

[BLACKEAGLE]

it's look like a BMP do ur military have BMPs

BMPs are IFVs not APCs, however, Temash is a heavy APC (35 t) providing protection against 120-mm ammunition, while BMP-2 weights around 14.3 tonnes. Jordan has 35 BMP-2:

 

[BLACKEAGLE]