AMX-13
| AMX-13 | |
|---|---|
An Israeli AMX 13 in the Yad la-Shiryon Museum |
|
| General properties | |
| crew | 3 (commander, gunner, driver) |
| length | 6.36 m (with pipe) 4.88 m (without pipe) |
| width | 2.51 m |
| height | 2.30 m |
| Dimensions | 15,000 kg (combat weight) |
| Armor and armament | |
| Armor | 25 mm |
| Main armament | 75/76-mm cannon L / 61.5 or 90-mm cannon, or 105-mm cannon from GIAT (30 rounds) - 4 anti-tank guided missiles SS-11 (later HOT ) |
| Secondary armament | 7.62 mm gun coaxial in the turret (5000 rounds) |
| agility | |
| drive | 8-cylinder petrol engine SOFAM 250 PS (186 kW) |
| suspension | Torsion bar |
| Top speed | 60 km / h on the road |
| Power / weight | 15 hp / t |
| Range | 400 km |
The AMX-13 is a French light tank .
Production of the AMX-13, designed just after the end of World War II , began in 1952 and continued into the 1980s. 7615 copies were made. He had a mechanically powered loading device in the turret, which included two revolver-like magazines, each holding six rounds of ammunition. The tank was often exported and was particularly popular with developing countries such as Chile , Djibouti and Nepal , but also in Israel , the Netherlands and Switzerland . An interesting feature is the weighing tower , in the upper part of which - which in turn is mounted as a seesaw on the lower part - the cannon is installed. The AMX-13 was heavily rebuilt and used as the basis for a complete vehicle family from self-propelled guns AMX 13 105 AUTOMOTEUR and howitzers to pioneer vehicles , armored recovery vehicles , bridge-laying vehicles , anti-aircraft tanks AMX 13 DCA and infantry combat vehicles such as AMX-VTP .
phase of development
In 1946 the " Direction des Etudes et Fabrications d'Armement " (DEFA) awarded a development contract to the Ateliers de Construction d'Issy-les-Moulineaux (AMX). This order resulted in the prototype of a tank destroyer or reconnaissance tank in 1948. The armored car was introduced by the French army under the designation AMX-13 Model 51. The AMX-13 was actually a temporary solution that should be replaced after a few years by better or foreign models; however, for over 50 years the AMX-13 has been used in numerous countries around the world. The export itself took place in 17 countries.
The tank in detail
The tank was manufactured by AMX in Roanne until the mid-1960s , then at Creusot-Loire near Chalon-sur-Saône. The tower construction of the AMX-13 is extraordinary - a weighing tower was used (oscillation carriage). The gun is firmly connected to the tower structure; the height adjustment of the gun is made by the vertical movement of the entire turret. The AMX-13 was the first tank in the world with such a turret construction. The gun was automatically reloaded from two drum magazines with six rounds each, saving a crew member with the loader. Another 24 rounds were stored separately. The engine was located in the front right in the only 4.9 meter long tub, the driver sat next to it on the left. The commander sat under an armored dome in the tower, next to him the gunner on the right. The workplaces of the crew members were designed for a height of 1.65 meters. Due to its weight of only 15 tons and its narrow width of 2.3 meters, the tank was also air-transportable and was therefore also suitable for airborne troops.
Main armament
A total of three different cannons were used, all of which were manufactured by GIAT:
- AMX 13 A (known as LPZ 51 in Switzerland) - 75 mm L / 61.5 cannon with AP (armor piercing) ammunition and a muzzle velocity of 1000 m / s. The penetration was 170 mm at a distance of 1000 meters and an elevation of 0 °
- AMX 13 B - 105 mm cannon after increased combat value in the "FL 12" tower (only for export). Ammunition type HEAT (High explosive anti tank) with a muzzle velocity of 800 m / s, penetrated 350 mm at a distance of 900 meters and an impact angle of 0 °.
- AMX 13 C - 90 mm cannon CN90F3 after upgrading of combat value (drilled 75 mm cannon). Ammunition type HEAT (High explosive anti tank) with a muzzle velocity of 1000 m / s, 320 mm penetrated at a distance of 1000 meters and an impact angle of 0 °. A wing-stabilized shaped charge projectile (type OCC90) was used.
- AMX 13 D - with 75 mm cannon and anti-tank guided missiles SS-11 (later replaced by TOW )
AMX-13 in action
The AMX-13 was first used in 1956 during the Suez Crisis . During the American intervention in the Dominican Republic, he faced the American M50 Ontos used by rebels , which did well against the AMX-13. At least one AMX-13 was destroyed by an M50. It was used on the Israeli side against Egyptian T-55s and T-54s in the 1967 Six Day War. Here, his 75 mm cannon proved to be inadequate armament. For these reasons, it was converted to larger guns in most user states in the 1970s and 1980s. The reliable and inexpensive tank was used in many armed forces around the world.
The vehicle was used by the French armed forces as a tank destroyer in the two tank destroyer companies of the mechanized battalions ( Chasseurs à pied and Chasseurs à cheval).
The AMX-13 was produced until 1985, in those 33 years 4,500 tanks rolled off the production line, which were still in use in around 30 countries until the 1990s. However, the tower construction has not proven itself. The gap between the tower and the hull, which had to be movable due to the vertical directional movements of the tower, was covered with a kind of tarpaulin and could only be poorly protected against water, NBC weapons, projectiles and splinters. In addition, with a ground clearance of only 37 cm, the tank was very much at risk from mines .
Despite these disadvantages, the turret of the AMX-13 with a 105-mm cannon was used for the Austrian cuirassier .
User states
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Technical specifications
- Type of tank: tank destroyer / reconnaissance tank
- Combat weight: 15,000 kg
- Length (without tube) / width / height: 4.88 m / 2.51 m / 2.3 m
- Chassis: chain; 6 wheels; 2 (5) support rollers
- Ground clearance: 0.37 m
- Trench crossing ability: 1.6 m
- Climbing ability: 0.65 m
- Engine: 8-cylinder SOFAM gasoline engine with 250 PS (186 kW)
- Top speed: 60 km / h on the road
- Range: 400 km on the road
- Armament: 75 mm L / 61.5 cannon or 90 mm CN90F3 cannon, or 105 mm cannon from GIAT; One 7.62 mm MG coaxial in the turret, four SS-11 or TOW anti-tank guided missiles
- Ammunition supply: 36 rounds cannon; 5000 rounds of MG
- Crew: 3 men (commander, gunner, driver)
literature
- Philip Trewhitt: tanks. Neuer Kaiserverlag, Klagenfurt 2005, ISBN 3-7043-3197-X .
- EF Offord: AMX.13. In: Armor in Profile. 12, 1967.
- Peter Lau: Chassis. Rock Publications, Singapore 2006 (The AMX-13 Light Tank, Volume 1).
- Peter Lau: Turret. Rock Publications, Singapore 2007 (The AMX-13 Light Tank, Volume 2).
See also
Web links
- Un siècle d'histoire des engins blindés francais ( Memento of November 17, 2011 in the Internet Archive ) (French)
- Description on www.panzerbaer.de
Individual evidence
- ↑ Sebastien Roblin (June 22, 2016): "In 1965, US and Dominican Tanks Fought Brief, Violent Skirmishes". War is boring.