Driving school tanks
As a driving school tanks are battle tanks , armored personnel carriers , armored personnel carriers and armored howitzers referred to, which are used in the basic training of drivers.
The first driving school tanks were unchanged versions of the respective vehicle, which were parked for teaching purposes and therefore could have been sent to combat units without any necessary changes. The driving instructor was unable to intervene in these vehicles and taught the learner driver from the commander's hatch. This "type" of driving school tanks was still used in part by the Bundeswehr.
Today's driving school tanks are adapted versions of the respective vehicle, which, thanks to the same tub and similar weight distribution, have the same driving characteristics as the original version, but are better suited for teaching. So that the driving instructors have a better overview of the traffic situation, they sit elevated in a glazed structure. The driving instructor can intervene in the control of the tank.
In addition to these vehicles, simulators are used nowadays, which have the advantage, especially for novice drivers, that driving does not incur higher costs due to the consumption of fuel or accidental damage to property (e.g. signs, fences).
literature
- 60 driving school tanks for more effective training of Leopard drivers. General Swiss Military Journal, 1979, page 337.
