Jaguar (tank destroyer)

Jaguar 1
Jaguar 1A3
General properties
crew	4 (commander, gunner, loader, driver)
length	6.61 m
width	3.12 m
height	2.55 m (upper edge PERI)
Dimensions	22.5 t (A6)
Armor and armament
Armor	Welded armor steel, spaced armor
Main armament	HOT (guided missile) 20 LFK
Secondary armament	2 × 7.62mm MG 3
agility
drive	MTU diesel engine MB 837 Aa500 368 kW (500 hp)
suspension	Torsion bar
Top speed	70 km / h
Power / weight	approx. 19.6 hp / t
Range	approx. 335 km

The Jaguar 1 is a tank destroyer that was developed and produced by the companies Henschel (now Rheinmetall Landsysteme) and Hanomag and was used by the German Bundeswehr from 1978 to 2005. He was employed in the Austrian Armed Forces from 1996 to 2006. A total of 316 vehicles were converted from the rocket tank destroyer 2 to the Jaguar 1.

history

Germany

The development of the Jaguar goes back to the Bundeswehr cannon tank destroyer , whose hull and chassis are largely identical. Based on the Kanonenjagdpanzer, prototypes for a new missile tank destroyer were manufactured from 1963, which was supposed to replace the missile tank destroyer 1 . Starting in 1967, the two development companies built a total of 370 vehicles under the designation Raketenjagdpanzer 2 . These vehicles were still equipped with two launchers for the SS 11 anti-tank guided missile .

After the development of the HOT system was completed, the use of some prototypes of the rocket tank destroyer 2 was tested. After the successful completion of the tests, a total of 316 vehicles were converted to the new weapon system from 1978 to 1983 and provided with additional armor. These vehicles were called Jaguar 1 .

The Jaguar 2 model is based on the Kanonenjagdpanzer (KaJaPa). Between 1983 and 1985, the cannons were removed from 165 vehicles and replaced by the TOW anti-tank missile system. The Jaguar 2 also received the additional armor.

Both models of the Jaguar were used by the Bundeswehr tank destroyer troops. After their dissolution in 1996, the remaining Jaguar 1 vehicles were assigned to the Panzergrenadier Battalions (PzGrenBtl), some of them also to tank battalions. All Jaguar 1 tank destroyers were decommissioned by the end of 2005.

Austria

In 1995/96 the Federal Republic of Germany sold 90 Jaguar 1 tank destroyers to the Austrian armed forces, which were used as a unit in the 1 anti-tank battalion. In 2005, as part of the 2010 army reform, the Austrian government decided to decommission these tanks from the beginning of 2006.

The Austrian Court of Auditors criticized the procurement in March 2006. He complained that the repair of the tanks that had been bought had been so slow that at the beginning of 2005, eight years after the start of procurement, only 55 percent of the tanks were in use. The planned purpose was never achieved because the necessary thermal imaging devices had not been procured for financial reasons. The expenses for the purchased HOT ammunition alone, which had made up a large part of the procurement costs, resulted in 40 million euros in “lost costs”.

technology

Jaguar 1

The HOT guided missile could be used under both armor protection and NBC protection: inside the tank there was an automatic loader with a gastight drum magazine for eight guided missiles. The loaded launch tube with the guided missile was guided out through a hatch from the automatic loading system and aligned with the gunner's line of sight. Outside of the drum magazine, up to 12 other guided missiles could be carried in the tank. The Jaguar 1 was only capable of night combat without restrictions with the A3 upgrade.

Jaguar 2

Missile destroyer 4 Jaguar 2 in the German Tank Museum in Munster

In this tank, the gunner and loader stood together with the starter for the TOW guided missile on an extendable lifting carriage. The starter had to be reloaded manually. Complete tank and NBC protection was therefore not possible. When the lifting carriage was extended, the hatch flaps served as makeshift spherical covers for the exposed shooters. Up to 14 guided missiles could be carried in the tank. Unlike the Jaguar 1, the Jaguar 2 was fully suitable for night combat right from the start, and the TOW starter could also be used away from the vehicle.

See also

• List of tank models after 1945

Web links

Commons : Jagdpanzer Jaguar  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

• Tank destroyer of the Bundeswehr
• Jaguar 1 in detail
• Jaguar 2 in detail
• Driving school tank Jaguar (hull of Jaguar 1 and modified driving school cabin of Leopard 1. Only 6 units built)
• Bundeswehr Classix: Jaguar II (1984) ( YouTube video)

Individual evidence

1. ↑ www.bundesheer.at