Lynx (armored personnel carrier)

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Lynx
A Lynx at Eurosatory (June 2016)

A Lynx at Eurosatory (June 2016)
General properties
crew 3 (driver, commander, gunner) + 6/8 (rifle squad)
length 7.22m-7.73m
width 3.6 m
height 3.30 m
Dimensions 30-40 tons
Armor and armament
Main armament to 35 mm automatic cannon
Secondary armament 1 × 7.62 mm machine gun
explosive device
agility
drive Liebherr - diesel engine
563 kW (750 PS) / 850 kW (1140 PS)
suspension Torsion bar spring / torsion bar
Top speed 65–70 km / h (road)
Power / weight

The Lynx is an armored personnel carrier that is developed and produced by the German armaments company Rheinmetall -Landsysteme (RLS). It is the generic term for a vehicle family that is built in different sizes and designs: the KF31 and the KF41 . The armored personnel carrier was first presented at the Eurosatory in Paris on June 14, 2016.

development

The Lynx family of vehicles was designed as a highly-armored tracked vehicle that was intended to fill the niche in the market identified by Rheinmetall: an armored personnel carrier for a wide range of operational tasks.

On June 4, 2018, Rheinmetall announced in a press release that the larger Lynx KF41 will be presented to the public for the first time at the Eurosatory Defense Exhibition, in two different versions. In addition to the IFV ( Infantry Fighting Vehicle ) configuration presented on June 12, the Command Variant was presented on June 13 . The vehicle was converted on site from the IFV configuration to the Command Variant configuration.

drive

The engine, designed as a power pack, is installed in the front right. The Liebherr diesel engine is connected to either the Allison X300 series 6F / 1R or an automatic transmission from Renk. The Liebherr diesel engine with common rail injection is equipped with a two-stage exhaust gas turbocharger and two-stage charge air cooling . The exhaust gases (right) and the engine's cooling system (left) are routed to the rear of the vehicle to reduce thermal and acoustic emissions. The drive wheel is on the front, the guide wheel is mounted on the back. Torsion bars spring the chassis, which consists of six rollers on each side. The driver's seat is in the front left.

Armor

The safety steel armor ( ballistic steel armor ) protects the Lynx from anti-tank weapons , heavy machine guns, shrapnel and cluster munitions . In the interior there is splinter insulation to protect the crew from splinters. There is a false bottom as protection from mines and IEDs .

The heating and cooling as well as the filters for nuclear, biological and chemical warfare agents are an integral part of the air conditioning system .

In addition, reactive armor can be attached to protect against shaped charges (Rheinmetall's Active Protection System AMAP-ADS). A number of passive protective and defensive measures are also available. Identify the smoke grenade launcher Rapid Obscuring System (ROSY), a warning system for laser and acoustic detection of shots. These are integrated in the Lance tower if it is equipped with a system for automatic target acquisition and target tracking.

Armament

The vehicle, which was shown at Eurosatory 2016, was equipped with a Rheinmetall Lance turret, which can carry a stabilized automatic cannon with a caliber of 30 mm or 35 mm. It can fight targets up to 3000 m both from standing and moving. The cannon is powered by an external power supply and can also fire air burst ammunition . The main weapon has an elevation range between + 45˚ and -10˚ and a cadence of 200 rounds per minute. The tower can be operated manually if the power supply is interrupted.

Axially parallel on the right side of the main armament is the latest Rheinmetall machine gun (RMG) 7.62 mm, which fires the standard 7.62 × 51 mm NATO ammunition and whose maximum rate of fire is 800 rounds per minute. The gun must be powered and has three barrels. These can be changed by a soldier in less than five seconds without leaving the armor.

The vehicle can optionally be equipped with anti-tank guided weapons. The Eurosatory 2016 vehicle was equipped with a double starter for spike anti-tank weapons. The version offered to the US Army is to be equipped with BGM-71 TOW .

The IFV variant of the KF41 at Eurosatory 2018 had a newer Lance 2.0 tower. This has mounting points on the right and left side in order to be able to mount a variety of extensions.

variants

The Lynx is offered in two versions, each of which can be configured as a command, reconnaissance, rescue and ambulance vehicle.

KF31

This version has a weight of 35 tons and is 7.22 meters long. In addition to its three-person crew, the KF31 offers space for six infantrymen . This variant is powered by an engine with 563 kW (750 PS). The vehicle reaches a top speed of 65 km / h.

KF41

This version has a weight of 44 tons. Originally a weight of 45 tons was specified. In addition to its three-person crew, the KF41 offers space for eight infantrymen. This variant is powered by an 850 kW (1140 hp) engine. The vehicle reaches a top speed of 70 km / h.

A special feature of the Lynx KF41 is the removable bath cover. Thus, the vehicle can be equipped with a high roof within a few hours to create more space in the fighting area.

user

Rheinmetall offered the Lynx to the Australian Defense Forces for phase 3 of their Land 400 program. This followed the successful placement of the GTK Boxer for Land 400 Phase 2. In September 2019 it was announced that Rheinmetall and the Lynx are in the final round of the selection process. The only remaining competitor is the South Korean company Hanwha with its AS 21 Redback model. Rheinmetall will next deliver three test vehicles. In total, the order is to include 450 vehicles for the equivalent of 9.5 billion euros, which are to replace the outdated American M113 . A decision is expected in 2022. In the event of an order, the vehicles will be manufactured in Australia.

Rheinmetall also offered the Lynx to the armed forces of the Czech Republic who are looking for a successor to their BVP-2 (Bojové Vozidlo Pěchoty). The order will include 210 vehicles.

To compete for the successor to the M2 / M3 Bradley in the US Army , Rheinmetall founded a joint venture with the American company Raytheon . If successful, the tanks will be built in the USA. The order will include over 4,000 vehicles.

In August 2020, the Hungarian government and Rheinmetall announced that the Hungarian army had chosen the Lynx as the new armored personnel carrier. Hungary is the first country in NATO and the EU to introduce the Lynx. The order is worth over two billion euros. Production is to take place in Hungary by a German-Hungarian joint venture.

See also

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Lynx - The new combat vehicle family. In: Rheinmetall Defense. Retrieved January 20, 2019 .
  2. ^ A b Richard Tomkins: Rheinmetall intros new Lynx infantry fighting vehicle. In: United Press International. June 14, 2016, accessed January 20, 2019 .
  3. ↑ Lynx on the hunt ES2016D3 ( English ) In: Jane's 360 - Eurosatory 2016 . June 15, 2016. Retrieved January 20, 2019.
  4. ↑ Rheinmetall at Eurosatory (2018) ( English ) In: Forecast International . June 4, 2018. Retrieved June 7, 2018.
  5. ↑ Rheinmetall at Eurosatory 2018. Rheinmetall presents a comprehensive array of products for operational superiority. In: Latest News, June 11, 2018. At Rheinmetall-Defence.com, accessed on January 20, 2019.
  6. ↑ Lynx Infantry Fighting Vehicle (website of the manufacturer consortium)
  7. ↑ Lynx KF41 - From the drawing board to the competition , on www.esut.de , May 11, 2019
  8. ↑ Gerhard Hegmann: Rheinmetall beckons a new mega tank order in Australia , Welt , September 17, 2019
  9. ↑ Australia's Land 400 procurement project: Rheinmetall enters the next round with Lynx KF41 on www.hartpunkt.de, September 17, 2019
  10. ↑ Lynx KF41 - From the drawing board to the competition , on www.esut.de , May 11, 2019
  11. ↑ German tanks for the USA? This scenario is closer than ever , World October 10, 2018
  12. ^ Raytheon and Rheinmetall joint venture to offer Lynx infantry fighting vehicle to US Army , The Defense Post, September 27, 2019
  13. ↑ Lynx KF41 - From the drawing board to the competition , on www.esut.de , May 11, 2019
  14. ↑ Rheinmetall receives order for tank production in Hungary on Xing , August 18, 2020