Tank 68
| Tank 68 | |
|---|---|
Panzer 68/88 in the Thun tank museum |
|
| General properties | |
| crew | 4 (commander, driver / radio operator, gunner, loader) |
| length | 6.90 m |
| width | 3.14 m |
| height | 2.85 m (tower top) |
| Dimensions | 39.6 tons |
| Armor and armament | |
| Armor | 120 mm RHA |
| Main armament | 1 × 105mm cannon |
| Secondary armament | 2 × 7.5 mm machine guns (barrel-parallel and deck structure) |
| agility | |
| drive | V-8 diesel engine Mercedes-Benz MB 837 Ba 500 660 PS (485.4 kW) |
| suspension | Disc springs and hydraulic dampers |
| Top speed | 55 km / h |
| Power / weight | 12.3 kW / t (16.7 PS / t) |
| Range | 300 km |
The Panzer 68 is a Swiss main battle tank from the late 1960s, built by the Swiss construction workshop in Thun and only used in the Swiss Army .
description
The Panzer 68 is based on the Panzer 61 , the development of which goes back to 1951 and to the medium tank in 1958 . The improved Panzer 68, including a weapon stabilization system and wider tracks, joined the troops in 1971. A second batch was produced in 1977 and a third and fourth batch (with an enlarged turret Pz 68 AA3, AA4 or Pz 68/75) between 1978 and 1983.
The tank turned out to be largely unsuitable. Major General Robert Haener , force commander of the mechanized troops and Light of the Swiss Army, declared in the summer of 1979 in the Weltwoche that the tank 68 is not suitable for war. A group of experts set up by parliament listed numerous shortcomings, including inadequate protection against nuclear and chemical weapons - the crew had to wear protective masks. The reverse gear could only be engaged when stationary and not at full speed, as would be necessary in combat. The electrical system was particularly prone to failure: when the radio was used at full power, the tower could rotate and switching on the heating could result in the cannon igniting. The first construction lots had to be improved with considerable effort. As a result, Switzerland decided not to develop its own battle tanks.
In 1992 the tank was modernized again and thus had a more modern fire control system , comparable to that of today's standard tank Panzer 87 (Leopard 2) , which is in service today as the successor to Panzer 68/88. The Panzer 68 was taken out of service by the Swiss Army in the first few years of the new millennium . After attempts to sell the remaining 200 or so vehicles to the armed forces of Thailand failed, these stocks are demilitarized and scrapped since mid-May 2005. A small part went to museums and private collectors.
In the 1990s, attempts were made with a 120 mm on-board cannon (similar to that of the Pz 87), but these were never implemented (except in prototypes). The chassis of the Panzer 68 was also used for other vehicles such as the Panzerkanone 68 , the 35 mm Flab Panzer B22L, the Bridge Tank 68 and the Target Tank 68 .
Technical specifications
- Total length with locked cannon: 8.57 m
- Combat weight : 39.6 t
- Tower weight: 9.5 t
- Weight of drive assembly ready for operation: 5.1 t
- Ground clearance: 400 mm
- Gradeability : max. 70%, corresponds to 35 °
- Climbing ability: 750 mm
- Trench crossing ability: 2600 mm
- Wading ability: 1100 mm
- Top speed: 55 km / h
- Range: approx. 300 km (road driving area), approx. 5 hours (terrain driving area)
- Fuel quantity: 750 l
- Fuel consumption : Road: approx. 2.5–3.0 l / km, off-road 150–180 l / h
- Main engine: V-8 diesel engine Mercedes-Benz MB 837 Ba 500; Maximum output at 2200 revolutions per minute 485.4 kW (660 hp); liquid-cooled, mechanically charged, pre-chamber process ;
- Total displacement 29.9 l
variants
- Panzer 68 1st series ( Pz 68 ) 170 built 1971–1974, all modernized to Pz 68 AA 2 in 1975–1977
- Panzer 68 2nd series ( Pz 68 AA 2 ) 50 built 1974–1977, in 1993 25 pieces equipped with a new larger turret and modernized to Pz 68/88
- Panzer 68 3rd series ( Pz 68/75 ) also known as Pz 68 GT (large turret), 110 built 1978–1979, all modernized to Pz 68/88 in 1993
- Panzer 68 4th series ( Pz 68/75 ) 60 built 1983–1984, all modernized to Pz 68/88 in 1993
- Panzer 68/88 with additional armor plates , only a temporary prototype
- Panzer 2000 ( Pz 2000 ), project of a radically more modern version, was discarded in favor of the Leopard 2 .
Other platforms based on the Pz 68
literature
- Martin Haudenschild: The history of the development of the Panzer 68 , SAM, March 2006 edition, ( online PDF 4.17 MB )
Web links
- www.wheelsandtracks.com Panzer 61 and Panzer 68/88 at the Convoy to Remember 2004 in off-road use
- www.armeemuseum.ch (PDF file; 2.2 MB) The history of the development of the Schweizer Panzer 68 by Adj Uof Martin Haudenschild for the Swiss Army Museum
Individual evidence
- ^ Helvetic freak. Retrieved September 19, 2013 .
- ↑ NZZ: The breakdown vehicle from Switzerland. . February 26, 2018. Online at www.nzz.ch. Retrieved February 26, 2018.
- ^ Report of the Military Commission of September 17, 1979
- ↑ The tank that shot by itself
- ↑ Urs Heller: The tanks of the Swiss Army from 1920 to 2008.