15.5 cm artillery tank cannon 68
| Panzerkanone 68 (15.5 cm Art Pz Kan 68) | |
|---|---|
Panzerkannone 68 from the side |
|
| General properties | |
| crew | 5 |
| length | 12.14 m with gun, 7.00 m without gun |
| width | 3.15 m |
| height | 3.20 m |
| Dimensions | 47,000 kg |
| Armor and armament | |
| Main armament | 15.5 cm cannon 68, 34 shells |
| Secondary armament | 1 Mg 51 7.5 mm, 3000 rounds, 6 × Nbw 51 8 cm, 12 smoke cartridges 51 |
| agility | |
| drive | 8-cylinder V90 ° four-stroke MTU MB 837 Ba-500, auxiliary engine 4-cylinder in-line engine Mercedes-Benz OM 636 660 hp, 38 hp |
| suspension | Swing arms |
| Top speed | 55.5 km / h on the road |
| Power / weight | |
| Range | 300 km of roads, 180 km of terrain |
The 15.5 cm Artillery Panzerkanone 68 (15.5 cm Art Pz Kan 68) is a self-propelled armored artillery gun built by the Federal Construction Workshop in Thun .
History and Development
In 1956, the construction of a self-propelled cannon was considered in Switzerland. Studies were drawn up by the Armaments Services Group (GRD) and the Federal Construction Workshop K + W Thun . But it wasn't until 1966 that the actual development and assembly of a 15 cm cannon 42 on a tank 61 chassis began . Then four vehicles were built on the chassis of Panzer 68 . These had a 15.5 cm Panzerkanone 68. The firing distance was a maximum of 30 km and had a rate of 6 rounds per minute.
The Panzerkanone 68 had a fully automatic loading device. Due to technical and financial problems, however, the project was never pursued. The Swiss Army procured the American M 109 self-propelled howitzer instead .
From 1972 to 1975, the four vehicles were only used for tests with the M numbers M0871, M0872, M0898 and M0899. Today there are only two vehicles left, one is in the Thun Tank Museum, the other, which is completely ready for use, is in the Swiss Military Museum Full .
Web links
- Panzerkanone 68 on militaerfahrzeuge.ch
credentials
- Urs Heller: The tanks of the Swiss Army from 1920 to 2008.
- Swiss Military Museum Full