Pars (tanks)

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Pars 6 × 6
Pars 8 × 8 from behind

Pars (Turkish name for the Anatolian leopard ) is the name of a military vehicle family of multi-axle, all-wheel drive , amphibious armored vehicles from Turkey . The vehicles are offered by the Turkish arms company FNSS and were developed in cooperation with the US company General Purpose Vehicles (GPV), which offered the vehicles under its own name.

history

The development of the vehicle family began in 2002 as a private joint project by FNSS and GPV; the first prototype was shown in 2005 at the IDEX armaments fair in Abu Dhabi . The vehicle family originally comprised a total of five models, of which FNSS only offers three:

  • FNSS Pars 4 × 4 / GPV Sentry
  • FNSS Pars 6 × 6 / GPV Commander
  • FNSS Pars 8 × 8 / GPV Captain

GPV offered two other models, the Colonel , also with four axles, but with a longer vehicle cell than the Captain , and the five-axle (10 × 10) General . GPV offered its vehicles to the armed forces and other security agencies and companies exclusively within the USA, but was unsuccessful and has since stopped marketing. FNSS, on the other hand, acts as an international exporter and offers the Pars worldwide.

Users

The United States Army Tank Automotive and Armaments Command (TACOM) of the US Army tested the GPV Colonel in 2004, but decided against acquiring the vehicle. The armed forces of Turkey also tested the vehicle (Pars 8 × 8), but a decision has not yet been made on whether to buy it.

In 2006, the Pars 8 × 8 competed in Malaysia in a test against the Swiss Mowag Piranha IIIC and the Polish KTO Rosomak, a license built by the Finnish Patria AMV . In April 2010, the Malaysian armed forces decided to procure a total of 257 wheeled armored vehicles based on the PARS, which FNSS, in cooperation with the Malaysian armaments company DEFTECH, are to adapt to Malaysian needs. A first prototype was announced for 2011, a total of 11 variants are planned, including armored transport vehicles, command vehicles and weapon carriers for armored and air defense systems, deliveries should be completed by 2016.

FNSS announced on July 12, 2017 that Oman had ordered 172 Pars III 8 × 8. Which versions will be adopted in the Omani armed forces has not been disclosed.

Web links

Commons : FNSS Pars  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Janes.com: FNSS Savunma Sistemleri Pars armored fighting vehicle , accessed April 23, 2010.
  2. ↑ a b Army-Technology.com: GPV Colonel 8 x 8 x 8 Armored Personnel Carrier, USA
  3. ↑ Jane's (May 3, 2006): Malaysia trials trio in search for 8x8 requirement. In: Jane's Defense Weekly, Vol 43, Issue 18, p. 15.
  4. ↑ Defense-Update.com (April 21, 2010): Malaysia Acquires 257 Turkish Designed 8x8 Pars APCs ( memento of April 26, 2010 in the Internet Archive ), accessed on April 23, 2010.
  5. ↑ Jeremy Binnie - IHS Jane's Defense Weekly: Oman receives first Pars III IFVs ( Memento from July 14, 2017 in the Internet Archive ) (English)