Water cannon 9000
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The water cannons 9000 is as water cannons , a police emergency vehicle of the federal police and the country's willingness police forces in Germany . This type is also occasionally used in Switzerland .
Development and history
development
The WaWe 9000 (9000 l tank capacity, WaWe 9 for short) was developed towards the end of the 1970s and put into service at the German Federal Border Police at the beginning of the 1980s, after the previous generations were no longer able to cope with the increased operational requirements. The riots became more violent, the water supply was limited and these vehicles were increasingly stormed or incapacitated. So today's vehicles have z. B. shatterproof polycarbonate glazing (Lexan), which makes grids superfluous, and tires with run-flat properties. The higher driver's cab enables a higher seating arrangement for the two rear pipe driver's seats and thus a better view of the two pipe operators (throwers) on the incident.
commitment
In Germany in March 2015, 34 of the 116 WaWe 9000 water cannons were still stationed in the federal and riot police departments, with 6 vehicles being used by the federal police and 28 by the state police. Older models ( WaWe 4000 , WaWe 6000 ) are no longer in use or are only used for training purposes. The WaWe 9000 are based exclusively on Mercedes-Benz all-wheel drive chassis of the Mercedes NG and later SK series , the assembly was carried out by the companies Metz ( prototypes) and Ziegler (series production), which as body manufacturers mainly equip fire fighting vehicles. A water cannon costs around one million euros today.
The federal government procures all command and control equipment (FEM) of the state riot police, including vehicles. This means that they are largely uniform in their equipment. The WaWe 9000 are designed differently due to the ten-year procurement period and simply the fact that two generations were used as the base vehicle (Mercedes NG and later SK series). Thanks to the close cooperation between the bodybuilder and the police, experience was constantly gathered and improvements made to future productions. There are also differences in the engines: while in the older NG series the type series 2628 AK with 206 kW (280 PS) served as the base vehicle, there were two versions in the subsequent SK series: the 2629 AK with 210 kW (286 PS ) from the period 1990/91 and the 2634 AK with 250 kW (340 PS), which was delivered around 1994, the period when Mercedes revised the SK series, known as "SK 94" or "Deflektor" - in series vehicles recognizable by the new grill and the inclined wind deflectors. The WaWe of the SK series, however, almost all had a fully veneered cooler, but some had strips applied. In the 94 series, the driver's cab was slightly higher than in the other models, so that the anti-climb protection above the bumper still has a vertical edge and the protective cover over the front wheels is cut deeper. A comparison of the two models shown on the right (BGS-WaWe of the NG series, including the new SK 94) clearly shows this. The cab is higher in this 94 series because the turbocharger located on the cylinder block of the V6 engine (type OM 441 LA) requires sufficient space. The SK models from 1991 had a non-supercharged V8 (OM 442 with 210 kW / 286 PS), the block of which was also used in the NG series before.
After the end of production of the SK series in 1996, water cannons 9000 based on the successor model Mercedes-Benz Actros were also supplied to Switzerland . The water cannons have otherwise largely remained technically unchanged. The German police authorities do not have any 9000 water cannons from the Actros series or from other vehicle manufacturers. The Ziegler company has developed a new type of water cannon based on the WaWe 9000, which has an integrated, specially protected cabin. Vehicles of this type are u. a. used in Switzerland and Belgium.
business
A crew of at least four officials is required to operate the WaWe 9000:
- commander
- Drivers
- One officer each to operate one of the two roof turrets (launchers 1 + 2)
A fifth seat is available on the front center seat for observers, pilots, etc.
A machinist is no longer needed today, as the pump motor in the stern is operated from the commander's seat. Through this separate pump motor, the water discharge can take place independently of the driving state and is not like the power take-off coupled to the rotational speed of the traction motor.
Whereas in the previous models WaWe 4000 and WaWe 6000 the gun tubes had to be operated by muscle power, in the WaWe 9000 this is done by joystick operation. The launching tubes extend at the push of a button, while the tube operator's seats rotate depending on the position of the launching tubes. However, it is operated manually, there are no automated programs, aiming devices or the like. In addition to the two roof lights, the vehicles also have a rear jet pipe.
The water supply can be drawn in from public waters via a suction connection or B-hoses (e.g. via hydrants ). Hose connections are also available for fire extinguishing tasks, and the vehicles also have appropriate extinguishing fittings. The absorbed water must be checked against the formation of germs and kept clean by adding chlorine.
If possible, several water cannons are grouped together and reserve vehicles are kept available, which are successively replaced when the supply is used up. A second team of water cannons is also provided for each water cannon. The operation is often accompanied by security forces and an armored clearing vehicle ( special vehicle , police jargon: Sowa 4). These vehicles are often assigned to the water cannon squadrons (WaWeSt or WaWe / SW trains), which are subordinate to the technical operational units (TEE) of the respective emergency or federal police department.
Technical specifications
| Dimensions (L × W × H) | 8.5 × 2.5 × 3.65 m / 4.15 m * |
| Engines | Mercedes-Benz OM 442 with approx. 206 kW (V8) or OM 441 LA (V6) with 250 kW (from 1994) |
| v max | 109 km / h |
| Fuel tank | 300 liters of diesel |
| Total mass | 26.3 t (with filled water tank) |
| Water tank | 9000 liters |
| Pump motor | 6 cylinders, 124 kW |
| Fire extinguishing centrifugal pump | 2200 liters / min at 15 bar |
| Throw range | 65 meters |
(* Height with retracted or extended turret tubes. Small, construction-related height differences)
photos
Extended roof turret of the WaWe 9000
Rear thrower and reversing signal horn of the WaWe 9000
WaWe commander's console
future
One of the vehicles, some of which are now over 20 years old, has been preserved in the 1st German Police Oldtimer Museum . Many have already been shut down or sold to voluntary fire brigades and are gradually being replaced by a model manufactured by Rosenbauer International , the WaWe 10000 . In 2009 a prototype was first presented to the Federal Police. In the meantime, several departments of the federal and state riot police have received the first vehicles.
Three used 9000 water cannons were sold to the City of London in 2014 . Due to technical and not least political hurdles, these were never used and were sold for scrapping at the end of 2018.
literature
- Hans-Jürgen Schmidt: We wear the federal eagle on our skirt - Chronicle of the Federal Border Police 1951–1971 Fiedler-Verlag, Coburg 1995 ISBN 3-923434-17-0
Individual evidence
- ↑ Hans-Jürgen Schmidt: We carry the eagle of the federal government on the rock - Chronicle of the Federal Border Guard 1951-1971 Fiedler-Verlag, Coburg 1995 ISBN 3-923434-17-0 , page 59
- ↑ Number of water cannons at federal and state authorities. Retrieved August 13, 2017 .
- ↑ Archive link ( memento from June 29, 2009 in the Internet Archive ) Actros water cannon of the Zurich canton police (French text)
- ↑ https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2016/dec/14/boris-johnsons-unused-water-cannon-were-fitted-with-1000-stereos
- ↑ https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2018/nov/19/boris-johnson-unused-water-cannon-sold-for-scrap-at-300000-loss