At the end of the 1960s, the army command of Germany felt it necessary to replace the long-standing armed Bundeswehr tracked armoured personnel carriers M 113 American production and the French “Gocci”. It was assumed for this purpose to develop a new wheeled armored vehicle with a carrying capacity of two tons, besides floating.
The main requirement was put forward the possibility of establishing a unified family two-, three-, four-axle four-wheel drive vehicles based on common components and assemblies, as well as specialized machines for various purposes on their chassis.
The design of armored Tpz.1 (Transportpanzer-1) with the wheel formula 6×6 instructed in 1973 by the firm “Daimler-Benz” (Daimler-Benz). Production in 1980 was established at the plant “Thyssen-Henschel” (Thyssen-Henschel) in Kassel. In the army the car was called “Fuchs” (“Fox”).
New armoured personnel carriers (APCS) had an unusual layout that is significantly different from its predecessors. The office was located in the front part and the power unit was shifted to the center of the body and separated by air-tight walls of fire. Marines – ten people in full ammunition – held aft compartment; for their exit, there were two back doors, and roof hatches.
Feed TPz 1 “Fuchs”. The sponsors on the sides you can see two four-bladed propellers, tell the machine speed on water 10 km/h On the rear wall of the housing strengthened block markers
Landing the aft compartment of the armored vehicle. Landing is 10 people
Armament armored personnel carrier “Fuchs” consists of a 7.62 mm MG3 machine gun mounted in front of the hatch of the commander of the machine, and smoke grenade launchers on the sides
On the APC it’s possible to install anti-tank missile complex “Milan”. On the photo: the rocket is on the launcher on the roof. While the crew was increased by two people
Welded machine frame is made of steel armor plates.
Ahead in case for armor plate glass of a large size were the commander of the vehicle and the driver: the driver’s – left, the commander on the right. The side doors also had bulletproof glass. In combat conditions they were covered by steel closed bronezaslonkami controlled from inside the cab. In this case, to monitor the road and to review the area on the roof, there were four periscope device monitoring.
In the middle of engine compartment transmission, PTO and engine were a single block, and the radiator and fan were on him. Diesel 8-cylinder engine “Mercedes-Benz” ОМ402А liquid cooled had a turbocharged and developed a capacity of 302 HP transmission 6N-500 stood automatic, six-speed hydromechanical.
Armored suspension – torsion; the wheels were telescopic hydraulic shock absorbers. The control loop established by power.
All six wheels are leading, but managed only two were the front pair. Tires – size 14.00×20 mm – supplied in two kits: combat and transport. In the first bullet, which had built-in rollers, which in the case of damaged tires can be had for a long time to continue, albeit with reduced speed. Second, traffic – with ordinary pneumatic chamber.
BTR TPz 1 “Fuchs” with ATGM “Milan”
1 – 7.62-mm machine gun MG3; 2 sponson machine guns; 3 – block smoke grenade launchers; 4 – ATGM “Milan”; 5 – turret launchers ATGM “Milan”; 6 – breezelink windshield; 7 – side door of the commander; 8 – the top hatch of the commander; 9 – closed blinds of engine-transmission compartment; 10 – Luke download ATRA; 11 – the upper hatch of the landing Bay; 12 – rear hatch of the landing Bay; 13 – antenna command communication; 14 – the screw propeller; 15 – armor valve inspection window; 16 – exit door of the landing compartment
“Fuchs” was an amphibious machine. To overcome the water spaces in the stern there were two propellers, equipped with a rotating system on 360°. Maybe it was even a movement back without turning – only by changing the 180° position of the screws.
Front housing was water deflector raised in heavy seas hydraulically. In case of contact with the body of water involved in this work, three bilge pump total capacity 180л/min.
For protection against weapons of mass destruction in the APC had the filtering and ventilating unit.
As the weapons used 7.62-mm machine gun MG3. He was on the roof of the hatch of the commander of the machine on a rotating turret. On the sides of the hull were placed smoke grenade launchers. Possible was the installation, and other light weapons, for example, 20-mm automatic gun “Basmas-Ter”, complexes of anti-tank missiles MUSIC or Milan, and the increase in the number of guns to three.
On the basis of armored TPz 1 “Fuchs” was created a whole family of military vehicles. It was issued 265 units modification Tpz 1A2/Funk in two versions – tabletop Tpz 1 A2/Fufu with additional radios and mobile radar stations TPz 1A2/PARA with radar reconnaissance of ground targets RASI, which rose on a hydraulic mast to a height of 30 m.
Machines radar struggle TPz 1 Eloka additional generator to ensure the operation of special equipment and a large number of antennas on the roof have produced 87 units. Released 140 armored personnel carriers, chemical and radiation reconnaissance TPz 1АЗ/ABC, which had on Board sensors and equipment, devices for sampling air and soil, mechanisms of arm location of markers. 220 machines had the army corps of engineers for laying mines and clearing minefields. Another 220 units were delivered in the rear of the unit first, to ensure ammunition and transportation assets, and secondly, they can be used as sanitary for export from the field wounded.
Total produced about 1,500 units of four-wheel drive three-axle floating APC in 26 modifications.
Thus, the job issue on the armored personnel carrier “Fuchs” specialized cars for various purposes was performed.
As of 2010, the Bundeswehr was 348 units Tpz 1 (see “Foreign military review”, No. 3, 2011, p. 44).
In 1988 the American company “General dynamics” together with “Thyssen-Henshel” has developed a modification of the TPz 1 for the U.S. army, designed for reconnaissance in the conditions of the use of weapons of mass destruction. The following year, three armored personnel carriers under the designation “Fuchs” NBC was sent to American ground for testing.
In February 1991 the middle East erupted the so-called “Gulf War”. International forces led by the USA (by UN mandate) acted against Iraq to liberate Kuwait and restore its independence. By this time the Americans did not have time to prepare a new “Fuchs” NBC to adopting. Fear of use in the conflict of chemical weapons, the US military command urgently purchased 70 German armored personnel carrier “Fuchs”; they have installed special equipment. And soon decided to equip their units the German “Fuchs” chemical and Ukrainian intelligence.
Command post vehicle Tpz 1 A2/FuFu on the armored personnel carrier “Fuchs”
Sanitary modification of the APC “Fuchs” for the evacuation of wounded from the battlefield. Afghanistan, September, 2010
The first batch of reconnaissance machines ХМ93 “Fuchs” arrived in the U.S. in April 1993, They re-equipped us military “conditions”. Set your radios, communication equipment, altered machine-gun turrets. Hematide sensors, weather sensors, mass spectrometers had to climb on a retractable mast in the Central part of the body. Placed perfect equipment for processing the received information, which is now processed by the Central computer. Possible was the transfer of data in digital form via radio link to higher standing authorities. The workplace of the commander is equipped with a display to monitor the tactical situation. Set the navigation system VOS-25.
However, all this had to increase the crew to four people.
It was planned to adopt the U.S. army 210 such APCS.
In 1996 the firm “General dynamics” was awarded a new contract for a new upgrade 50 machines ХМ93 for army units and 10 units for the marine corps of the United States. Automation of functioning of onboard equipment allowed in this case to again reduce the crew to three people.
In the US army “Fuchs” was renamed to “Fox”. Modified for intelligence the APC received the designation M93 “Fox-2” and М93А1 “Fox-3”.
So the German armored personnel carrier Transportpanzer 1 Fuchs (“Fuchs”), engineered in Germany to replace the American M113 armored personnel carrier, he took place in the armament of the U.S. army.
Tpz 1 is also in the army of England, Venezuela, Israel, etc.
The PERFORMANCE characteristics of ARMORED TPz 1 “FUCHS”
The crew cel……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..2
Landing, cal……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..10
Weight, kg…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 14 200
Combat weight, kg……………………………………………………………………………………………………….. 17 000
The length of the body, mm………………………………………………………………………………………………………6760
Width of the body, mm……………………………………………………………………………………………………2980
The height of the roof of the housing, mm……………………………………………………………………………………..2300
Clearance, mm………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….450
Track width, mm……………………………………………………………………………………………………….2540
Wheelbase mm………………………………………………………………………………………………..1750/2050
Bronirovanie…………………………………………………………………………………protection against 7.62 mm bullets
Weapons………….7,62-mm machine gun, smoke grenade launchers (20-mm gun, anti-tank systems “Milan”)
Engine…………diesel “Mercedes-Benz” ОМ402А turbocharged; power 302 HP
Suspension……………………..independent, torsion bar with telescopic hydraulic shock absorbers
The speed on the highway, km/C……………………………………………………………………………………………….105
Speed afloat, km/C…………………………………………………………………………………………………..10
Cruising on the highway cm………………………………………………………………………………………………..800
Fuel tank capacity, l…………………………………………………………………………………………..390
Overcoming obstacles in m:
vertical stance…………………………………………………………………………………………………….0,6
width RWA………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….0,9
V. TALANOV
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