swiss armoured car Mowag Shark FL-12, Swiss land-predator

[CaID 8,996]

 

 

i would like to make a suggestion for an Swiss armoured car, one of the best of the Swiss armoured car ever built. the mowag Shark with FL-12 turret

 

The Mowag Shark is a surprising large family of armoured car the was designed by Mowag in 1978 and the first prototype built in 1981. presented as basically a enlarged version of the Mowag Piranha 8X8 with more protection. the Shark was intended to be a wheeled tank and not really a IFV or APC like the piranha. more particularly for tank destroying role but also offer a large versatility of role due to the many turret that could be fitted. the chassis alone weight 16 tonnes and if intended to carry a turret up to 6 tonnes to give a weight of 22 tonnes but the weight was carefully studied to give an optimal agility with a 5 tonnes turret (the centre of gravity would be in the exact centre of the vehicle). the Shark feature a high quality suspension and high protection. but this come to a cost which was the price itself. the Shark was much more expensive than the Piranha who was often capable to carry the same turret. despite of a high publicity campaign, and trial in different country including Germany, Canada and Switzerland, no order came for the Shark. 3 prototype was built from 1981 to 1983 and the mass-production was ready in July 1983 but this production never took place.

 

in this suggestion we will focus more precisely on the Mowag Shark FL-12. this version was Created in 1982 and tested by Switzerland. this version was intended to be a tank destroyer and offer a rather interesting cost-efficiency performance if we do not consider the cost of the vehicle itself. the tank was armed with a 105mm gun who was capable of offering the firepower of a MBT of the 2nd generation. the turret was refitted with the SOPTAC fire-control system which include a Laser-rangefinder. this turret was built by Five-Lille and was fitted on different vehicles, notably the AMX 13 and the SK 105 (but the SOPTAC fire-control system was optional) the trial was successfully conducted from July 1982 but the Swiss army didn't order this tank. probably in favour of the Piranha refitted with TWO missiles who was accepted for services in 1984 (Panzerjäger 85 in 1984 and Panzerjäger 90 in 1989)

 

Firepower

The main armament is a 105mm CN 105-57 which is the same armament of the Sk 105. only the turret wasn't fitted with a powered auto-loader. the turret have a fire-rate of 8 to 12 rounds minutes (the reload get longer when the revolver get empty due to the weight balance). the rotation is hydraulically powered which give a speed of 30°/sec but the elevation speed reach only 5°/ which is a tiny bit slow. the turret is refitted with the SOPTAC fire-control  who include a Cilas TCV107 laser rangefinder for more accuracy at up to 10km. the ammunition load is not well know but the turret include 12 rounds in two revolver. the turret is equipped with a M-213 sight with a magnification of X7.5. for night shooting, a Sopelem TN2-12 could be used with light amplification and a magnification of x5. but the TN2-12 was apparently not fitted.

 

+ Laser rangefinder

+ Night vision (optional, apparently not fitted)

 

105 mm CN-105-57 L/44
Capacity (magazine)		firerate	Vertical	Horizontal	Stabilizer	Rotation speed (°/sec)	Reload (sec)
at leat 12 (12)		8 to 12	8°/+12°	±180°	N/A	30.0	5.00

 

Penetration statistics
Ammunition	Type of warhead	Penetration @ 0° Angle of Attack (mm)
		10 m	100 m	500 m	1,000 m	1,500 m	2,000 m
OCC 105 F1	HEAT	400	400	400	400	400	400
OE 105 F1 Mle.60	HE	25	25	25	25	25	25

Shell details
Ammunition	Type of warhead	Velocity (m/s)	Projectile mass (kg)	Fuse delay (m)	Fuse sensitivity (mm)	Explosive mass (TNT equivalent) (kg)	Ricochet
							0%	50%	100%
OCC 105 F1	HEAT	800	10.95	0.05	0.1	1.02	62°	69°	73°
OE 105 F1 Mle.60	HE	700	12.1	0	0.1	2	79°	80°	81°

Smoke shell characteristics
Ammunition	Velocity (m/s)	Projectile mass (kg)	Screen radius (m)	Screen deploy time (s)	Screen hold time (s)	Explosive mass (TNT equivalent) (g)
OFPH 105 F1	700	11.4	20	5	25	50

Mobility

the Shark is powered by a General Motors Detroit Diesel 8V-71 T developing 530 hp at 2500 rpm. this was intended to give a power weight of 25 hp/ton at the weight of 21 tonnes. the shark is designed to offer a high speed on rough terrain with a top speed of 80 km/h off-road and climb very sharp slope of 70% angle. that mean that the Shark was basically capable to hunt his target on any terrain. the Allison automatic box model HT-750 DRD off a 5 forward speed and 1 backward. it is coupled with an auxiliary two-speed transfer box and four self-locking differentials that can be coupled, two to two or all four, pneumatically by the driver depending on the terrain conditions or driving needs. the centre of gravity with a 5 tonnes turret was carefully studied to be placed at exactly 1.25m from the ground right between the 2nd and 3rd axes, which is basically the centre of the vehicle. each wheel have independent suspension. the two middle axes aren't steerable; their suspension is build with shock absorbers and their wheels being mounted on oscillating arms connected to torsion bar.  the first and last are steerable and hydraulically assisted. they are having suspension by wishbone, oversized helical spring and hydraulic damper. the prototype was fitting Michelin 13.00 x 20 tubeless tires

 

Max Speed (km/h)		Weight (tons)	Engine power (horsepower)		Power-to-weight ratio (hp/ton)
Forward	Reverse		530		25.24
100	20 ?	21

Protection

The protection of the Shark was intended to allow it to be used fairly close to the battlefield. but retaining a good weight which was carefully studied to give a perfect balance on the vehicle. the armour was offering a protection against 14.5mm KPV armour piercing round or 155mm HE round at 10m on all side. the armour was build with high-resistance armour plates and sloped on all side to improve the protection while retaining a light weight. this make the chassis have a a protection similar to the Italian Centuro B1 (without add-on armour). this make this vehicle have the protection similar to a light tank except certain tank like the Russian BMP who have rather terrible armour. in the case of the FL-12 turret been mounted, the crew include 3 men and for additional protection, the vehicles have 10 smoke launcher.

 

* this fallowing armour thickness is estimated based on the protection efficiency reported and knowing the armour been made of HHRhA

 

Armour	Front	Sides	Rear	Roof
Hull	20 mm (30°) upper glassis 20 mm (40°) lower glassis	20 mm (60°) top 20mm (60°) bottom 30mm (0°) under the tower	20 mm (50°) bottom 25 mm (20°) top	12 mm
Turret	20 - 40 (16-69°) mm Turret front 40 mm (0-90°) Gun Mantlet	20-40 mm	10-20 mm	10 mm
Cupola	10 mm (60°)	10 mm	10 mm	10 mm

 

 

Specifications
Mass	21 tonnes (with FL-12 turret)
Length	7.52 m
Width	3.00 m
Height	1.90 m without turret
Crew	3
Armour	against 14.5mm AP round on all side (chassis)
Main armament	1× 105 mm CN-105-57
Secondary armament	2x LMG (Swiss standard are MG 51, one coaxial, and one to be mounted on the roof of the turret)
Engine	General Motors Detroit Diesel 8V-71 T developping 530 hp at 2500 rpm
Suspension	varipous, depending of the wheels
Ground clearance	450 mm
Maximum speed	100 km/h (60 mph) , off-road: 80 km/h (48 mph)

 

 

source

https://www.defensa.com/ayer-noticia/mowag-shark-8x8-tiburon-dientes-agudos

https://www.secretprojects.co.uk/threads/mowag-shark.3948/

 

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[Thatz 637]

Open for Discussion

[TheNexonRegime 429]

I'd love to see this. +1

[Milocat 4,857]

+1 for a future Swiss/Alpine tree.