ASCOD AFV

ASCOD Ulan/Pizarro
Austrian Ulan
Type	Armoured fighting vehicle
Place of origin	Austria and Spain
Specifications
Weight	26.3 tonnes (29.0 short tons) (Pizarro) 28 tonnes (31 short tons) (Ulan)
Length	6.83 m (22 ft)
Width	3.64 m (12 ft)
Height	2.43 m (8 ft)
Crew	3 + 8 passengers
Armor	rolled steel armor options for explosive reactive armor and composite armor
Main armament	30 mm Mauser MK 30/2
Secondary armament	MG3 7.62×51mm NATO (Pizarro) FN MAG 7.62×51mm NATO (Ulan)
Engine	Diesel 600 hp (Pizarro) 720 hp (Ulan)
Suspension	torsion bar and Piedrafita rotary dampers models AR01 and AR02.
Speed	Road: 72 km/h

The ASCOD (Austrian Spanish Cooperation Development) armoured fighting vehicle family is the product of a cooperation agreement between Austrian Steyr-Daimler-Puch AG (in 1998 the production of heavy armed vehicles was sold out under the name Steyr-Daimler-Puch Spezialfahrzeug, which is now the producer) and Spanish General Dynamics Santa Bárbara Sistemas (both companies are now divisions of a unit of General Dynamics). The ASCOD family includes the LT 105, a light tank equipped with a 105 mm gun, a SAM launcher, an anti-tank missile launcher, mortar carrier, R&R vehicle, Command & Control vehicle, ambulance, artillery observer, and the AIFV model. In Spanish service the vehicle is called Pizarro, while the Austrian version is called Ulan.

The ASCOD was designed to replace the older light armoured fighting vehicles of the Austrian and Spanish armies, such as the M113 armored personnel carrier and the Saurer APC. The Ulan, the Austrian version of the Pizarro, would provide a flexible complement to their heavy Leopard 2A4. The Ulan would allow the Austrian army to deploy rapidly and effectively over longer distances, especially for foreseeable future operations—such as troubled spots for UN operations.

In 1982, Steyr-Daimler-Puch Spezialfahrzeug initiated the conception phase for the development of a new infantry fighting vehicle. Following first talks with the militaries of Greece, Norway and Switzerland to find the desired requirements for a new IFV. The decision to develop a new IFV was made following the Bundesheer announced the military requirement for the Kampfschützenpanzer 90 (combat infantry fighting vehicle 90) in 1985. Based on this, Steyr-Daimler-Puch Spezialfahrzeug started the conception of the vehicle; however, it was clear that Austria would not order new IFVs in the next years and that the development costs exceeded Steyr's budget. Therefore, in 1988, a cooperation with the Spanish company Empresa National Santa Barbara S. A. was signed, which resulted in the development being renamed to ASCOD (Austrian Spanish Cooperative Development). Following this, the development of the ASCOD was started. The hulls were manufactured in Spain, while the ASCOD turrets (based on the SP-30 turret design used on the scout version of the Pandur) were made by Steyr in Austria. The first prototype was presented in 1991 in Sevilla and tested by 1992 with production being possible only four years later.