Kanonenjagdpanzer
| Kanonenjagdpanzer | |
|---|---|
_-_Jagdpanzer_Kanone_90_mm.jpg)
A Kanonenjagdpanzer in 1968
|
|
| Type | Tank destroyer |
| Place of origin |
 West Germany
|
| Service history | |
| In service | 1965–1990 |
| Used by |
West Germany Belgium
|
| Production history | |
| Manufacturer | Henschel and Hanomag |
| Produced | 1965–1967 |
| Specifications | |
| Weight | 27.5 tonnes |
| Length | Total: 8.75 m (28 ft 8 in) Hull: 6.24 m (20 ft 6 in) |
| Width | 2.98 m (9 ft 9 in) |
| Height | 2.09 m (6 ft 10 in) |
| Crew | 4 (commander, gunner, loader, driver) |
|
|
|
| Armor | 10–50mm |
|
Main
armament |
1 × Rheinmetall BK 90/L40 90mm anti-tank gun |
|
Secondary
armament |
2 × 7.62mm MG3 machine guns 8 smoke dischargers |
| Engine | 29,4l MTU MB 837 Aa V8 water-cooled multi-fuel diesel-engine 500 hp (368 kW) |
| Suspension | torsion bar |
|
Operational
range |
385 km (239 mi) |
| Speed | 70km/h (43.5 mph) |
The Kanonenjagdpanzer (also known as Jagdpanzer Kanone 90mm, or tank destroyer, gun) was a German Cold War tank destroyer equipped with a 90mm anti-tank gun from obsolete M47 Patton tanks. Its design was very similar to that of the World War II Jagdpanzer IV.
The first prototypes of the Kanonenjagdpanzer were built in 1960 by Hanomag and Henschel for West Germany and by MOWAG for Switzerland. Between 1966 and 1967, 770 units were built for the Bundeswehr, 385 by Hanomag and 385 by Henschel. Eighty of them were delivered to Belgium from April 1975 onward.
When the Soviets began deploying their T-64 and T-72 main battle tanks, the 90 mm gun was not capable of engaging them in long-range combat and the Kanonenjagdpanzer became obsolete. Although the producers claimed it could be rearmed with a 105 mm gun, between 1983 and 1985, 163 of these tank destroyers were converted into Raketenjagdpanzer Jaguar 2 anti-tank guided missile carriers by removing the gun, adding a roof-mounted TOW missile launcher and fastening further spaced and perforated armour on the hull. Some others were refitted into artillery observation vehicles by removing the main gun, so called Beobachtungspanzer, which served most particularly in the mortar units.
Some Kanonenjagdpanzer remained into service with the Heimatschutztruppe until 1990.
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Wikipedia