Raketenjagdpanzer 4 (RakJPz 4) / Jaguar 2

The history of the missile Jagdpanzer 4 (RakJPz 4) / Jaguar 2

For decades, the West German army relied on a series of light, increasingly capable, missile-equipped tracked combat vehicles as tank destroyers. The original form was based on dismissing the SS. 11 Anti-Tank Guided Missiles (ATGMs) followed by models with Euromissile HOT ATGMs.

The line culminated in the Rocket Tank Destroyer 4 (RakJPz 4) (aka "Jaguar 2") in 1983, which adopted the American Hughes TOW ATGM as its primary weapon.

162 Jaguar 2 tanks completed for their share in Cold War (1947-1991) history, these are modifications of existing 1960s gun destroyers which are armed tank destroyers (described in detail elsewhere on this page) . ). The fixed artillery armament of the old tank was removed, replaced by a rocket launcher system, and the hull layout was revised. The sloped sides are retained for basic ballistic protection.

Like previous German tracked tank destroyers, the RakJPz 4 consists of four people (driver, commander, gunner and loader) and is powered by a 500 hp MTU MB837 Aa V8 water-cooled diesel engine. The road speed reaches 70 km/h and the range is up to 400 km. A torsion bar suspension system aids on-land driving. Structurally, the compact tank is 6.6 meters long, 3.1 meters wide, 2.5 meters high, and weighs 24.8 tons.

Armor protection reaches 50mm and decals have been added to the key fairings, while the overall construction is all welded steel.

In addition to the TOW missile weapon, the RakJPz 4 also carries a 7.62mm MG3 anti-infantry machine gun and is equipped with 8 smoke grenade launchers, giving the vehicle self-surveillance capabilities. In 1993, the TOW missile was abandoned and replaced by a vastly improved TOW-2 anti-tank missile line for more tank lethality.

The RakJPz 4 was operated only by the German Army and was never exported. This line ended in 1993, when the Soviet Empire collapsed in 1991, and by 1990 Germany had become a unified country (reborn from its post-World War II East-West components).

The Jaguar 2 series has been replaced by an upgraded version of the Jaguar 1A3, the Jaguar 1 tank destroyer detailed elsewhere on this page.

Specification

Basic

Roles

Dimensions

Performance

Performance

for everyone else in our database)

Armor

1,000 x 7.62mm ammo

8 x Smoke Grenade

Changes