Schutzenpanzer SPz 11-2 Kurz

Schutzpanzer SPz 11-2 Short Stories

France's Hotchkiss has partnered with the West German Army to develop a new Armoured Reconnaissance Vehicle (ARV) based on the Hotchkiss SP1A. The final product was adopted as the Schutzenpanzer SPz 11-2 "Kurz" and was moderately armed and armored for fast reconnaissance missions.

Ultimately, 2,374 examples of this type were delivered from 1958 to 1962, and several other battlefield variants were eventually developed to meet other ongoing Army needs. The line was eventually replaced by the modern eight-wheeled vehicle Spahpanzer Luchs, described elsewhere on this page.

The final form becomes a vehicle weighing 8,200 kg, 4.5 meters long, 2.28 meters wide and 2 meters high. Armor protection includes a chrome-nickel-molybdenum combination up to 15mm thick for good protection against small arms fire and artillery jets.

The fuselage features well-sloping forward-leaning panels and slightly inward-sloping sidewalls. The driver managed a position in the front left of the fuselage, and the small vehicle had a total crew of five, including a vehicle commander and a full-time gunner.

The landing gear consists of five twin tire wheels on one side of the fuselage, with the drive sprocket at the front and the track idler at the rear. Three orbital deflection rollers are used for the upper orbital field.

The suspension is of the torsion bar variety, offering solid off-road performance. Power comes from a 164 hp Hotchkiss et Cie 6-cylinder petrol system. The range is 390 km and the top speed is 58 km/h.

The SPz 11-2 carries a cannon in its movable turret, a 20mm Hispano-Suiza 820/L85 series automatic cannon. 500 x 20mm projectiles are carried on board. The gun is aimed through a conventional periscope sight. In addition, auxiliary weapons are not installed.

Added three smoke grenade launchers to check vehicles while maneuvering in the wild.

The car lived a quiet life, serving throughout its career as part of a West German infantry battalion and armored reconnaissance unit, and was never exported. Since West Germany would be ground zero for a Soviet invasion, it would make sense for the West German military to stock up on local hardware without relying solely on contributions from the United States or elsewhere. Over time, in addition to the basic ARV form, several other related variants were added to the West German Army stables. These include an armoured ambulance, an 81mm mortar vehicle, a supply vehicle (four wheels instead of a tracked arrangement), a radar vehicle (AN/TPS-33 series radar) and an observation vehicle.

In response to the emergence of heavily armored enemy tanks, the light tank Spahpanzer SC I.C. of the SPz 11-2 series was developed with a 90mm anti-tank gun.

Schutzenpanzer SPz 11-2 Short Form

Basic

Roles

Dimensions

Performance

Performance

Armor

500 x 20mm projectile.

3 x Smoke Grenade.

Changes