Kanonenjagdpanzer

Infobox Weapon
name=Kanonenjagdpanzer


caption=
origin=FRG
type=Tank destroyer
is_vehicle=yes
length= total: 8.75m hull: 6.29
width= 2.98
height= 2.10
weight= 25.7
suspension= torsion bar
speed= 70
vehicle_range=385
primary_armament= 1 x Rheinmetall BK 90/L40 90mm anti-tank gun
secondary_armament= 2 x 7.62mm MG3 machine guns 8 smoke dischargers
armour= ?
engine=2,94l MTU MB 837 Aa V8 water-cooled multi-fuel diesel-engine
engine_power=500 hp (368 kW)
pw_ratio=
crew=4 (commander, gunner, loader, driver)

The Kanonenjagdpanzer 4 - 5 (also known as Jagdpanzer Kanone 90mm, or "tank destroyer, gun") was a German post-war tank destroyer equipped with a 90mm anti-tank gun. Its design was very similar to that of the World War II Jagdpanzer IV. Between 1966 and 1967, 770 were built by Hanomag and Henschel for the Bundeswehr. They were tracked and lightly armoured turretless vehicles, fast and highly mobile, with a crew of four (commander, driver, gunner, loader). Eighty of them were delivered to Belgium from April 1975 onward.

When the Soviets began to deploy their T-64 and T-72 tanks, the 90mm gun became obsolete. Moreover, experienced World War II tank hunters pointed out the deficiencies of the casemate design, which limited the horizontal firing angle of the gun to only 15° on either side. During 1983 - 1985, thus, 163 of these tank destroyers were converted into missile carrying tank destroyers ("Raketenjagdpanzer") Jaguar 2 by replacing the gun with a TOW missile launcher and adding some armour. The others were refitted into scout and spotting vehicles ("Beobachtungspanzer") for the artillery, particularly the mortar units, by removing the main gun.

External links

* [http://www.panzerbaer.de/types/bw_kanjgpz_90-a.htm Panzerbär] (de)
* [http://members.fortunecity.de/flecktarn2/flecktarn-heer007.htm Flecktarn]