- ASCOD AFV
Infobox Weapon
is_vehicle=yes
type=Armoured Fighting Vehicle
origin=flagicon|Austria Austria, flagicon|Spain Spain
name=ASCOD Pizarro
caption=Spanish Pizarro inMadrid , 2006.
length=6.24 m (26 ft)
width=3.64 m (12 ft)
height=2.43 m (8 ft)
weight=28tonne s (30.9short ton s)
suspension=torsion bar
speed=Road: 72 km/h
primary_armament=30 mmMauser MK 30-2
secondary_armament=MG3 7.62 mm (Pizarro) MG74 7.62 mm (Ulan)
armour=
crew=3 + 7 passengers
engine=Diesel
engine_power=600 hp (Pizarro) 720 hp (Ulan)The ASCOD (Austrian Spanish Cooperation Development) AFV family is the product of a cooperation parp 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
Santa Bárbara Sistemas . The ASCOD family includes the LT 105, alight tank equipped with a 105 mmgun , a SAM launcher, anAnti-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.Development history
The ASCOD was designed to replace the older light armoured fighting vehicles of the Austrian and Spanish armies, such as the
M113 armoured personnel carrier . The Ulan, the Austrian version of the Pizarro, would provide a flexible compliment to their heavyLeopard 2 A4. The Ulan would allow the Austrian army to deploy rapidly and effectively over longer distances, especially for foreseeable future operations - such asKosovo , or another trouble spot. [Quod Vadis Armour?] The first prototype of the ASCOD IFV was ready and tested by 1992 and production was possible only four years later. [Santa Bárbara Sistems] The ASCOD was a very modern solution to bring both the Austrian and Spanish armour up to date. To put this into perspective, the Pizarro project was a part of the greater Project CORAZA (Project Armour) which was to replace Spain'sM113 APCs, M60A3s, andM110 artillery pieces. [Candil, pg. 42] A similar upgrade program was also concurrently underway in Austria. By 2005 the Austrian army was equipped with 112 Ulan vehicles [Quod Vadis Armour?] and Spain with 144 (123IFV and 21 C2V). [Principales Programas de Armamento de DGAM] In 2004 the Spanish Ministry of Defence ordered another 212 Pizarros (170 IFV, 5 C2V, 28Artillery observation, 8 recovery, 1 Engineering vehicle) for 707.5 million Euros, [Ministry of Defence] with up to 900 units total planned. [Army Technology]The Pizarro mounts a 30 mm
Mauser cannon in a fully traversable electro-mechanical turret. The 30 mm cannon, stabilized on two planes, is able to fire on the move at a rate of up to 800 rounds per minute. It also carries a 7.62 mm machine gun as a secondary armament, carrying up to 205 rounds for the 30 mm gun and 700 for the 7.62 mm machine gun. This armament is comparable to that of theM2 Bradley and theCV90 , and performed well in a Norwegian vehicles trial, although it ultimately lost to the Swedish CV90. The gun uses the Mk-10 fire control system from Indra, which has a full solution digital ballistic computer, day channel, thermal channel and laser rangefinder. Future versions of the Mk-10 will be fitted with a new VC2 thermal imager. [Army Technoloy] The ASCOD Pizarro is also very well armoured, with a thick steel armour casing protected against up to 14,5 mm bullets at 500 meters, [revistanaval.com] with all around protection against 7.62 mm ammunition. [Army Technology] Furthermore, the turret has twogrenade launcher s on either side to firesmoke grenade s. The Pizarro is also fitted with limited amounts of SABBLIR reactive armour and might be upgraded with more later. [Santa Bárbara Sistemas] However, with appliqué steel plates fitted it can be protected against 30 mm APDS. [Revistanaval.com]In terms of mobility, the Spanish Pizarro is fitted with a convert|600|hp engine, while the Austrian Ulan includes a convert|720|hp engine. The smaller Spanish engine gives it a power to weight ratio of 21, and the larger engine one of 25, offering both vehicles excellent mobility. Both versions use a
Renk HSWL 106C hydro-mechanical transmission, and torsion bar suspension. [Army Technology] The Pizarro can go a maximum speed of 70 km/h, and a maximum reverse speed of 35 km/h. [Santa Bárbara Sistemas]Currently Steyr-Daimler-Puch Spezialfahrzeuge is developing an improved version called Ulan 2, which features the Russian BMP-3 turret and additional armour. [Armada.ch]
Deployment History
There have been at least 112 units deployed in the Austrian Army, as well as around 143 deployed with the Spanish Army. It has been deployed to Kosovo in Operation Alfa-Romeo, where they disembarked at Durrës,
Albania . They have also been publicly displayed during the National Day Parade in Madrid. It's very likely that they will be deployed to future UN and NATO operations throughout the world.Variants
*Pizarro - Spanish version of the IFV
*Ulan - Austrian version of the IFV
*LT-105 Light Tank - A light tank, designed for the export market, with a 105 mm gun. 15 have been sold to theRoyal Thai Army . The turret was designed by General Dynamics. [Europea1999.com]
*VCOAV - (Vehículo de Observación Avanzada) Advanced Reconnaissance Vehicle
*VCREC - Recovery vehicle
*VCZ - Engineering vehicleNotes
References
Candil, Antonio J. "Spain's Armor Force Modernizes" in "Armor", March 1, 1998. Fort Knox, KY: US Army Armor Center. ISSN 0004-2420.
"Quo Vadis Armour?" in "Military Technology", November 1, 2003.[http://www.army-technology.com/projects/ascod/ Army Technology]
[http://www.mde.es Spain's Ministry of Defence]
[http://www.revistanaval.com/blimdanet/historias/articulo/articulo.htm ¿INFANTERÍA MECANIZADA?]
[http://www.europa1939.com/tanques/afv/ascod.html Pizarro IFV]
[http://www.gdsbs.com/web/frame.asp?page=http://www.gdsbs.com/web/productos/producto.asp?idprod=18 Santa Bárbara Sistemas]
[http://www.mde.es/dgam/principalesprogramasaym.htm Principales Programas de Armamento de DGAM]External links
* [http://www.armyrecognition.com/europe/Espagne/vehicules_legers/ASCOD_Pizarro/Pizarro_Espagne_description.htm Technical data sheet and pictures Spanish Pizarro from ArmyRecognition.com]
* [http://www.doppeladler.com/oebh/kette/ulan.htm The Ulan (ASCOD) in the Austrian Armed Forces - technical data and pictures]
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