Kanonenjagdpanzer

The Kanonenjagdpanzer was a German Cold War tank destroyer equipped with a 90mm anti-tank gun taken from obsolete M47 Patton tanks. Its design was very similar to that of the WW2 Jagdpanzer IV. It was a highly mobile vehicle, its survivability based on its speed and low profile

Development

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 67, 770 units were built for the Bundeswehr, 385 by Hanomag and 385 by Henschel. 80 of them were delivered to Belgium from April 1975 onward. When the Soviets began deploying their T-64 and T-72 tanks, the 90mm 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 in service with the Heimatschutztruppe until 1990. Its hull consisted of welded steel with a maximum thickness of 50mm. It carried a crew of 4: commander, driver, gunner and loader. The gun was fixed withing the casemate, located a little right from the center. The 90mm gun could only traverse 15° to the sides and elevate from −8° to +15°. It carried 51 90mm rounds for the main gun and 4,000 7.62 mm rounds for the two MG3s. The Kanonenjagdpanzer had NBC protection and night-fighting ability.

Source - Wikipedia
gathered by - Strv 74 from Defence Matrix Discord