Place of origin Germany Designer Daimler-Benz | In service 1979 - present | |
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Type 6x6 wheeled armoured vehicle Used by Bundeswehr and other (see Operators) Designed Overarching project for a complete vehicle range from 1964 | ||
The TPz (Transportpanzer) Fuchs ("Fox") is an armoured personnel carrier originally developed by Daimler-Benz but manufactured and further developed by the now Rheinmetall MAN Military Vehicles (RMMV)). Fuchs was the second wheeled armoured vehicle to enter service with the Bundeswehr (West German Army) and it can be used for tasks including troop transport, engineer transport, bomb disposal, Nuclear, Biological and Chemical reconnaissance and electronic warfare. RMMV and its predecessors manufactured 1,236 Fuchs 1, most for the German Army.
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Further development of the design resulted in the Fuchs 2, first shown in 2001. The enhanced Fuchs 2 is currently in production, customers known to include Algerian Army, Kuwait Army and the United Arab Emirates Army (UAE).
Development
In 1977, Rheinstahl Wehrtechnik (which in 1996 became Henschel Wehrtechnik (subsequently Rheinmetall Landsysteme and now Rheinmetall MAN Military Vehicles (RMMV)), under licence from Daimler-Benz, was awarded a contract by the German Army for 996 Transportpanzer Fuchs 1. The first production vehicle was handed over in December 1979 with deliveries running at 160 per year and concluding in late 1986.
German Army designations for Fuchs 1 as delivered were:
For use in the former Yugoslavia, by early 1998 the German Army had upgraded 55 Fuchs 1 with additional protection.
As a further development of the Fuchs 1, two pre-production Fuchs KRK (Krisenreaktionskräfte - German: "Crisis Reaction Forces") were built in 1997, with production vehicle options for 50 units expected in 1999. The type never entered quantity production.
In 2002 the German BWB announced in that it had awarded a €45 million contract to upgrade 123 Fuchs 1 APCs. The work was carried out between 2004-2007 at Kassel, where the vehicles were originally built. Vehicles upgraded under this contract were given the TPz A7 designation.
The latest upgraded Fuchs 1 are given the TPz A8 designation, deliveries of these first made to the German Army in March 2008. It introduced improved protection against mines and IEDs, specially for German units stationed in Afghanistan. The most recent TPz A8 upgrade award brought totals to 168 vehicles. Late in 2013 it was stated that in the long term the German Army planned to retain a fleet of up to 728 Fuchs 1 upgraded to TPz A8 standard.
Continued development of the Fuchs 1 resulted in the Fuchs 2, the first example of which was shown in public for the first time at the 2001 MSPO in Poland. The first order for Fuchs 2 was for Nuclear, Biological and Chemical (NBC) reconnaissance variants for the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The order was placed in 2005.
In 2014 the German Ministry of Economic Affairs and Energy confirmed that it had approved the transfer of production equipment to Algeria to enable this country to undertake production of the Fuchs 2.
Kuwait ordered a batch of Fuchs 2 in 2015. These will be manufactured in Germany.
Description
The hull of the Fuchs is of all-welded armoured steel. The driver sits at the front on the left, with the vehicle commander to his right. There are doors for both driver and commander. The door windows and windscreen have metal shutters that can be closed up. When closed up, the periscopes fitted in the roof of the vehicle to the front of the driver's hatch. The commander has a circular roof hatch.
The troop/cargo compartment is at the rear of the vehicle and is 3.2 m long, 1.25 m high and 1.5 m wide at its widest point. On the Fuchs 2 the roof height has been raised by 145 mm for greater internal volume. Two assisted doors are fitted at the rear, although on Fuchs 2 a ramp is an option.
There are three or four hatches in the roof of the troop compartment. In APC configuration the ten infantrymen carried by Fuchs 1 are seated on individual bucket-type seats, five on each side. These seats can be folded up when not required. Fuchs 2 seats up to nine on much-improved blast-resistant seating.
Normal amphibious payload for Fuchs 1 is 4000 kg, but depending on configuration and protection options, up to 5,000 kg of cargo can be carried on land. Fuchs 2 has a maximum payload of 6000 kg.
Motive power for the Fuchs 1 is provided by a Mercedes-Benz Model OM 402A V8 12.8-litre water-cooled diesel engine developing 320 hp, this coupled in a powerpack set-up to a six-speed planetary gear torque converter transmission. For the Fuchs 2 the powerpack is upgraded to a MTU 6V 199 TE20 V6 11.9-litre water-cooled EURO 3 emissions compliant diesel developing 456 hp, this coupled to a ZF 6HP 602 fully automatic six-speed transmission with integrated retarder. For test purposes the power pack of the Fuchs can be run outside the vehicle.
The rigid Mercedes-Benz drive axles are of the hub-reduction type, fitted with differential locks and are sprung by progressively acting coil springs and shock-absorbers. Power-steering is on the front four wheels, the Fuchs 2 offering the option of a central tyre inflation system (CTIS). The 1400 R20 tyres are of the run-flat type. On land maximum speed is 105 km/h and operational range is 800 km.
The Fuchs was designed as an amphibious vehicle, water propulsion provided by two four-bladed propellers mounted one either side of the hull at the rear. Maximum water speed is approx. 8 km/hr. For steering, the propellers can be swivelled through 360°. Before entering the water a trim vane, which is stowed on the glacis plate when travelling, is hydraulically erected. Bilge pumps are fitted. As part of the TPz A8 upgrade the amphibious capability is removed, but the vehicles can wade up to 1.3 m.
The welded steel hull of the Fuchs was designed to protect the crew from armour-piercing small arms fire and shell splinters. For service with the United Nations Implementation Force (IFOR) operating in Bosnia, a higher level of protection was required and a batch of Fuchs 1 were upgraded with passive fibre compound add-on armour package developed by IBD-Deisenroth. This armour package includes an add-on armour mounted externally on the sides of the hull; internal spall liners fitted to the hull sides, rear and roof to reduce the secondary effects of particles having penetrated the main armour; additional elements in the floor area of the front and rear compartments to provide increased protection against mines; new windows with increased protection and modification of the window protective shields.
The TPz A7 upgrade included protection enhancements, as does the current TPz A8 upgrade. For the TPz A7 and A8 upgrades, additional elements protect the underside and lower part of the hull against blast and IED threats.
The baseline Fuchs 2 provides protection against small arms armour-piercing attack through a full 360°. To meet different threat levels the Fuchs 2 has been designed to be fitted with enhanced passive armour packages developed by IBD.
To enhance survivability while conducting Military Operations in Urban Terrain (MOUT), Rheinmetall has developed a modular upgrade package for installation on tracked and wheeled armoured vehicles. A MOUT demonstrator vehicle was completed in 2008, this based on the Fuchs 1.
Armament varies according to mission requirements but for Fuchs 1 can consist of a 7.62 mm Rheinmetall MG3 general purpose machine gun mounted over the commander's position. Vehicles of the Armoured Reconnaissance Battalion, Panzergrenadiers mechanized infantry, the Franco-German Brigade, the mountain infantry and the Jägers of the German Army have previously been fitted with the MILAN anti-tank guided missile, but these are no longer in service. All vehicles have six 76 mm grenade dischargers mounted to fire forwards. Vehicles deployed to Afghanistan were equipped with a GMG grenade launcher or an M2 Browning heavy machine gun instead of an MG3.
The Fuchs 2 can be fitted with a wide range of weapon systems up to and including a 30 mm cannon and 7.62 mm MG as well as various missile installations such as anti-tank.
Standard equipment for the Fuchs 2 includes an NBC system and an air conditioning system. Numerous options available include an automatic fire detection and suppression system, winch, global positioning system and an auxiliary power unit (APU).