Jaguar III
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| Jaguar III | |
|---|---|
 Jaguar III Ausf. A5 of the Kaiserliche Heer | |
| Type | Main Battle Tank |
| Place of origin |  Englean Kaiserreich |
| Service history | |
| In service | 1983-Present |
| Used by | See Operators |
| Production history | |
| Designer | Kempenhaus-Pollmächer |
| Designed | 1976-1980 |
| Manufacturer | Kempenhaus-Pollmächer Kaiserlicher Maschinenfabrik Weilheim |
| Unit cost | 2A6: WIP |
| Produced | 1979-Present |
| No. built | ~3,250 (including foreign exports) |
| Variants | See Variants |
| Specifications | |
| Weight | Ausf A6: 62.3 t |
| Length | Ausf A6: 9.97 m (gun forward) |
| Width | Ausf A6: 3.75 m |
| Height | Ausf A6: 3.0 m |
| Crew | 4 |
| Armour | Ausf A6: 3rd generation composite; including high-hardness steel, tungsten and plastic filler with ceramic component. |
Main armament | 1× Stebertstahl KwK 78 L/44 smoothbore gun (42 rounds) |
Secondary armament | 2× 7.62×51mm Kaiserlicher Waffenfabrik MG65 n.A. (4,750 rounds) |
| Engine | Maibach MiB-45 liquid-cooled V12 twin-turbo diesel engine 1,500 PS (1,479 hp 1,103 kW at 2,600 rpm |
| Power/weight | 24.1 PS/t |
| Transmission | Fitkau HSWL 567 |
| Suspension | Torsion bar suspension |
| Fuel capacity | 1,200 km |
Operational range | 550 km (internal fuel) |
| Speed | 68 km/h |
The Jaguar III, officially Panzerkampfwagen XXII (Sd.Kfz. 4098), is a main battle tank developed by Kempenhaus-Pollmächer from 1976-1980 as a successor to the Jaguar II MBT that was seen as not sufficient for the modern battlefield. The vehicle was designed as a third-generation main battle tank with capabilities of being upgraded well into the future, and adaptable to all environments. It is armed with a 120 mm smoothbore cannon, and is powered by a V-12 twin-turbo diesel engine. As of 2019, a wide number of variants have been developed both by the Englean Kaiserreich and other operators for a variety of operations.
Early iterations of the tank continued the design of the ill-fated Jaguar II, with those up to Ausf. A4 retaining the vertical faced composite turret armour and succeeding variants (Ausf. A5-A8) sporting angled turret appliqué armour. All models feature digital fire control systems with laser rangefinders, a fully stabilised main gun and coaxial machine gun, and advanced night vision and sighting equipment. The Jaguar III is set to continue in service with the Englean Kaiserliche Heer until being fully replaced by the Jaguar IV in 2030.
History
Development
As of 1970, the Lowe had been in service with the Kaiserliche Heer since 1961 was becoming dated. Although many upgrades had been developed, including a full revamped armour package and addition of a 120mm gun, the vehicle still showed its age in relation to vehicles being produced within the world. In response to this, the Oberste Heeresleitung ordered the development of a replacement MBT that would combine speed with the prototype 120mm smoothbore cannon that was also being developed at the time. Vehicle manufacturer Vollhards-Wiesgätter won the design competition with their Neu-Kampfpanzer, which implemented a vastly different chassis and turret design from the newest upgraded Jaguar I variant, the Jaguar I Ausf. L.
The design was then ordered to begin prototype production as Projekt 198 in 1972, with the first two prototypes being finished by the end of the year. These prototypes sported longer chassis, as well as a slim turret that housed the 120mm main gun intended for the MBT. However. many of the features of the vehicles did not operate as intended and eventually led to the cancellation of the project in 1974. This resulted in the Lowe and Jaguar I continuing to be the primary MBT of the Kaiserliche Heer until 1976, when the OHL ordered the development of another MBT under the codename vergoldeter Jaguar. Vollhards-Wiesgätter did not enter the design competition, leaving the company Kempenhaus-Pollmächer as the design victors.
Building off of the failures of the Jaguar II, Kempenhaus-Pollmächer instead designed a vehicle that would use a less problematic engine design - the V12 turbocharged Maibach MiB-45 that was recently developed. In addition, the turret would feature vertical composite armour that would be capable of defending against modern ammunition types - APFSDS, HEATFS, and standard AP/APHE rounds. By 1977, the prototypes were passing OHL exams and quickly gaining the admiration and approval of officers of the OHL. In 1978, Imperial Minister of War (Kriegsminister) Ingolf von Kohlhaase approved the OHL's request to officially procure the Kempenhaus-Pollmächer as the Jaguar III main battle tank.
Design
Primary Protection
The Jaguar III was designed to be a fully adaptable and upgradable main battle tank utilising spaced multilayer composite armour throughout the vehicle. The armour consists of a combination of steel plates of different hardness, elastic materials and other non-metallic materials; high hardness and ductility plates are also used within the vehicle. This vehicle also features Wotan composite armour, with the vehicle designed to withstand shape charge jets as well as large caliber kinetic energy penetrators. The exact thickness and capabilities of the vehicle's armour is classified, but it is estimated to be around 1,500-2,000 mm on the Ausf. A5-A8 models.
To retain the benefits of speed for the vehicle, the sides and rear of the tank are only rated to protect against heavy machine guns, medium caliber rounds (76mm-100mm cannons), and older types of ammunition (AP, APHE, HEAT, HE). However, in combat areas of higher-risk, the vehicle can be fitted with composite side-skirts that increase side protection against higher caliber rounds and RPGs. For protection against mines, the vehicle is fitted with a sloped hull floor (45°) and is also reinforced.
Secondary Protection
As common with many modern main battle tanks the Jaguar III follows the concept of "compartmentation," which is separating the crew from possible sources of fire or explosions. Ammunition within the turret is stored in protected racks which are designed to discharge any ammunition explosions out of the top of the turret, rather than into the crew compartment. In addition, the vehicle continues the Cold War tradition of protection from nuclear, biological and chemical (NBC) threats from the Veidt NBC overpressurisation system.
Standard variants include two groups of Böckler 76mm smoke discharge mortars, with other variants including an additional 4 sets of smoke mortars. These are fired electrically from the interior of the vehicle, and can be fired individually or in salvos of four. These smoke mortars are attached to the sides of the turret.
Furthermore, the Jaguar III is equipped with a Halon fire protection system that is installed near the driver's position. The system automatically engages if temperatures within the fighting compartment reach higher than 82 °C (180 °F). There is also an additional FPS for the engine compartment, which is manually triggered by the driver or commander of the vehicle.
Armour Upgrades
Armament
Primary
The primary armament of the Jaguar III is the Stebertstahl KwK 78 L/44 (for all models under the Ausf. A5 variant), the Stebertstahl KwK 91 L/51 (for Ausf. A5-A7 variants), and the Stebertstahl-KWF KwK 216 L/51 (for the Ausf. A8 variant). KwK is the shortened acronym for Kampfwagenkanone (combat-vehicle cannon), which is the standard designation for primary weapons of armoured vehicles. Ammunition for the gun comprises 27 rounds stored in a special magazine in the forward section of the hull, to the left of the driver's station, with an additional 15 rounds stored in the left side of the turret bustle, which are separated from the fighting compartment by an electrically operated door. The tank features a fully-stabilized gun and fires various rounds of ammunition - the primary round being the EM53 APFSDS-T anti-tank round, with its performance being classified. The EM53(A2) round was developed by Stebertstahl as an improved shell to be used in the KwK 91 and is used by the Ausf. A6 and Ausf. A7 variants. The EM53 is only provided to close allies of the Kaiserreich, and is set to be replaced by 2021 with the EM63 as well as the EM73 (which is the primary ammunition of the KwK 216). The main gun is capable of +20° of elevation, and −9° of depression.
Stebertstahl also developed an upgrade for the KwK 78 to enable the gun to fire anti-tank guided missiles, available for current operators of the KwK 78.
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Secondary
The Jaguar III is equipped with two machine guns as a standard, but is able to be modified in order to equip up to 6 machine guns. The primary machine gun used by the tank is the Kaiserlicher Waffenfabrik MG65 n.A., which fires a round in the 7.62×51mm caliber. However, the vehicle is capable of equipping a 12.7mm or 15mm weapon system.
Fire Control
Propulsion
Variants
vergoldeter Jaguar A1
The first iteration of the Jaguar III, the vehicle was a heavily modified form of the Lowe, which had been serving the Kaiserliche Heer as its primary MBT since 1961. The hull was elongated in order to accommodate the modified turret that was to house the 120mm cannon as well as composite armour. This design was not chosen for further production, instead being replaced by the vergoldeter Jaguar A2.
This design was later offered to the Kaiserliche Heer as a further upgrade to the Lowe, but was rejected due to complications with the design that would hinder battlefield awareness and the vehicle's speed.
vergoldeter Jaguar A2
Jaguar III
This designation was given to the first production model of the vehicle, which served as a model as to which following Jaguar III models were based upon. This designation was not given to more than 2 vehicles, as it was not intended to be commissioned. This model continued the design of the vergoldeter Jaguar A2, and retained that model's vertical turret composite armour and hull design.
Jaguar III Ausf. A1
First production variant of the Jaguar III, incorporating the vertical composite turret armour as well as the planned 120mm cannon. About 50 of these variants were made, and were phased out of service in favour of the Ausf. A4 in 1985.
Jaguar III Ausf. A2
Jaguar III Ausf. A3
Flugabwehrpanzer Jaguar III Ausf. A3
Jaguar III Ausf. A4
Jaguar III Ausf. A4+
Jaguar III Ausf. A5
Jaguar 3S "Almfelwr"
Jaguar III Ausf. A6
Jaguar III Ausf. A6 Häuserkampf
Jaguar III Ausf. A7
Jaguar III Ausf. A8
Engineering and driver training tanks
- Bergepanzer BPz5 Greif
Technical Data
| Description | Jaguar III Ausf. A4 | Jaguar III Ausf. A5 | Jaguar III Ausf. A6 | Jaguar III Ausf. A7 | Jaguar III Ausf. A8 | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew: | 4 | |||||||||||||||
| Engine: | Maibach MiB-45 n.A. liquid-cooled V12 twin-turbo diesel engine | |||||||||||||||
| Displacement: | Bore × stroke: 170 × 175 mm, 47,666 cm3 displacement | |||||||||||||||
| Power output: | 1,500 PS (1,479 hp, 1,103 kW), rpm: 2,600/min | |||||||||||||||
| Torque output: | 4,700 Nm (3,466 lb·ft), rpm: 1,600–1,700/min | |||||||||||||||
| Transmission: | Hydro-mechanical control, reversing and steering gear HSWL 354 with combined hydrodynamic-mechanical service brake, 4 forward, 2 reverse | |||||||||||||||
| Suspension system: | Torsion bar spring mounted support roller drive with hydraulic dampers | |||||||||||||||
| Length Turret forward: |
9,670 mm | 10,970 mm | ||||||||||||||
| Width: | 3,700 mm | 3,760 mm | ||||||||||||||
| Height: | 2,790 mm | 3,030 mm | ||||||||||||||
| Ground clearance: | 540 mm | |||||||||||||||
| Wading depth without preparation: | 1,200 mm | |||||||||||||||
| Wading depth with snorkel: | 4,000 mm | |||||||||||||||
| Trench passability: | 3,000 mm | |||||||||||||||
| Climbing ability: | 1,100 mm | |||||||||||||||
| Empty weight: | 52 t | 57.3 t | 57.6 t A6M 60.2 t |
WIP | ||||||||||||
| Combat weight: | 55.15 t | 59.5 t | A6 59.9 t (maximum mass; 61.7 t), A6M 62.5 t |
WIP | ||||||||||||
| Maximum speed: | 68 km/h; backwards 31 km/h | |||||||||||||||
| Fuel capacity: | 1,160 liters (limited to 900 liters when not in battle) | |||||||||||||||
| Fuel consumption and operating range: |
Road: ca. 340 l/100 km, ca. 340 km | |||||||||||||||
| Rotation time (360°): | 10 seconds | |||||||||||||||
| Armament: | Stebertstahl KwK 78 L/44 smoothbore gun and 2 machine guns | Stebertstahl KwK 91 L/51 smoothbore gun and 2 machine guns | Stebertstahl-KWF KwK 216 L/51 smoothbore gun and 2 machine guns | |||||||||||||
| Turret weight: | 16 t | 21 t | 26 t | |||||||||||||
| Turret rotation time: | 360° in 9 seconds (electric) | |||||||||||||||
Operators
Current operators
- Englean Kaiserreich: 650 Jaguar III (Ausf. A4-A8) operational
Kleinaruscha: 67 Jaguar III (Ausf. A1-A4) operational
Shastara: 250 Jaguar 3S operational
Rezua: 200 Jaguar III Ausf. A5+ export variants operational
North Rukonia: 80 Jaguar III Ausf. A4 export variants operational- Eastern North Islands: 4 Jaguar III Ausf. A5 (export variant) operational
