HCV-20 Shango
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| HCV-20 Shango | |
|---|---|
| <imgur w="300">IiGVxQe.png</imgur> HCV-20 Shango in standard camouflage. | |
| Type | Main battle tank |
| Place of origin |  Carthage |
| Service history | |
| In service | 2013-present |
| Used by | Carthage |
| Production history | |
| Designer | Army Vehicle Research Center |
| Designed | 2005-2012 |
| Manufacturer | Carthage Steel Works |
| Unit cost | $17.2 million (FY2014) |
| Produced | 2013-present |
| No. built | 1,300 |
| Specifications | |
| Weight | 51.1 tonnes (56 short tons) |
| Length | 8.8 m (29 ft) (gun forward) 8.03 m (26.3 ft) (hull only) |
| Width | 3.80 m (12.5 ft) 3.85 m (12.6 ft) (w/skirts) |
| Height | 3.31 m (10.9 ft) (roof) 4.42 m (14.5 ft) (w/radar) |
| Crew | 3 (commander, gunner, driver) |
| Armor | Modular composite armor Optional ERA and slat armor Rho Aias Active Protection System |
Main armament | 50 mm CSA-355 rotary cannon |
Secondary armament | 12 × SML-751 Yukiho 1 × CRA-334 15.5 mm chain gun (RWS) |
| Engine | Danel Group DVR-2-12/1200E V-12 turbocharged diesel engine 1,200 kW (1,600 hp) |
| Power/weight | 27.4 kW/tonne (33.5 hp/tonne) |
| Transmission | North Iberian RAT-40-14B series hybrid drive (1,400 kW (1,900 hp)) |
| Suspension | Active in-arm hydropneumatic |
| Ground clearance | Variable 0.1-0.6 m (3.9-23.6 in) |
| Fuel capacity | 1,400 l (370 US gal) |
Operational range | 840 km (520 mi) |
| Speed | Road: 85 km/h (53 mph) Off road: 64 km/h (40 mph) |
Steering system | Electric |
The HCV-20 Shango is a Carthaginian all-weather self-propelled anti-aircraft weapon system armed with a surface-to-air missile and gun system. It was developed by the Army Vehicle Research Center and produced by Carthage Steel Works for the Carthage Defense Forces and is primarily operated by the Carthaginian Army. It replaces the SPA-142 Saunion gun/missile system as the primary short-range air defense platform of the Army's armored brigades and provides protection from low-flying aircraft, helicopters, cruise missiles, and unmanned aerial vehicles with an increased emphasis on the C-RAM mission.
The HCV-20 is built on the chassis of the HTA-02 Jaguar II main battle tank and is part of a series of vehicles based on this common platform to reduce development costs and ensure similar maneuverability characteristics within the armored brigades. Developed alongside the Jaguar II, the Shango entered service in 2013 shortly after the Jaguar II and is expected to replace remaining SPA-142s in service by 2024.
History
General characteristics
Protection
The turret is armored only against autocannon fire, shell fragments, and light HEAT weapons. The lower protection standard is intended to keep turret weight to a reasonable level, enabling faster rotation speeds without the need for excessively large motors.
Active protection system
The Shango is equipped with the Rho Aias modular APS for protection from top attack threats. The system is composed of the standard five-array Ka band radar suite providing hemispheric coverage of incoming threats as well as two eight-tube banks for EAH-537 hardkill interceptors. The system is used to protect the Shango from vertical threats beyond the elevation range of the gun, such as anti-tank missiles, mortars, and artillery shells. The flank EAH-538 modules are optional and can be integrated into the system but are usually not fitted due to the lower threat of conventional ground fire.
A softkill protection system is also carried, using two ten-tube banks of smoke dispensers along with a laser warning receiver. The system can automatically trigger the smoke dispensers upon detecting an active laser threat while simultaneously alerting the crew.
Armament
Primary gun
The primary gun armament of the HCV-20 is the 50 mm CSA-355 3-barrel rotary cannon. The rotary arrangement enables a maximum rate of fire of 300 rounds per minute with a dual feed system supplying the gun. The primary feed system holds 360 rounds of Explosive Course Corrected Interceptor (ECCI) ammunition while the auxiliary feed system holds up to 40 rounds of APFSDS and PABM ammunition for self-defense against ground and infantry targets. The selection of the 50 mm caliber was made to meet the need for guided shells in order to effectively engage C-RAM threats at greater ranges and to expand the protective envelope of the weapon system.
Each projectile has a single-use guidance thruster and is guided on target using data relayed from the launch platform via the interferometric tracking array. To reduce costs, the ECCI projectiles have no onboard guidance or processing systems of their own and are wholly reliant on guidance instructions from the launch platform. The multi-panel interferometric radar is responsible for tracking both the interceptor and the target and guiding the former to within explosive range of the latter. In normal operations, a burst of 10 rounds is expended per target, although the onboard fire control system can increase or decrease this number based on the kinematic performance of the threat and the expected probability of kill. The ECCI projectiles are remotely-triggered air burst rounds and are not designed for hit to kill use.
Missile
The missile armament is a 12-tube battery of SML-751 Yukiho hypervelocity missiles, carried in two six-missile pods attached to either side of the turret. The SML-751 is a laser beam-riding missile using a digitally coded beam to provide more complex command guidance to the missile in flight. During launch, each missile is propelled from its container and accelerated by a booster stage before the primary rocket motor ignites and accelerates the missile beyond Mach 4 before burning out, enabling a maximum range of over 10 kilometers (6.2 mi) against airborne targets. The high speed is designed to provide the shortest possible response time against pop-up threats like attack helicopters.
While the rotary cannon is primarily designed for the C-RAM mission, the missile system is designed for the anti-aircraft role, specifically against helicopters and low-flying jet aircraft. The laser guidance system renders the system immune to jamming and most electronic countermeasures as well as obscurants like chaff and flares. The guidance system is housed in an independent module on the turret roof housing a FLIR module, TV unit, and laser rangefinder and designator and can track and engage targets separately from the gun and without any of the radar systems active.
The missile tubes double as both launch tubes and storage tubes and can be replaced either individually or as a six-missile pack using a crane. Once expended, the tubes are disposable although they are generally recovered for recycling.
Secondary armament
A 15.5 mm CRA-334 chain gun is mounted in a remote weapon station on the turret roof and equipped with its own sensors. This weapon is intended for use as both a self-defense armament against infantry and light vehicles as well as to engage low-value targets at short ranges such as light UAVs in order to conserve ammunition in the main batteries. The RWS also includes a drone jammer system designed to disrupt the command signals and telemetry from smaller drones without expending ammunition.
Mobility
The HCV-20 uses the same powerpack arrangement with the same DVR-2-12/1200E turbocharged diesel engine as the HTA-02 Jaguar II but due to the Shango's significantly lower weight, the electric traction drive is designed for only 1,200 kilowatts (1,600 hp) to reduce costs. As a result, the HCV-20 has lower fuel consumption and slightly greater range than the Jaguar II. The remaining automotive components including the suspension and tracks are identical to the HTA-02, allowing the HCV-20 to keep up with forward units in rough terrain. A larger turbine APU is fitted to provide the additional power necessary to run the search and engagement radar for long periods without the use of the main engine.
For strategic movement, the HCV-20 can be moved either singly in an RTS-224A Albatross MRTT or in pairs in an RTS-224B airlifter as well as by rail and by ship, which are the preferred methods of transport. The search radar can be folded down into a stowed position behind the turret to reduce the vehicle's clearance for transport in tighter loading gauges or in cargo holds with limited vertical clearance.
Operators
- Carthage – 1,300 vehicles in service, with an additional 8,400 vehicles on order. An additional order to replace militia inventory is expected at a later date.
- Army of Carthage: 1,300 vehicles in service.