Lince (tank)
Lince | |
---|---|
Rheinmetall 120 mm L/44 tank-gun (4.72 inches) | |
Secondary armament | 2 x 7.62 mm machine guns |
Engine | MTU MB 871 Ka 501 12-Cylinder Diesel Engine 1,200 hp (890 kW) |
Power/weight | 24.50 hp (18.27 kW) per tonne |
Suspension | Torsion bar |
Operational range | 550 km (340 mi) |
Maximum speed | 70 km/h (43 mph) |
The Lince (Spanish pronunciation:
The Spanish government decided to upgrade its fleet of AMX-30Es in the late 1980s. The focus on upgrading Spain's AMX-30E's distracted attention from the Lince plan, which was eventually shelved in 1990 after Spain acquired many
Background
During the 1950s the Spanish Army was supplied by the United States with 552
Bidding
In 1984, the Spanish Ministry of Defense declared its intent to set aside 120 billion
Krauss-Maffei's Lince bid provided the clearest technical designs. The tank would be 49 tonnes and equipped with a 120-millimeter main gun. It could fire this gun on the move and aim at targets with effectiveness in day and night operations. Fitted with a 1,200 horsepower (890 kW) engine, the Lince could travel as fast as 70 kilometres per hour (43 mph) on the roads.[10] Although heavily based on the Leopard 2A4, the Lince was smaller and lighter, trading protection for mobility. Specifically, the Lince prioritised enhanced mobility over the irregular Spanish terrain.[6] Furthermore, size restrictions were imposed because of the existing capabilities of Spain's railroad and highway network.[11] Although the reduced armor conflicted with the problems that the Spanish had with AMX-30E's thin armor,[4] the Lince used a multilayer armor similar to that of the German Leopard 2A4, providing greater protection than standard armor for a similar weight. The protection was further enhanced by the low profile turret, again similar to that of the Leopard 2A4.[6]
In early 1986, the Ministry of Defense declared that it would choose a contract within a matter of months. News sources cited said that Krauss-Maffei would most likely gain the contract, although the French might get it because of past and existing French armament contracts with Spain.
Decline of the programme
The Spanish Ministry of Defense agreed to modernise the Army's AMX-30Es in 1987 and allotted 16 billion pesetas (155 million
As a result, Spain negotiated with Germany over the procurement and local production of many Leopard 2A5s;[27] a Memorandum of Understanding was signed between the two in 1995, and the Germans lent 108 Leopard 2A4s to the Spanish Army for five years starting in 1998.[28] In 2005, the Spanish Ministry of Defense declared intention to buy the tanks instead of renting them.[29] The local production terms in the Memorandum allowed Santa Bárbara Sistemas to start producing Leopard 2Es in 2003, and the first platoon of tanks was delivered in December 2003.[30] In comparison to the smaller Lince, the Leopard 2A4 weighs 55 t (61 short tons) and is powered by a 1,500 hp (1,100 kW) diesel engine.[31] The greater weight of the Leopard 2A4 is due in part to its thicker armor, affording greater protection and balancing out the loss in mobility as compared to the Lince.[6][32]
Comparison to the alternatives
Lince[6] | Leopard 2A4[31] | Leclerc[33] | M1A1 Abrams[34] | M60A3 Patton[35] | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Weight | 49 t (54 short tons) | 55 t (61 short tons) | 55.6 t (61.3 short tons) | 57.10 t (62.94 short tons) | 55.6 t (61.3 short tons) |
Gun | 120 mm L/44 smoothbore | 120 mm L/44 smoothbore | 120m mm L/52 smoothbore | 120 mm L/44 smoothbore | 105 mm M68 rifled tank-gun |
Ammunition | 40 rounds | 42 rounds | 40 rounds | 40 rounds | 63 rounds |
Road range | 550 km (340 mi) | 500 km (310 mi) | 550 km (340 mi) | 450 km (280 mi) | 480 km (300 mi) |
Engine output | 1,200 hp (890 kW) | 1,500 hp (1,100 kW) | 1,500 hp (1,100 kW) | 1,500 hp (1,100 kW) | 750 hp (560 kW) |
Maximum speed | 70 km/h (43 mph) | 68 km/h (42 mph) | 71 km/h (44 mph) | 64 km/h (40 mph) | 48.28 km/h (30.00 mph) |
See also
References
- ^ Manrique and Molina, La Brunete, pp. 69–74
- ^ de Mazarrasa, Carro de Combate AMX-30E, p. 57
- ^ Manrique and Molina, La Brunete, p. 73
- ^ a b de Mazarrasa, Carro de Combate AMX-30E, p. 77
- ^ Zaloga, The M47 and M48 Patton Tanks, pp. 36–37
- ^ a b c d e Carro de Combate Lince, Maquinas de Guerra
- ^ El País, Cinco empresas compiten para cofabricar un carro de combate en España
- ^ Yárnoz, Francia propone a España la construcción conjunta de un nuevo carro de combate, El País
- ^ Yárnoz, Serra descarta a EE UU y Reino Unido para cofabricar los nuevos carros, El País
- ^ Yárnoz, Técnicos españoles y alemanes han presentado el diseño del futuro carro de combate para el Ejército, El País
- ^ Candil, Carros de Combate, p. 166
- ^ Yarnóz, El Gobierno elegirá el mes próximo el carro de combate de los noventa, El País
- ^ Kolodziej, France and the Arms Trade, p. 59
- ^ Bassets, Francia ofrece a España la fabricación conjunta de un moderno carro de combate, El País
- ^ C., El INI y un ente público italiano firmarán un protocolo de colaboración, El País
- ^ a b Yárnoz, Fabricantes alemanes de armas critican el programa del futuro tanque español, El País
- ^ a b Perez-Guerra, Spanish AMX-30 MBT upgrade program, p. 500
- ^ de Mazarrasa, Carro de Combate AMX-30E, pp. 77–85
- ^ González, España quiere modernizar sus carros de combate con los sobrantes en Centroeuropa, El País
- ^ El País, El tanque de los noventa
- ^ González, España negocia la adquisición de hasta 500 carros de combate que serán retirados de Centroeuropa, El País
- ^ González, Defensa cifra en 1.500 millones el coste de los 532 tanques estadounidenses que recibirá a partir de 1992, El País
- ^ Military Technology, Europe, p. 192
- ^ Yárnoz, España eliminará decenas de carros de combate al concluir la negociación sobre desarme en Europa, El País
- ^ Candil, Un entorno industrial plagado de dificultades, pp. 46–47
- ^ Candil, Carros de Combate, p. 161
- ^ Candil, Carros de Combate, pp. 161–162
- ^ Jerchel and Schnellbacher, Leopard 2 Main Battle Tank 1979-1998, p. 42
- ^ Defense Industry Daily, Spain Finalizes Buy of 108 Leopard 2A4 Tanks
- ^ Candil, Delivery of Leopard 2E MBT Begins
- ^ a b Jerchel and Schnellbacher, Leopard 2 Main Battle Tank 1979–1998, pp. 28–29
- ^ Simpkin, Tank Warfare, p. 82
- ^ Moncure, Leclerc, p. 39
- ^ Green and Stewart, M1 Abrams at War, pp. 25, 111–117
- ^ Lathrop, Richard and McDonald, John, M60 Main Battle Tank 1960–91, p. 28
Bibliography
- "Cinco empresas compiten para cofabricar un carro de combate en España". El País (in Spanish). 29 October 1984. Retrieved 3 June 2008.
- "El tanque de los noventa". El País (in Spanish). 2 November 1990. Retrieved 4 June 2008.
- "Europe". Military Technology. Mönch Editorial Group: 95. 1 January 2006.
- "Carros de Combate Modernos". Maquinas de Guerra (in Spanish). Vol. 1. Planeta-Agostini. 1984.
- "Spain Finalizes Buy of 108 Leopard 2A4 Tanks". Defense Industry Daily. 8 September 2005. Retrieved 4 June 2008.
- Bassetts, Lluís (19 January 1987). "Francia ofrece a España la fabricación conjunta de un moderno carro de combate". El País (in Spanish). Retrieved 3 June 2008.
- C., P. (2 June 1986). "El INI y un ente público italiano firmarán un protocolo de colaboración" (in Spanish). El País. Retrieved 3 June 2008.
- Candil, Antonio (March 1999). Carros de Combate: Evolución, Presente y Futuro (PDF) (in Spanish). Madrid: Isdefe. ISBN 84-89338-18-3. Archived from the original(PDF) on 18 March 2009.
- Candil, Antonio (1 March 2004). "Leopard 2E MBT Delivery Begins". Military Technology. Mönch Editorial Group: 2.
- Candil, Antonio. "Un entorno industrial plagado de dificultades: La fabricación del Carro de Combate Leopard 2E en España (I)". Fuerza Terrestre (in Spanish). 3 (49). MC Ediciones: 8.
- de Mazarrasa, Javier (1990). Carro de Combate AMX-30E (in Spanish). Aldaba Militaria. p. 104. ISBN 84-86629-29-2.
- Green, Michael (2005). M1 Abrams at War. St. Paul, MN: Zenith Press. ISBN 0-7603-2153-1.
- González, Miguel (25 May 1990). "España quiere modernizar sus carros de combate con los sobrantes en Centroeuropa". El País (in Spanish). Retrieved 4 June 2008.
- González, Miguel (2 November 1990). "España negocia la adquisición de hasta 500 carros de combate que serán retirados de Centroeuropa". El País (in Spanish). Retrieved 4 June 2008.
- González, Miguel (31 December 1990). "Defensa cifra en 1.500 millones el coste de los 532 tanques estadounidenses que recibirá a partir de 1992". El País (in Spanish). Retrieved 4 June 2008.
- Jerchel, Michael; Uwe Schnellbacher (1998). Leopard 2 Main Battle Tank 1979–1998. Osprey Publishing. pp. 48. ISBN 1-85532-691-4.
- Kolodziej, Edward A. (1 June 1980). "France and the Arms Trade". International Affairs. 56 (1). Royal Institute of International Affairs: 54–72. JSTOR 2615719.
- Lathrop, Richard; John McDonald (2003). M60 Main Battle Tank 1960–91. Oxford, United Kingdom: Osprey Publishing. p. 48. ISBN 1-84176-551-1.
- Manrique, José María; Lucas Molina (2002). La Brunete: 1ª Parte (in Spanish). Valladolid, Spain: Quirón Ediciones. p. 80. ISBN 84-96016-27-7.
- Moncure, Lieutenant Colonel John (March–April 1997). "Leclerc: New French Tank, Like the M1A2, Uses Digital Architecture" (PDF). ARMOR magazine. Armor Center.[permanent dead link]
- Perez-Guerra, Jaime (1 April 1987). "Spanish AMX-30 MBT upgrade program". Jane's International Defence Review. Jane's.
- Simpkin, Richard E. (1979). Tank Warfare: An analysis of Soviet and NATO tank philosophy. London: Brassey's. p. 232. ISBN 978-0-904609-25-7.
- Yárnoz, Carlos (2 January 1989). "España eliminará decenas de carros de combate al concluir la negociación sobre desarme en Europa". El País (in Spanish). Retrieved 4 June 2008.
- Yárnoz, Carlos (3 December 1987). "Fabricantes alemanes de armas critican el programa del futuro tanque español". El País (in Spanish). Retrieved 15 June 2008.
- Yárnoz, Carlos (3 December 1987). "Francia propone a España la construcción conjunta de un nuevo carro de combate". El País (in Spanish). Retrieved 3 June 2008.
- Yárnoz, Carlos (31 March 1986). "El Gobierno elegirá el mes próximo el carro de combate de los noventa". El País (in Spanish). Retrieved 3 June 2008.
- Yárnoz, Carlos (30 December 1985). "Serra descarta a EE UU y Reino Unido para cofabricar los nuevos carros". El País (in Spanish). Retrieved 3 June 2008.
- Yárnoz, Carlos (24 May 1984). "Técnicos españoles y alemanes han presentado el diseño del futuro carro de combate para el Ejército". El País (in Spanish). Retrieved 3 June 2008.
- Zaloga, Steven (1999). The M47 and M48 Patton Tanks. Oxford, United Kingdom: Osprey Publishing. pp. 48. ISBN 1-85532-825-9.