ASCOD AFV
Encyclopedia
The ASCOD armoured fighting vehicle
family is the product of a cooperation agreement between Austrian Steyr-Daimler-Puch AG
(in 1998 the production of heavy armed vehicles was sold out under the name Steyr-Daimler-Puch Spezialfahrzeug
, which is now the producer) and Spanish
Santa Bárbara Sistemas (both companies are now divisions
of a unit of General Dynamics
). The ASCOD family includes the LT 105, a light tank
equipped with a 105 mm gun
, a SAM
launcher, an anti-tank missile launcher, mortar
carrier, R&R vehicle, Command & Control vehicle, ambulance
, artillery observer, and the AIFV model. In Spanish service the vehicle is called Pizarro, while the Austrian version is called Ulan.
. The Ulan, the Austrian version of the Pizarro, would provide a flexible complement to their heavy Leopard 2A4
. The Ulan would allow the Austrian army to deploy rapidly and effectively over longer distances, especially for foreseeable future operations - such as troubled spots for UN operations. The first prototype of the ASCOD IFV was ready and tested by 1992 and production was possible only four years later. The ASCOD was a very modern solution to bring both the Austrian and Spanish armour up to date. To put this into perspective, the Pizarro project was a part of the greater Project CORAZA (Project Armour) which was to replace Spain's M113
APCs, M60A3s
, and M110
artillery pieces. A similar upgrade program was also concurrently underway in Austria. By 2005 the Austrian army was equipped with 112 Ulan vehicles and Spain with 144 (123 IFV and 21 C2V). In 2004 the Spanish Ministry of Defence ordered another 212 Pizarros (170 IFV, 5 C2V, 28 Artillery
observation, 8 recovery, 1 Engineering
vehicle) for 707.5 million Euros, with up to 356 units total planned.
The ASCOD mounts a 30 mm Mauser
cannon in a fully traversable electro-mechanical turret. The 30 mm cannon, stabilized on two planes, is able to fire on the move at a rate of up to 800 rounds per minute. It also carries a 7.62 mm machine gun as a secondary armament, carrying up to 205 rounds for the 30 mm gun and 700 for the 7.62 mm machine gun. This armament is comparable to that of the M2 Bradley
and the CV90, and performed well in a Norwegian
vehicles trial, although it ultimately lost to the Swedish
CV90. The gun uses the Mk-10 fire control system from Indra, which has a full solution digital ballistic computer, day channel, thermal channel and laser rangefinder. Future versions of the Mk-10 will be fitted with a new VC2 thermal imager. The ASCOD Pizarro is also very well armoured, with a thick steel armour casing protected against up to 14.5 mm bullets at 500 meters, with all around protection against 7.62 mm ammunition. Furthermore, the turret has two grenade launcher
s on either side to fire smoke grenade
s. The Pizarro is also fitted with limited amounts of SABBLIR reactive armour
and might be upgraded with more later. However, with appliqué steel plates fitted it can be protected against 30 mm armour-piercing discarding sabot
s (APDS).
Additional ballistic protection is available against up to 30mm APFDS (Armour Piercing Fin Stabilised Discarding Sabot) rounds fired from a 1,000m range over the forward 60° arc, and all round protection against 14.5mm armour piercing incendiary (API) rounds from a range of 500m.
In terms of mobility, the Spanish Pizarro is fitted with a 600 hp engine, while the Austrian Ulan includes a 720 hp engine. The smaller Spanish engine gives it a power-to-weight ratio of 21, and the larger engine one of 25, offering both vehicles excellent mobility. Both versions use a Renk
HSWL 106C hydro-mechanical transmission, and torsion bar suspension. The Pizarro can go a maximum speed of 70 km/h, and a maximum reverse speed of 35 km/h.
Currently Steyr-Daimler-Puch Spezialfahrzeuge is developing an improved version called Ulan 2, which features the Russian BMP-3 turret and additional armour.
In June 2008, GDELS, in conjunction with KMW, announced Donar, a medium-weight 155 mm self-propelled artillery system based on the KMW PzH 2000
artillery system integrated with the ASCOD 2 chassis. A prototype has begun mobility and firing trials in Germany.
To date, the ASCOD has not seen combat.
, and will be built by General Dynamics UK. The overall program has three blocks. The first, Recce Block 1 comprises four variants:
These vehicles are the replacements for CVR(T) Scimitar, Spartan and Samson.
Recce Block 2 is expected to include ambulance, engineer reconnaissance and command & control replacements for CVR(T) Samaritan and Sultan.
The ASCOD SV is planned to include the following upgrades :
The vehicle normal combat weight is 34 tonnes.
Armoured fighting vehicle
An armoured fighting vehicle is a combat vehicle, protected by strong armour and armed with weapons. AFVs can be wheeled or tracked....
family is the product of a cooperation agreement between Austrian Steyr-Daimler-Puch AG
Steyr-Daimler-Puch
Steyr-Daimler-Puch was a large manufacturing conglomerate based in Steyr, Austria, which was broken up in stages between 1987 and 2001. The component parts and operations continued to exist under separate ownership and new names.-History:...
(in 1998 the production of heavy armed vehicles was sold out under the name Steyr-Daimler-Puch Spezialfahrzeug
Steyr-Daimler-Puch
Steyr-Daimler-Puch was a large manufacturing conglomerate based in Steyr, Austria, which was broken up in stages between 1987 and 2001. The component parts and operations continued to exist under separate ownership and new names.-History:...
, which is now the producer) and Spanish
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
Santa Bárbara Sistemas (both companies are now divisions
Division (business)
A division of a business entity is a portion of that business that operates under a different name. It is the equivalent of a corporation or limited liability company obtaining a fictitious name or "doing business as" certificate and operating a business under that fictitious name...
of a unit of General Dynamics
General Dynamics
General Dynamics Corporation is a U.S. defense conglomerate formed by mergers and divestitures, and as of 2008 it is the fifth largest defense contractor in the world. Its headquarters are in West Falls Church , unincorporated Fairfax County, Virginia, in the Falls Church area.The company has...
). The ASCOD family includes the LT 105, a light tank
Light tank
A light tank is a tank variant initially designed for rapid movement, and now primarily employed in low-intensity conflict. Early light tanks were generally armed and armored similar to an armored car, but used tracks in order to provide better cross-country mobility.The light tank was a major...
equipped with a 105 mm gun
Gun
A gun is a muzzle or breech-loaded projectile-firing weapon. There are various definitions depending on the nation and branch of service. A "gun" may be distinguished from other firearms in being a crew-served weapon such as a howitzer or mortar, as opposed to a small arm like a rifle or pistol,...
, a SAM
Surface-to-air missile
A surface-to-air missile or ground-to-air missile is a missile designed to be launched from the ground to destroy aircraft or other missiles...
launcher, an anti-tank missile launcher, mortar
Mortar (weapon)
A mortar is an indirect fire weapon that fires explosive projectiles known as bombs at low velocities, short ranges, and high-arcing ballistic trajectories. It is typically muzzle-loading and has a barrel length less than 15 times its caliber....
carrier, R&R vehicle, Command & Control vehicle, ambulance
Ambulance
An ambulance is a vehicle for transportation of sick or injured people to, from or between places of treatment for an illness or injury, and in some instances will also provide out of hospital medical care to the patient...
, artillery observer, and the AIFV model. In Spanish service the vehicle is called Pizarro, while the Austrian version is called Ulan.
Development history
The ASCOD was designed to replace the older light armoured fighting vehicles of the Austrian and Spanish armies, such as the M113 armored personnel carrierM113 armored personnel carrier
The M113 is a fully tracked armored personnel carrier that has formed the backbone of the United States Army's mechanized infantry units from the time of its first fielding in Vietnam in April 1962. The M113 was the most widely used armored vehicle of the U.S...
. The Ulan, the Austrian version of the Pizarro, would provide a flexible complement to their heavy Leopard 2A4
Leopard 2
The Leopard 2 is a main battle tank developed by Krauss-Maffei in the early 1970s for the West German Army. The tank first entered service in 1979 and succeeded the earlier Leopard 1 as the main battle tank of the German Army. Various versions have served in the armed forces of Germany and twelve...
. The Ulan would allow the Austrian army to deploy rapidly and effectively over longer distances, especially for foreseeable future operations - such as troubled spots for UN operations. The first prototype of the ASCOD IFV was ready and tested by 1992 and production was possible only four years later. The ASCOD was a very modern solution to bring both the Austrian and Spanish armour up to date. To put this into perspective, the Pizarro project was a part of the greater Project CORAZA (Project Armour) which was to replace Spain's M113
M113 armored personnel carrier
The M113 is a fully tracked armored personnel carrier that has formed the backbone of the United States Army's mechanized infantry units from the time of its first fielding in Vietnam in April 1962. The M113 was the most widely used armored vehicle of the U.S...
APCs, M60A3s
M60 Patton
The 105 mm Gun Full Tracked Combat Tank, M60, also known unofficially as the M60 Patton, is a first-generation main battle tank introduced in December 1960. It was widely used by the U.S. and its Cold War allies, especially those in NATO, and remains in service throughout the world today...
, and M110
M110 howitzer
The 8 inch Self-Propelled Howitzer M110 was the largest available self-propelled howitzer in the United States Army's inventory. It was deployed in division artillery in general support battalions and in separate corps- and Army-level battalions. Missions include general support, counter-battery...
artillery pieces. A similar upgrade program was also concurrently underway in Austria. By 2005 the Austrian army was equipped with 112 Ulan vehicles and Spain with 144 (123 IFV and 21 C2V). In 2004 the Spanish Ministry of Defence ordered another 212 Pizarros (170 IFV, 5 C2V, 28 Artillery
Artillery
Originally applied to any group of infantry primarily armed with projectile weapons, artillery has over time become limited in meaning to refer only to those engines of war that operate by projection of munitions far beyond the range of effect of personal weapons...
observation, 8 recovery, 1 Engineering
Military engineer
In military science, engineering refers to the practice of designing, building, maintaining and dismantling military works, including offensive, defensive and logistical structures, to shape the physical operating environment in war...
vehicle) for 707.5 million Euros, with up to 356 units total planned.
The ASCOD mounts a 30 mm Mauser
Mauser
Mauser was a German arms manufacturer of a line of bolt-action rifles and pistols from the 1870s to 1995. Mauser designs were built for the German armed forces...
cannon in a fully traversable electro-mechanical turret. The 30 mm cannon, stabilized on two planes, is able to fire on the move at a rate of up to 800 rounds per minute. It also carries a 7.62 mm machine gun as a secondary armament, carrying up to 205 rounds for the 30 mm gun and 700 for the 7.62 mm machine gun. This armament is comparable to that of the M2 Bradley
M2 Bradley
The Bradley Fighting Vehicle is an American fighting vehicle platform manufactured by BAE Systems Land and Armaments, formerly United Defense.As with other infantry fighting vehicles, the Bradley is designed to transport infantry with armor protection while providing covering fire to suppress enemy...
and the CV90, and performed well in a Norwegian
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
vehicles trial, although it ultimately lost to the Swedish
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
CV90. The gun uses the Mk-10 fire control system from Indra, which has a full solution digital ballistic computer, day channel, thermal channel and laser rangefinder. Future versions of the Mk-10 will be fitted with a new VC2 thermal imager. The ASCOD Pizarro is also very well armoured, with a thick steel armour casing protected against up to 14.5 mm bullets at 500 meters, with all around protection against 7.62 mm ammunition. Furthermore, the turret has two grenade launcher
Grenade launcher
A grenade launcher or grenade discharger is a weapon that launches a grenade with more accuracy, higher velocity, and to greater distances than a soldier could throw it by hand....
s on either side to fire smoke grenade
Smoke grenade
Smoke grenades are canister-type grenades used as ground-to-ground or ground-to-air signaling devices, target or landing zone marking devices, or as screening devices for unit movements. Smoke grenades are normally considered non-lethal, although incorrect use may cause death...
s. The Pizarro is also fitted with limited amounts of SABBLIR reactive armour
Reactive armour
Reactive armour is a type of vehicle armour that reacts in some way to the impact of a weapon to reduce the damage done to the vehicle being protected. It is most effective in protecting against shaped charges and specially hardened long rod penetrators...
and might be upgraded with more later. However, with appliqué steel plates fitted it can be protected against 30 mm armour-piercing discarding sabot
Armour-piercing discarding sabot
Armour-piercing discarding sabot is a type of kinetic energy projectile fired from a gun to attack armoured targets. APDS rounds are sabot rounds and were commonly used in large calibre tank guns, but have now been superseded by armour-piercing fin-stabilized discarding sabot projectiles in such...
s (APDS).
Additional ballistic protection is available against up to 30mm APFDS (Armour Piercing Fin Stabilised Discarding Sabot) rounds fired from a 1,000m range over the forward 60° arc, and all round protection against 14.5mm armour piercing incendiary (API) rounds from a range of 500m.
In terms of mobility, the Spanish Pizarro is fitted with a 600 hp engine, while the Austrian Ulan includes a 720 hp engine. The smaller Spanish engine gives it a power-to-weight ratio of 21, and the larger engine one of 25, offering both vehicles excellent mobility. Both versions use a Renk
Renk
RENK AG is a German company, part of the MAN Group. It has its headquarters in Augsburg, and is producer of gears, other components of propulsion technology and test systems. It is currently the leading manufacturer of transmissions for tracked vehicles, worldwide and a major supplier for marine...
HSWL 106C hydro-mechanical transmission, and torsion bar suspension. The Pizarro can go a maximum speed of 70 km/h, and a maximum reverse speed of 35 km/h.
In June 2008, GDELS, in conjunction with KMW, announced Donar, a medium-weight 155 mm self-propelled artillery system based on the KMW PzH 2000
PzH 2000
The Panzerhaubitze 2000 , abbreviated PzH 2000, is a German 155 mm self-propelled howitzer developed by Krauss-Maffei Wegmann and Rheinmetall for the German Army. The PzH 2000 is one of the most powerful conventional artillery systems currently deployed...
artillery system integrated with the ASCOD 2 chassis. A prototype has begun mobility and firing trials in Germany.
Deployment History
ASCOD entered service with the Spanish and Austrian armies in 2002. The British army is to receive the first ASCOD SV in 2015.To date, the ASCOD has not seen combat.
ASCOD Pizarro
ASCOD Pizarro is built by Santa Bárbara Sistemas. It has multiple variants.- VCI/C - Infantry / Cavalry Vehicle; This is the basic ASCOD Pizarro.
- VCPC - Command Vehicle
- VCOAV - (Vehículo de Observación Avanzada) Advanced Reconnaissance Vehicle
- VCREC - Recovery Vehicle
- VCZ - Engineering Vehicle
- LT-105 Light Tank - A light tank, designed for the export market, with a 105 mm gun. There are three turrets available, each made by a different manufacturer. These manufacturers are Oto MelaraOto MelaraOto Melara is an Italian defence company with factories in Brescia and La Spezia. It was founded in 1905 as a joint venture of Vickers and Terni. During World War I, Vickers Terni produced many weapons with calibre 40 mm and upwards. In 1929 the company was renamed Odero Terni Orlando with the...
, General Dynamics, and Denel Land Systems (formally known as LIW). The vehicles for the Royal Thai Marine Corps will use the turret from Denel. - Donar - Medium 155mm SPA based on the KMW PzH 2000PzH 2000The Panzerhaubitze 2000 , abbreviated PzH 2000, is a German 155 mm self-propelled howitzer developed by Krauss-Maffei Wegmann and Rheinmetall for the German Army. The PzH 2000 is one of the most powerful conventional artillery systems currently deployed...
ASCOD Ulan
ASCOD Ulan is built by Steyr-Daimler-Puch Spezialfahrzeuge. It includes a more powerful 530 kW engine, and a different fire control system built by Kollsman.ASCOD SV
ASCOD SV (also called the ASCOD 2 SV) is the ASCOD variant chosen for the British Army’s Specialist Vehicle ProgrammeFuture Rapid Effect System
The Future Rapid Effect System is the British MOD programme to deliver a fleet of more than 4,000 armoured fighting vehicles for the British Army...
, and will be built by General Dynamics UK. The overall program has three blocks. The first, Recce Block 1 comprises four variants:
- Scout
- Recce Armoured Personnel Carrier (APC)
- Recovery
- Repair
These vehicles are the replacements for CVR(T) Scimitar, Spartan and Samson.
Recce Block 2 is expected to include ambulance, engineer reconnaissance and command & control replacements for CVR(T) Samaritan and Sultan.
The ASCOD SV is planned to include the following upgrades :
- The main weapon will be a 40mm Case Telescopic Weapon System (CT40 cannonCTA InternationalCTA International is an equal-shares joint venture company between defence companies Nexter and BAE Systems. CTAI is based in Bourges, France and has been established to develop and manufacture case telescoped weapons and ammunition...
). - The armour will provide basic ballistic and mine protection, with upgrade add-on packages for improved protection when needed.
- The chassis will be upgraded with enhanced suspension combining torsion bars and hydraulic dampers.
- Enhanced powertrain comprising 600 kW (805 BHP) MTU V8 199 diesel engine and Renk 256B fully automatic transmission.
- The welded turret will be built by Lockheed Martin UK.
The vehicle normal combat weight is 34 tonnes.
Users
- 112 ASCOD Ulan - 356 ASCOD Pizarro (293 VCI/C, 26 VCPC, 28 VCOAV, 8 VCREC, and 1 VCZ) - 15 ASCOD Pizarro LT-105 - In developmentSee also
- List of modern armored fighting vehicles
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