Produced | 1961-1969 |
Notable for | easy driving |
Type | 6 cylinder |
Fuel | Diesel |
Power | 184 kW |
Maximum Torque | 1060 Nm |
Displacement |
Curb Weight | 15 T |
Wheelbase | |
Crew | 2+8 |
Height | 2.3 m |
Length | |
Width | 2.5m |
Ground Clearance | 2.1 m |
Driving Licence | Specific |
Can be transported in a container? | |
Requires an Export Licence? |
Fuel Capacity | 184l |
Fuel Consumption | 60l/100km |
Speed on Road | 65km/h |
Speed Cross-country | 45km/h |
Type | automatic |
Voltage | 24V |
Tyre Size |
Saurer APC may not seem impressive at first glance. Not too agile, not floating. It has little to compete in with a BMP. But first there is price - they are far more affordable. Then there is size: their transportation posses no challenge at all. Then there is a large stock of available spares. And the availability of tracks with rubber pads. Steering a Saurer APC requires little skills or experience. All vehicles come well serviced by the Austrian army.
In 1955, when the occupying forces left Austria, Austria only used the American armoured personnel carrier M3. For this reason, the Austrian Armed Forces commissioned the then Saurer company with the construction of their own armoured personnel carrier.
The first prototypes were completed in 1958. After the takeover of the Saurer company by Steyr-Daimler-Puch the following year, several versions of the Saurer infantry fighting vehicle were built until 1968, the main changes being the armour, the engine and the armament. As of 1974, all MG 42s were replaced by MG 74 (Austrian-Italian further development of MG 42).
In 1988 the Spz A1 was upgraded with a more powerful engine, automatic transmission, a new braking system and a hydrostatic superposition gear. Despite all the modifications, the Saurer is considered outdated at the beginning of the 21st century. Since 2002 the Armed Forces have been replacing the Saurer with its successor, the SPZ Ulan.
In addition to many formerly bunkered federal military equipment, the Wurzenpass bunker museum bought several Saurer infantry fighting vehicles in order to make them accessible to the public as part of the open-air museum.
Short designation: MK66SPz (basis: SPz A1)
Manufacturer: Steyr-Daimler-Puch
Engine: water-cooled six-cylinder 4-stroke diesel engine with direct injection and exhaust gas turbocharging
Engine power: 184 kW (250 hp)
Weight: 14 t
Gradeability: 75%
Range:
Road: 230 km
Terrain: 140 km
Wading ability: 90 cm
1 tank commander
1 gunner
1 tank driver
up to 7 men as the rest of the crew
Armament: 20 mm machine gun 66 (Oerlikon)
MK66SPz (basis: SPz A1)
üsMGSPz (basis: SPz A1) (12.7 mm-üsMG M2, 7.62-mm-MG)
SPzA1 / LWT (guided-missile carrier for Mistral, 7.62 mm MG)
SPzA1San (medical tank)
SPzA1GrW (grenade launcher) (81mm-mGRW 70, 7.62mm-MG74)
SPzA1Fü (lead tank) (7.62mm-MG74)
SPzA1A (Artillery Watcher) (7.62mm MG74)
LöPz 77 (Firefighter 77) (Rosenbauer water cannon 1600 l / min)
SPzA1Pi (carrier vehicle for armoured engineers) (12.7 mm-üsMG M2)