- Yes
- No
AMX-13 PRAT
In this suggestion we’ll be having a look at the Dutch operated, French origin AMX-13 PRAT. This vehicle is a modification of the AMX VCI armored personnel carrier, known as AMX PRI (PRI stands for Pantser Rups Infanterie or armour track infantry) in The Netherlands.
The AMX VCI started production in 1951, and was acquired by The Netherlands in 1961 as part of a larger modernisation effort to mechanize their infantry brigades. As such it was initially not bought as a tank destroyer, but instead as a conventional armoured personnel carrier. The order was spread over several variants of the vehicle, and was good for a total amount of 345 vehicles. Besides this, The Netherlands also ordered other versions of the AMX-13 platform, among which the AMX-13-105 and AMX-PRA (a local designation for the Mk.61 105mm self propelled howitzer based on the AMX-13 chassis). The total amount of AMX-13 based hulls eventually in service in The Netherlands amounts to somewhere around 800.
The AMX-PRAT was a later modification, from the early 70s, by the Netherlands to turn the PRI platform into a tank destroyer, thus allowing for better cover for the regular mechanised infantry troops. This upgrade was achieved by simply mounting a TOW launcher where the .50 cal turret would usually be. This modification also required some internal changes of course, the crew space was turned into ammo storage, holding up to 10 missiles for the launcher. This reduced the crew down to 3, a driver, commander and gunner.
The service life of the vehicles is not a noteworthy one. Only 26 were converted from the standard AMX-PRI and the vehicles never ended up seeing active combat service. Like its wheeled counterpart the YP-408 PWAT, they were replaced in the early 80s by the YPR-765 PRAT.
Characteristics-wise, the vehicle didn’t change much from the original AMX PRI model. It retained the same 250 hp engine which powered the roughly 13.3 ton vehicle, giving it a power-to-weight ratio of 18.8 hp/t. This gave it a comfortable amount of mobility with a top speed of 60 km/h. The armour layout is also unchanged, being thinly armoured with a thickness varying between 10 and 30mm of steel.
The main armament of the vehicle consisted of a TOW missile launcher. This launcher would have been capable of firing the standard TOW missile, but taking the service life of the vehicle into account, it is possible that a more advanced variant such as the ITOW would also have been equipped on the vehicle. Unlike M113 based TOW launching vehicles, footage of the AMX-PRAT indicates that the TOW launcher has full 360° rotation capability. It achieves this by being mounted to the turret ring of the former .50cal turret.
The vehicle also appears to come equipped with smoke grenades, allowing it to seek cover quickly when coming under fire.
General characteristics:
- Length: 5.8m
- Width: 2.5m
- Height: 3.5m
- Powerplant: 250hp SOFAM 8Gxb 8-cylinder engine
- Weight: 13.3 tons
- Power-to-weight: 18.8 hp/ton
- Max forward speed: 60 km/h
Armament:
- 1x TOW launcher with 10 reloads (basic TOW missile, possibly also ITOW)
Place in-game
The AMX-PRAT is a perfect blend of French and Dutch technology to further reinforce the lines of the BeNeLux subtree, it offers a playstyle currently not found in the French tree without having to resort to copy-paste of an American vehicle. This vehicle could sit in the 8.0-8.3 range where French lineups are already available to take out. Especially at 8.0 this vehicle could offer a valuable expansion to the lineup. Similar M113 based systems are usually found around 8.3 however, while the AMX-PRAT is definitely more vulnerable than those vehicles and lacks an additional .50cal machine gun, I’m not sure if it is enough to warrant a lower BR. The ability to fully rotate the launcher also gives the PRAT a clear advantage over those systems. Being small and decently mobile, this vehicle can quickly reach covered positions from where it can try to only expose its launcher. Fire the missile and retreat to cover quickly again. It’s low height allow you to exploit a wide range of positions to employ this tactic, and the smoke grenades allow you to run when the situation gets too hot.