ASCOD LPT

ChieftainWarrior · September 28, 2024, 4:12pm

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ASCOD LPT

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TL;DR: General Dynamics’ 105mm low-profile turret mounted on joint Austro-Spanish ASCOD hull

History
In the late 1970s, Spain and Austria were equipped with rapidly-aging APCs – the M113 in Spain, and the 4K 7FA in Austria. Both countries sought a modern AFV to complement heavy armour (in Austria, the Leopard 2A4, and in Spain, the AMX-30Es, M48s and M60s [and only later Leopard 2A4s in 1998]).

In 1982, Steyr-Daimler-Puch began the process of development of a new AFV. They contacted Greece, Norway and Switzerland to discuss the requirements. In 1985, Austria’s Bundesheer revealed their requirements for a new IFV, named the Kampfschützenpanzer 90 (KSPz 90). This led to Steyr progressing further with development, but it became clear to them that Austria would not purchase any new IFVs soon, and that development costs would exceed Steyr’s budget.

This led to the formation of ASCOD (Austrian Spanish Cooperative Development) – a merger of Steyr-Daimler-Puch and Santa Bárbara Sistemas. Soon after, the ‘Alexandros’ IFV was proposed by the combined effort of ASCOD and the Greek ELVO (formerly Steyr-Hellas). However, after a change in the Greek government and realising the Alexandros would be too expensive for Greece, ELVO dropped out, but not before handing over documents and design plans they had drawn up. ELVO would then go on to design the Kentaurus, which only saw a single prototype produced.

ASCOD then progressed rapidly in designing a prototype. The hull was produced in Spain, and the turret in Austria. The turret was a further development of the SP 30 turret already used on the Austrian Pandur II IFV in service with Portugal. The first prototype was demonstrated in 1991. The original prototype weighed 18.8t, but over the course of development, this soared to 28.3t (Pizarro Fase 1 combat weight).

In 1994, Spain ordered four pre-production vehicles for further testing, and in 1996, placed an order for a first batch of 144 vehicles. These were called the Pizarro. Austria placed their order in 1999, for what they designated the Ulan. While the two vehicles are very similar, the Ulan has a few noteworthy changes over the Pizarro, notably a more powerful powerpack, and different armour composition.

In the 1980s, the US was looking to replace the aging M551 Sheridan, and began the Armored Gun System program (AGS). As their entry, Teledyne Vehicle Systems designed the Expeditionary Tank. The hull was constructed in 1983, and the turret in 1984. The turret was a unique design – it was an unmanned auto-loaded 105mm cannon, located at the rear of the hull. The vehicle would ultimately lose the AGS competition to the CCVL, which then evolved into the M8 AGS.

Despite the failure of the tank domestically, Teledyne offered the vehicle for export, and shortly after, just the turret. The turret – designated as LPT (Low Profile Turret) – found a little bit more success. It would be test mounted on a Centurion Mk. 5, as well as on the LAV III in 2000. This LAV mounted system would go on to become the well-known M1128 MGS.

In 1998, the turret was installed on an ASCOD hull. This was a modified version of the turret fitted on the original Expeditionary Tank, with a modified turret shape and height. The vehicle was tested at Eglin Air Force Base in California, and fired over 70 rounds of ammunition, including while moving and against moving targets. The project ultimately didn’t see any sales, and remained a singular prototype.

The ASCOD saw two other 105mm turrets fitted to it. In 1996, Denel’s LMT-105 as on the Rooikat 105 was fitted and marketed, but saw no interest. And, in 2000, the Oto-Melara 105 LRF turret was mounted, and underwent firing tests in Austria, but once again, while the tests were successful, it was not sold.

All three ASCOD light tanks from the 90s/early 2000s. Top left is LMT-105, top right is LRF 105, bottom is LPT

Characteristics
The LPT is fitted with a stabilised American M68A1 105mm cannon, a derivative of the British L7. It fires standard NATO 105x617mm shells, and could be given whatever needed to fit a specific BR – including rounds like M774, M833 and M900. M774 penetrates 372mm at 10m at 0°, M833 penetrates 395mm at 10m at 0° and M900 penetrates 522mm at 10m at 0° (in-game values). The gun is fitted with an autoloader that holds 9 rounds, with a maximum rate of fire of 10 rds/min (6 seconds). The main cannon can elevate -10°/+18°, and the turret rotates 360° at a speed of 40°/second. The turret also has a 7.62mm M240 coaxial, with 1000 rounds of ammunition.

The LPT has a fully stabilised fire control system, providing a laser rangefinder. The gunner has a stabilised Raytheon CITV fitted with a first generation thermal imager, with a magnification of x8. The gunner sight has a video link to the commander, but there is no separate commander sight.

The turret has armour protection of 25mm all-around. The turret has a combat weight of 4.3t. There are four smoke grenade launchers on either end of the turret, for a total of eight.

The ASCOD has steel armour, protecting against 30mm AP projectiles across a narrow frontal arc (distance not specified). Otherwise, the hull protects against 14.5mm AP rounds all around. The ASCOD is also fitted with spall liners, see below (orange):
Screenshot 2024-09-23 at 14.27.14

The ASCOD is fitted with an MTU 8V183 TE22 engine, providing 600hp at 2300rpm. This is connected to an automatic RENK HSWL 106 C transmission, with 6 forward and 6 reverse gears. The combat weight of the Pizarro is 28.3t, and the combat weight of its turret is 3.7t. This means, as the LPT weighs 4.3t, the ASCOD LPT weighs approximately 28.9t. This gives the vehicle a power-to-weight ratio of 20.7hp/t. It has a top speed of 70km/h.

Conclusion
The ASCOD LPT would be a great light tank for either a future Alpine tree (Austria) or Iberian tree (Spain), likely sitting at a BR of around 9.7-10.3, depending on ammunition. It would serve as a non-American counterpart to the AGS, albeit larger and less mobile. If neither of those countries will receive their own trees, this could go to the American tree, given the American turret.

Specifications
Armament