ERAC, MBT power in a compact 9-ton tank

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caid’s suggestion #99

I would like to suggest the Engin de Reconnaissance Amphibique Chenillé or ERAC

The ERAC was a French light tank designed for reconnaissance duty in all terrain. alternative to the AML-60, this vehicle was very lightweight, had an amphibious capacity, and heavy firepower. designed in 1961, the vehicle was tested in 1963 and was intended to be a light-tracked armored reconnaissance vehicle with amphibian capacity. The vehicle was ultimately rejected, the reason is not known but it was most likely economical as the performance on the test was pretty good.

Firepower

The gun was a 105mm D1090 that was using HEAT rounds with 400mm of penetration. most likely using the G heat rounds also known as OCC 105 F1 which was also used in the AMX 30. the rest related to the fire-power is still well known. the gun have a elevation of -8° + 15 which is pretty standard on the French tank. the rotation was initially slow, underpowered by the transverse engine it was reaching 8°/sec but was eventually increased to a rotation of 24°/sec after they concluded the tank had electricity to space for a more powerful transverse engine. the tank carries 15 rounds in the turret and 15 rounds in the chassis giving it a total of 30 rounds for the 105mm . the coaxial was a 12.2mm M2HB but a 20mm M621 was also considered which is a feature choice for France and follows the idea of the AMX 30.

the gunner sight has a night vision for fighting in the night.

Mobility
The vehicle is powered by a 180 hp engine but it was also proposed to mount a 200/220 depending on the fuel and could provide up to 260 hp if you overfeed it. the vehicles. weighting 9 tonnes in his final stage, it was having a track large of 380 mm which led to a pressure of 0.475 km/cm2 which is pretty light for a tank. this allows it to perform particularly well in the mud and snow. the transmission imported from the M113, was completed by an automatic converter “high low” and a gearbox offering 5 speed and . the speed reaching 70 km/h and also theoretically 75 km/h would make this tank a very fast one, capable of matching in mobility with the fastest tanks of the game. the power-weight ratio reaching 20.0 hp/tonnes a very high ratio for great mobility. the tank is also perfectly amphibious powered by 2 propellers inside of the chassis. this allows a speed of 10 km/h in the water which on his own is pretty good.

Protection

The armor is mainly made of aluminum with a thickness offering fair protection. the turret which is made of steel**,** dispose of a 15mm gun-shield, and the turret itself is made of aluminum is 15mm thick at the front and 12mm at the side. this shall make it a bit vulnerable to the HMG on the side but the front shall be capable of the the HMG hit. the chassis is a bit better protected at the front with 60mm at the nose and 30nm on the side. the rear and roof are 15mm. this gives a bit better protection than most amphibious vehicles of his kind but not outstanding them. the crew of 3 men includes a gunner and commander in the turret and a driver in the hull. the vehicle was designed to be more compact than the PT-76. it was just a bit smaller.

Hull made of aluminum
Turret made of steel

additional pictures





Sources

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8 Likes
2

Nice ERAT (um?) !

Same philosophy with something that exists and is used around the world: AMX 10 PAC90.
chassis AMX10P : Check
Turret AML90: Check.

1 Like
3

It’s so cute! +1

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4

hey can you rename the subject as ERAC 105 pleas. theres also a 90mm version of the tank and the image you used is of the 90mm version of the tank (here is an image of the actual ERAC 105)
image_2024-11-08_022919351

5

There is no such thing as “ERAC 90”, the only other ERAC variant was an infantry support/tank destroyer type vehicle with a 20mm and HOT missiles. But it was never built.

OP literally used the same image you used.

However, I do agree ERAC 105 (E.R.A.C. 105) should be used, being the common name used in documents.

Update*
Now that I’ve looked around at the ERAC a while. I’ve caught that there appears to be two different hulls. All sources I’ve seen only claim a single prototype was built, and it is possible the prototype was simply rebuilt after testing. But there are numerous changes, mostly around the engine bay and suspension. And they seem extensive enough to imply a scratch built vehicle rather than modified.

There also appears to have been a third variant with a 120mm cannon (ERAC 120) in a casemate.

2 Likes
6

There is an article on chars-francais.net that sites a version of the erac from 1963 with a 90mm D 914 gun .how ever they do use the images of the erac 105 and don’t cite any sources concerning were they got the info from.

7

Yeah, Char-Francais is far from a good source. Which is a shame because whomever runs the site have decent access to unique material.

The intention to arm it with a 105mm goes at least as far back as January 1961. I’m not sure how much earlier on the project began, but this is still years before the prototype (early 1963). If a 90mm was considered (still seems unlikely), it had been quickly disregarded.

1 Like