Krpan 8x8

_YugoSlav · July 20, 2023, 5:08am

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Krpan 8x8

History and Description

The story with Krpan 8x8 began at the end of 2003 when Slovenia sold an 80 % stake in company Sistemska tehnika (ST) to the company Viator & Vektor, which in turn gave a 29 % stake to Steyr Daimler-Puch in exchange for a license for the Pandur II 8x8 vehicle. In 2006, the Slovenian Ministry of Defense announced an international tender for the acquisition of wheeled armored vehicles. By April 11, 2006, two companies had applied: Rotis (Slovenian representative of Patria) with Patria AMV and ST with Krpan 8x8 (licensed-built Pandur II 8x8). The tender deadline was too short for ST though, so instead of the Slovenian-made Krpan 8x8, an Austrian-made Pandur II 8x8 vehicle participated in the spring verification. In most tests, the Patria AMV won, except in the off-road test where both vehicles were beaten by the BRDM-2 which was there as a sample vehicle. The firepower of the vehicles was not tested. On June 12, 2006, the ministry announced that Rotis had won the tender and would supply 136 Patria AMVs for 263,000,000 euros. In the press conference, they stated that Rotis’ offer was cheaper, would create more jobs in Slovenia, and would increase Slovenian companies’ involvement in armored vehicle production. ST did, however, unveil the Krpan 8x8 in October of that same year. Their APC had a number of improvements over Pandur II and used 55 % of local components and subsystems. The Slovenian Army tested the vehicle, but ultimately adopted the Patria AMV as its 8x8 armored vehicle. However, this was not the end for Krpan. Due to the fact that Steyr Daimler-Puch was a co-owner of ST and owner of Pandur II and its modernizations, Krpan made its way into the Portuguese and Czech armies under the name Pandur II (2007 version). To put it another way, Portugal and the Czech Republic employ Pandur II, a prototype of which was developed by a Slovenian company for the Slovenian Army.

The Krpan 8x8 is equipped with Rafael’s Mini Samson remotely controlled weapon station, housing an M2HB 12.7 mm heavy machine gun and 2 Spike-LR anti-tank guided missiles. Two people operate the vehicle; the driver and the commander, who also controls the RCWS.
Armor of the Krpan provides protection against small arms fire and artillery shell splinters. Additional modular armor protects against 14.5 mm armor-piercing projectiles. At the customer’s request, it is possible to install particularly strong armor at the front, which also protects against projectiles of up to 30 mm caliber. The vehicle is fitted with additional spall liners. Krpan armored personnel carrier has a special double hull floor for mine protection. All drive train components are fully protected inside the hull. The vehicle can withstand an explosion from an 8 kg anti-tank mine under any wheel, or according to STANAG 4569, it has anti-mine protection 3a. Automatic fire extinguishing and NBC protection systems are fitted as standard. In addition to the door, the vehicle also has a hydraulic lifting platform on the rear panel. A total of six smoke grenade launchers are mounted on the back of the vehicle.
Krpan is lighter than the Pandur II. The vehicle is powered by a 6-cylinder Cummins ISLe HPCR turbodiesel engine, developing 450 hp, which ensures a maximum road speed of up to 105 km/h. The engine is coupled to a six-speed automatic transmission ZF 6HP 602C. It is worth mentioning that this vehicle has up to 40 % of its components in common with the Valuk APC (Slovenian-licensed Pandur I 6x6). The development emphasis was on simple maintenance. Drive train components of this armored personnel carrier are commercially available. The power pack can be removed in field conditions in 20 minutes. It takes the same time to re-mount it. The vehicle is fitted with run-flat tires and a central tire inflation system, its suspension and tires automatically adjust to the terrain type, and it has the ability to lock all wheels on the inside of a corner (which reduces the turning circle of the vehicle). The vehicle is also equipped with a self-recovery winch. The vehicle can cross a 2.2 m wide trench, a vertical obstacle up to 0.6 m, a 60 % climb, a 40 % incline and can ford through water up to 1.5 m deep.

Specifications

Essentials
- Length; 7.36 m
- Width; 2.69 m
- Height (without the turret); 2.08 m
- Ground Clearance; 0.45 m
- Wheelbase 1-2/2-3/3-4; 1.53/1.40/1.40 m
- Mass; ca. 14,500 kg
- Crew; 2
- Eight-wheel drive (8x8)
Protection
- Armor; 7.62mm AP round protection over the full 360° arc
- APS; N/A
- ERA; N/A
- Smoke; 6x smoke grenades
Mobility
- Engine; Cummins, 6-cylinder turbo-charged diesel, 335 kW, 450 hp at 2400 rpm
- Power/weight; ca. 31.0 hp/t, 23,1 kW/t
- Transmission; 1 reverse gear, 5 forward gears
- Top speed; 105 kph
- Amphibious; No
- Gradient; 60%
- Side slope; 40%
- Vertical obstacle; 0.6 m
- Trench; 2.2 m
- Fording depths; 1.5 m
Firepower
- Main;
  - SPIKE-LR
    - Penetration: 700 mm Penetration behind ERA (Tandem HEAT)
    - Diameter: 130 mm
    - Reload: 15 s
    - Range: 200 - 4,000 m
    - Guidance: Fire-and-Forget/Infrared Homing
    - 2x ready to fire
    - Stabilizer; Yes
    - Vertical; unknown
    - Horizontal; 360°
    - Rotation speed; unknown
- Secondary;
  - 12.7 mm M2HB machine gun
    - 29 mm pen at 10 m
    - 700-800 shots per minute