- Yes
- No
caid’s suggestion #212
i would like to suggest an interesting vehicle for France, the Lohr RPX 3000 (with Milan ATGM)
the RPX 3000 is the first armoured car designed by Lohr Corporation which was a step toward the RPX 6000 series. presented in Satory in 1985 the vehicle was designed extremely light and was amphibious. offering an alternative to the very successful AML on the global market. it was designed to be a 3-tonne class reconnaissance and support vehicle. but can’t carry conventional armament. the engine compartment being placed in the center of the vehicle does not allow to have any proper turret. the passenger compartment is at the rear and the cockpit is at the front. this makes the vehicle have a rather limited choice of armament. At Satory, the vehicle was offered with the Milan ATGM launcher at the rear and a machine gun at the front. both armament are placed at the roof. while performing very well on paper, the vehicle was not a success. the design has flaws in the arrangement which limited the versatility of the vehicle, notably by having the engine in the center of the vehicle which prevented the installation of a turret. without surprise, no order came for this vehicle but this experience allowed Lohr to develop the RPX 6000 which solved most of the flaws of the RPX 3000.
Firepower
this vehicle does not lack firepower, with the Milan ATGM as the main armament, it would be capable of taking out about any MBT that does not have advanced armor and even some MBTs that have advanced armor. the MILAN ATGM is a SACLOS missile that can easily be controlled by the players in-game. it offers a penetration of 530mm and a velocity of 200 m/sec. the launcher has an elevation of +20° (and probably the same depression) and can turn at 360° but due to the need to keep the gunner behind the gun, it shall be limited to rearward aiming. at the front is an A-A-F1N 7.62 mm machine gun operated by the commander. the ammunition carried is unknown but the rear compartment for the passenger can certainly carry a handful of additional missiles.
Mobility
the vehicle is rather light, with 3.5 tonnes it’s barely heavier than a large car. the engine is a commercial BMW offering 125 hp Is quite enough for his needs. the transmission is a ZF fully automatic with a two-speed transfer box the vehicle can reach 110 km/h on the road and in-game it would probably reach it quite often. with a power weight of 35.71 hp/ton, it would accelerate quite fast. the vehicle is also amphibious which gives it extra versatility on the battlefield.
protection
the vehicle is made of steel but it is rather light, the armor will be very minimal, probably in the area of 6mm only. this would only give enough protection against shrapnel if they aren’t too close. the crew of 3 men is giving it a bit of survivability. the gunner is in the rear compartment and the engine compartment separates him from the rest of the crew. the commander and driver are at the front of the vehicle.
sources.
Jane's Armoured Fighting Vehicle Retrofit Systems 1993 94
Jane's Armour and Artillery 85-86
