Mowag MR-8-23, Swiss AML-90

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caid’s suggestion #34

I would like to suggest the Swiss tank destroyer, the Mowag MR-8-23

rHa6ry8.jpg

This armoured car was a Swiss export venture that was created in 1959 as part of the MR-8 family. this version was the 23th configuration offered for the export. specialized in support. this armoured car was carrying a 90mm gun that could penetrate the enemy tanks, including the MBT of his time. while these vehicles seem to have drawn some attention, it was never successfully exported to any country. one of the reasons was fierce competition, notably from France who offered the AML-90 which was superior in almost all aspects. however, on a smaller scale, this armoured car was a quit capable vehicle that could prove to be efficient in the hand of a good crew and offer gameplay similar to the AML-90

Pros

  • small profile
  • good mobility
  • lot of ammunition carried

Cons

  • Only have HEAT for anti-tank use
  • little armour
  • no secondary armament

R4KoS0J.png

Firepower

to hit the international market with more ease, this vehicle wasn’t carrying the Swiss armament like most of their development. instant it carried the more common and cheaper Mecar CAN-90L. this gun was similar to the Cockrill Mk.III found on another similar armoured car. fairly less powerful than his French competitor, it remains capable of 250mm of penetration while having the same velocity. this allows the gun to engage some early MBT and even at some distance. depending mainly on the HEAT rounds for combat use, no other real rounds are worth being used in combat as they offer about nothing more than the HEAT can’t do for damaging the targets. this armoured car has an elevation of -10° to +15° which is not great but still decent for most situations. the turret can turn to 360° and have a speed that could be estimated at 24°/sec. the fire rate reaches 9 rpm which is decent enough for his use. it carries 50 rounds which is more than most of its competitors. but on the downside, it does not have any coaxial or secondary armament.

Mobility

This armoured car has a mobility very different from its predecessor. the weight is barely changed, the engine is much better but the transmission is very different. this reduces a bit the top speed and a lot the reverse speed but at the same time, these vehicles have better acceleration. powered by a V8 Chrysler 6-cylinder gasoline engine of 161 hp at 4100 rpm à, this vehicle is well-powered for its weight of 8.7 tonnes. this makes it have a power-weight ratio of 18.5 hp/tonnes which is more than most early armoured cars. the transmission offers 5 forward speed and 1 backward speed which is pretty smooth when you go forward.

Protection

this armoured car is a bit better than its predecessor in protection. according to the primary source, the more range from 12 to 6 mm without specifying where. this allows us to guess that the most vulnerable part is 12mm, and the less vulnerable part is 6mm. in other words the front shall be 12mm and the roof should be 6mm. the rest should be somewhere in the middle, like 10 and 8mm for the side for example. until the armour is detailed, I made a guess based on the logic about the thickness of his armour. this can be used as place placeholder. in the eventuality the armour is wrong, it cannot be very far from the reality and so the gameplay wouldn’t be significantly changed. the crew of 4 men probably include a driver, a gunner, a commander and a loader. the vehicle is still fairly small but a bit bigger than its predecessor. no smoke was installed which reduced a lot his capacity to escape from a bad situation.

source

Spoiler

2 Likes

This thing would definitely be fun to have in game.

I would ad the Thyssen/Mowag SW IIa.

Screenshot 2024-05-05 at 00-56-26 Geschützter Sonderwagen II (SW II) 4 x 4 - Bundesgrenzschutz

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+1 for Swiss tree

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I think I may have found another photo, although some features such as the shape of the cupola and driver’s viewport seem different from the other images. Perhaps this is a second prototype?

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here is some photo of the unarmed version which show the inside

Spoiler






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This is the Sonderwagen I (SW I) as it was built by Büssing/Henschel under license in the Federal Republic of Germany. It was used by the Federal Border Guard and most of the state riot police.

The BGS version is shown here as a protected group car of a heavy platoon, recognizable by:

G1 rifle (FN FAL),
MP1 (Beretta M1938/49),
MG1 (Rheinmetall MG42/58 or /59) or 2 (MG42 converted to 7.62 x 51), which could be operated by the commander when mounted on the SW1 or dismounted as an LMG.
Medium 81mm grenade launcher (US M1 mortar).
As an alternative to the grenade launcher, the anti-tank rocket launcher Blindicide 101mm (Belgium) would also be possible.

The SW I was comparably equipped by the (West) Berlin police in the heavy platoons of the riot police with

G3 rifle (licensed MAS)
MPl Walther (licensed Manurhin)
MG3 (MG42 Borsig converted to 7.62x51 at Manurhin France, otherwise as above),
Medium grenade launcher 81mm (US M1 mortar) or
81mm anti-tank rocket launcher (US Super Bazooka)

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A definite +1 from me would be nice to see in a future Swiss tree

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