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Overview
- Vehicle Name: MOWAG Panzerjäger Taifun
- Country of Origin: Switzerland
- Type: Casemate Tank Destroyer / Armored Combat Vehicle
- Suggested BR: 8.0 – 8.3 (Realistic Battles)
- German Tech Tree (as a Swiss sub-tree / main tree vehicle)
- Event / Battle Pass / Squadron Vehicle
- Premium Vehicle
Hello everyone! Today I would like to suggest the MOWAG Panzerjäger Taifun. Developed in Switzerland between 1978 and 1982 by MOWAG AG, the Taifun was an ambitious private venture created to produce an ultra-low profile, highly agile tank destroyer designed specifically for alpine ambush tactics. Standing at just 2.1 meters tall, featuring -12° of gun depression, a front-mounted engine, and capable of driving 65 km/h both forward and backward, this vehicle would offer a dynamic playstyle for mid-to-high tier casemate lovers.
Historical Background
In the late 1970s, the Swiss company MOWAG AG initiated a self-funded research and development project to create a modern successor to traditional casemate tank destroyers (such as the Kanonenjagdpanzer and Jagdpanzer 38(t)) and to offer a potential replacement for the aging AMX-13 tanks used by the Swiss Armed Forces.
To save development costs and maximize reliability, MOWAG built the Taifun using the chassis and powertrain components of their MOWAG Tornado Infantry Fighting Vehicle prototype. The core concept was extreme survivability through low observability, structural crew protection, and high mobility:
- Engine & Crew Layout: The Detroit Diesel 8V-71T engine was placed in the rear of the hull. This layout allowed the 4-man crew (including the driver, commander, gunner, and loader) and their access hatches to be positioned together in the forward compartment, maximizing crew communication and providing an extremely low-profile combat layout.
- Tactical Doctrine: Rather than relying on heavy armor, the Taifun was designed to lie in wait behind alpine ridges, hit targets with its 105mm NATO cannon using its exceptional -12° gun depression, and immediately retreat in reverse at full speed (65 km/h) without having to turn around.
A single, fully operational physical prototype was completed between 1980 and 1982. During company trials, the vehicle demonstrated superb mobility, hill-climbing capabilities, and extremely low visual and thermal cross-sections. MOWAG even produced design concepts for a 120mm smoothbore upgrade option to appeal to export clients seeking higher firepower. However, as military doctrines worldwide shifted definitively toward fully turreted Main Battle Tanks (MBTs) with 360° engagement arcs, international clients showed limited interest. The project was shelved, and the sole prototype was preserved. Today, it resides in the former MOWAG collection at the Schweizerisches Militärmuseum Full in Full-Reuenthal, Switzerland.
Mobility & Drivetrain
- Engine Location: Rear Mounted
- Engine Model: Detroit Diesel 8V-71T Turbocharged V8 Diesel Engine (575 hp at 2,500 rpm)
- Power-to-Weight Ratio: 21.7 hp/tonne
- Transmission: Planetary automatic transmission with reversing gear system
- Suspension: Torsion bar suspension with hydraulic shock absorbers
- Top Speed (Forward): 65 km/h (70 km/h on paved roads during trials)
- Top Speed (Reverse): 65 km/h (Equal forward and reverse gear ratios)
Protection & Armor
- Hull Construction: Welded High-Hardness Rolled Homogeneous Armor (RHA) steel
- Frontal Glacis: 50 mm steel sharply sloped at ~30° from horizontal (~60° from vertical), engineered to resist 20mm/25mm autocannon APDS across the frontal arc.
- Sides: 25 mm RHA
- Rear & Roof: 15–20 mm RHA
- Internal Protection: Front-mounted engine block acts as extra spall/kinetic barrier for the crew compartment behind it.
- Countermeasures: 6 x 76mm Smoke Grenade Dischargers
Armament & Fire Control System (FCS)
- Primary Cannon: 105mm Royal Ordnance L7 Rifled Cannon (Optional design variant: 120mm Smoothbore)
- Elevation Arc: -12° to +18°
- Traverse Arc: 15° Left / 15° Right (30° total horizontal)
- Reload Speed: ~6.7s (Manual loader)
- Ammunition Storage: ~40 rounds
- Secondary Armament: 1 x 7.5mm MG 51 (or 7.62mm FN MAG) coaxial machine gun
- Targeting & Fire Control: Laser Rangefinder (LRF), Day/Night Thermal Gunner Sight, Optical Commander Periscope
Ammunition Options
Note: As a 1980 prototype armed with the standard 105mm Royal Ordnance L7 cannon,
the Taifun fires standard 105mm NATO-compatible ammunition. Ammunition selection
can be tailored by developers depending on final BR placement:
- 105mm APDS / APFSDS (e.g., L28A1 / DM23)
- 105mm HEAT-FS (e.g., DM12)
- 105mm HESH (e.g., L42A1 / DM152)
Sources
- Tanks Encyclopedia (2020) – “MOWAG Panzerjäger Taifun”
- https://tanks-encyclopedia.com/coldwar/switzerland/mowag-panzerjager-taifun/
- Schweizerisches Militärmuseum Full Archives – MOWAG Prototype Collection (Full-Reuenthal, Switzerland)
- https://www.militaer-museum.ch/
- Bauer, Marcus (1996) – “Nutzfahrzeuge der MOWAG Motorwagenfabrik AG”, Fachpresse Goldach (ISBN: 978-3857380563).