- Yes
- No
caid’s suggestion #168
I would like to suggest a rather unique tank, the Swiss Mowag Mk.1 MRS-80
The Mowag Tornado Mk.1 was a Swiss-made IFV that was created on the base of the Tornado which was a prototype intended to replace the M113 in the Swiss army. the Tornado Mk.1 was his successor and aimed for the export
The Tornado Mk.1 was created in the late 70s on the base of the Tornado Mk.1 the tank featured serial differences which can be somehow considered as an improvement. one of which is the the new transmission that was used with the engine which allows 4 forward speed and 4 backward with a torque converter which sort of double the quantities of geat (in the game it works that way). this greatly improved the mobility of the vehicle in and make it about as good as the Marder, which was the main competitor.
the engine remains the same as the previous model. The rear was changed to reposition the Apex mount on the rear and offer better protection in close combat. an additional fire-port was added for the 9mm SMG which allows the crew to fight from the inside. like the original model, this the crew sits back to back. the ATGM launcher was removed as it was considered impracticable and unneeded. the Tornado Mk.1 comes with many different turrets for different needs, according to the preference of the user.
this suggestion proposes the MRS-80 turret. the same turret as mounted on the Swedish U-SH 405. this turret was created to provide the light vehicles with anti-tank support in close combat. it fire the same SNORA rockets as the RWk-007 turret and some aircraft-mounted rockets used by Switzerland. this turret was offered on export and as an option for the Tornado. while the Tornado was not successful in export, the turret was a lot more successful and exported in different countries for trial or production on other chassis.
Tornado Mk.1 or MK.2?
while there is no clear evidence if it was the Mk.1 or Mk.2 this version was likely the Mk.1. this supposition is based on the fact that only one of each was known to be built and while they mounted different turrets during their existence, the Mk.2 is preserved in Full’s panzermedum with a GBD COA turret which means this would logically be the Mk.1 (unless they built other Mk.2 which is quit possible but no information suggest it). both Tornado GBD COA and MRS-80 are preserved in the same museum in the City of Full, Switzerland.
Firepower
This version of the Tornado was armed with a MRS-80 turret. this turret is the same as mounted on the Swedish U-SH 405. That allows the tank to have quite good firepower against other vehicles and makes it a proper tank hunter. this turret is more adapted to close combat than the RWk-007 was. the turret was featuring a twin 81mm rocket launcher, each with an auto-loader with 9 rounds each. the vehicle probably does not carry additional rounds but it is still possible it did by removing the passenger’s sit.
Mobility
The tank was powered by a MOWAG diesel engine with turbocharging and inter-cooling, water-cooled offering 430 hp, and had a Mowag transmission offering 4 forward speeds and 4 backward this allowed the tank to have a pretty good acceleration and be very reactive. the vehicle’s combat weight reach 22.3 tonnes. this weight may vary from the Mk.1 and Mk.2 and with different turrets, but the source (which is from various encyclopedias and author books) only states 22.3 tonnes without precision if there is a difference in weight from one to another. This remains a pretty decent weight for the engine as the tank remains with about 19 hp/tonnes which is still pretty good. the top speed reaches 70 km/h in both directions which is perfect for those who love to use the mobility of their vehicles.
Protection
The exact armor of the tank is unknown, but due to the weight and size, it is expected to be around 30-35mm on the front and 20mm on the side. besides the protection was reported to be capable of taking fire from a 23mm auto-cannon on the front and a 14.5mm heavy machine gun on the side. this should allow the tank to have a fairly good resistance against HMG and some auto-cannon but not in a way to be immune to them. for sure compared to its main competitor, the AMX 10P, BMP-1, and Marder, this tank has fairly good protection but it remains an IFV. the did receive a smoke grenade launcher in the late stage of his test which allows the tank to fire 2x smoke at a time to cover his movement, the crew normally includes a driver, a gunner, and a commander, but we should also give it 2x passenger who are normally operating the LMG turret (they was on the disposal of the embarked infantry)
Sources
IDF Jane's
International defense review
Spoiler
Armament
- https://ia800901.us.archive.org/34/items/Oerlikon81mmRockets/Oerlikon 81mm rockets.PDF
- SNORA and SURA-D rockets - Wikipedia
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If you like to see some wacky tanks if you want to see unique aircraft, if you want to see something about a new nation that could make it to the game. Switzerland is for you
the Swiss Discord is dedicated to researching Swiss military material and support. no qualification is needed. if you want to help or have a look around, follow this link and we would be happy to welcome you
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