- Yes
- No
caid’s suggestion #188
I want to suggest an interesting armored car for France. the Panhard AML TL 20 SO
the AML TL 20 SO is a light armored car based on the Panahrd AML chassis which was a huge success in the international market, notably in Africa. the vehicle was mobile, light, cheap, and well-adapted to harsh terrain. the AML 90 notably was an interesting alternative to MBT as it was packing a lot of firepower which was capable of destroying the early MBT for only a fraction of the price while offering a higher mobility and lower maintenance cost. trying to exploit this success, France offered on the international market and also for domestic use, a lot of variants. mainly in the form of the installation of various turrets. the HS 30 was converting the AML into an AFV which was perfect as a scout car and offered fire support against low-flying aircraft and light-armoured vehicles. the armament is a 30mm auto-cannon that offers high efficiency against vehicles like Helicopters, infantry, and also light vehicles which it could encounter. ill-suited to fight heavy armor, this vehicle falls more in the area of support vehicles in combat, perfect to support heavier combat vehicles such as the MBTs.
The AML TL 20 SO was presented in 1983 as a way for Panhard to renew the interest of the AML series which was already 20 years on the market and used massively by many countries. this specific vehicle was designed to be a perfect reconnaissance armored car, suited for the escort and the protection of the checkpoint. capable of filling many roles, it was an ideal support vehicle. at the difference from many armored cars with a cannon, this variant does carry a lot of ammunition which gives it a massive advantage to perform sustained combat even if it’s not a vehicle intended for the frontline. the vehicle was offered on the international market and some countries show interest in acquiring this vehicle. Morrocco did test two of them in the Atlas region but decided to not order it due to the protection of the turret not meeting their requirement (they wanted at least 20mm, it had 16mm). the AML TS 20 HS was never ordered by anyone.
Firepower
The AML TL 20 SO has a rather light firepower but a high rate. the main armament is the 20mm M693. this auto-cannon is a French 20mm which was often used in its army. while not offering a punch equal to the larger caliber, it still can punch through light armor or the side of some MBT. with the capacity to use APDS rounds, it can penetrate up to 80mm of armor up close (without angle) which can be enough for some MBT. the high fire rate ranging from 700 to 760 rounds per minute makes it a real treath against vehicles that might not have enough armor. the 20mm carry nothing less than 1000 rounds which is a lot for such a compact vehicle. the armament has an elevation of -8° to +50° which allows it to engage aircraft if needed. the rotation speed of the turret is unknown. The turret also features a 7.62mm roof-mounted machine gun which has an elevation of -15° to +45°. an additional 7.62mm is fixed on the left mudguard and operated by the drive using the electrical command. 1400 rounds for the 7.62mm are carried. the turret also features a Zeiss Hensold Day telescop with a magnification of 4x and a night Telescope Zeiss Orian 110 with a magnification of 4x
Mobility
the vehicle mobility is rather good. it’s not so much different than the normal AML as we have ingame. the only difference is this version is a fair bit lighter. weighting 5.4 in his heaviest version (there is a command and Rank version which are for the commander’s units and field units) it is powered by the Panhard modèle 4 HD 4-cylinder engine offering 90 hp. this gives the vehicle a power-weight of 16.66 hp tons which is okay for his purpose. the vehicle might lack of acceleration due to the power weight been a bit low for a vehicle of his kind, still, I have good mobility with a top speed of 90 km/h. this is a perfect vehicle for flanking and scouting.
Protection
the Protection of this vehicle is far from been great. the survivability has always been a flaw for the AML series. this vehicle is not any different. it’s even a bit worse. the turret being “semi-open” (which is what the “SO” in the name stands for) means the rear of the roof of the turret is open, making the commander partially exposed from above. but to be honest, this vehicle will fall in a BR where no aircraft are armed with 7.62mm and even few will still have the 12.7mm which makes them not even notice there is no armor there. they would penetrate the light roof protection from side to side with ease. that will only make it a bit more vulnerable to the high explosives. the vehicle is small and only has a two man crew. the driver at the front of the chassis, and the commander operating the turret.
Sources.
Jane's Light Tanks and Armoured Cars
unidentified book
https://www.nairaland.com/1386870/african-militaries-security-services-strictly/1093
Chassis
