Panhard AML 60-20 Serval, the best AML-60

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caid’s suggestion #194

I want to suggest an interesting light armored car, the AML 60-20 Serval

The AML 60 is the first AML variant to have been produced. design to provide light fire support to the colonial territory, notably in North Africa, it carries a low velocity 60mm mortar gun. this is specifically adapted to fight in mountainous areas and hit targets behind cover. while been coming a bit late, it was still used in Africa by France with 425 AML-60 in the French services. this configuration was also adapted to the Eland. the AML-60 was a huge success on the export market as well with nearly 4000 vehicles built and exported to various countries. mostly to Africa. produced in 1960, it was used in France during the Algerian War. fighting in the Airborn, Naval, and Mountains units, it performed very well in fighting the insurgents and guerillas against which it was designed. the vehicle was a low-cost and very light support vehicle that did not require a lot of maintenance and provided accurate light artillery support close to the fight. the gun is capable of firing in direct fire with good effectiveness at up to 500m and firing HEAT rounds against armored targets. the gun features a large selection of rounds and is capable of using any 60mm mortar rounds as long the breech can take the pressure. this vehicle proved to be quite effective for his mobility and fire-support which is one of the reasons it was so successful. the French AML-60 was replaced by the ELC Sagaie in the French army in the late 70s. as for today. a few hundred AML-60 is still in service by various countries. they might be slightly different such as the AML-60-7, AML-60-12, and AML-60-20 which differ mainly by the coaxial armament. they are often in service alongside the AML-90 which was produced in smaller numbers but has a longer service time. about 90% of the AML-60 are out of service.
the AML-60-20 Serval was an upgrade for the AML armored car of the mid-70s. the turret was a modernization offering better firepower and range than the AML-60. featuring the 60mm Brandt LR mortar gun, it was capable of using HE, HEAT round at longer range than the normal 61mm mortar, but also capable of using APFSDS round whose pressure is too high for the normal CM60A1 mortar gun.
the new gun required more space, and as the space became a problem, the coaxial secondary armament was moved outside of the turret to the rear. the secondary armament was also upgraded to the 20mm M693 dual feed auto-cannon.
as the turret is larger, the AML-60-20 Serval was also capable of carrying more rounds for the 60mm and 20mm. this allows a longer fighter.
the turret also allows better protection as the front reaches 15mm, making at least the front capable of standing the LMG fire.
this upgrade was aiming to exploit the success of the AML series and to replace the AML-60 in general.
this vehicle is in services in serial country where it was exported as an upgrade package to the AML-60. it is still in service in most of them

Firepower
using a Brand LR sometimes called HB 60 LR, the gun was a breech and muzzle-loading mortar gun capable of direct fire. the elevation is -8° to +80° degrees and can reach a rate of fire of 10 rounds per minute. 50-round for the 60mm are carried in the serval turret

the 20mm M693 is set behind the turret in a remote control. capable of an elevation of -8° to +45°, it would be more than capable of fighting aircraft. a 7.62mm is also mounted in a remote-controlled mount at the rear of the turret with the same elevation. 287 rounds for the 20mm are carried for the auto-cannon and 600 rounds for the 7.62mm.

the turret transverse speed is limited to 12-degree seconds because of the manual transverse but there is also the option to have a hydraulic system to give a much better 48-degree seconds (I will let Gaijin decide if they want the 12/sec or 48/sec version). the SOPELEM 26 fire-control system is also offered as an option. this fire control allows better accuracy and correction of the fire to adjust to the side-sloped ground that the vehicles stand on, altitude, elevation, and temperature. all details that allow a much better accuracy in all circumstances.

Mobility
the AML-60-20 serval has similar mobility to the AML 90. been 100 kg lighter, the weight difference will not affect the overall mobility. As the vehicle is very light and has a rather weak engine, this difference is huge for mobility, particularly for acceleration. hosting a Panhard modèle 4 HD 4-cylinder engine offering 90 hp, it weighs only 5.4 tonnes which gives it a power-weight of 16.67 hp/ton. The Greabox offers 4 synchronized forward gears and 1 reverse. all 4 wheels are powered. this will make the AML-60-20 Serval capable of reaching its top speed more easily and accelerating faster than the other AML which I am believing it to be the lightest capable of being added to the game. the top speed of 90 km/h on the road will make this armored car a rather funny vehicle to play.

Protection
the protection of the AML 60 Serval is not the best feature but it’s a bit better than the other AML. This is due to the turret armor being a bit better at the front. with 15mm of armor all over the front, it can block a few hits of .50 call if the angle is good or if there is some distance. the crew is limited to 3 men. this vehicle do feature a 4x smoke grenade launcher on the side of the turret which might be useful to cover the maneuver and get out of a bad situation. The vehicle in overall remains extremely lightly armored and will hardly survive a single hit well-placed. the best feature is to use the small size to sneak around without dragging too much attention.

Sources

Satory IX Booklet (1983)


Satory VII booklet (1979)


Spoiler




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I’d especially like to have this one! +1

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