- Yes
- No
caid’s suggestion #186
I want to suggest an interesting armored car for France. the Panhard AML HS 30
the AML HS 30 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 HS 30 was presented to the international market in 1971 and was used as a test bed for the Floating kits. the main advantage it propose, outside of carrying a completely different armament for a different purpose, was the capacity to convert the existing AML (AML 90 or AML 60) into this version in very little time and revert it if needed. if a nation was interested and already had either the AML or Eland armored car, it could order the turret as a conversion kit without ordering a new chassis. and if they didn’t have the armored cars, they could order the AML with HS 30 turret and H-90 turret or many others as a conversion kit. making this vehicle been adapted to the different role it would be intended to serve in the lowest cost. many developing countries such as African countries had a rather low budget and seldom had more than the 1 generation of MBT present in their part of the world (speaking about the situation in the 70s and not now) was not need to have much more than a low pressure 90 gun to offer a decent combat capacity to be considered as serious in the region. the AML chassis was used massively by many countries. including France which was and is a recognized world power and South Africa which was a serious regional power. Sadly the AML HS 30 didn’t meet the success expected. the competition and the AML 90 was just making the 30mm version unneeded. the vehicle was removed from the market a bit before the 80s.
Firepower
the main armament of the AML HS 30 was the 30mm HSS 831A. the gun was capable of being set in automatic with a fire rate of 600 rpm, it could also be in burst or single-shot. the AML carry 200 rounds for the 30mm with a belt of 155 rounds ready to use and 45 rounds are stored. the elevation is -8°/+45° which allows a decent AA capacity but still offers a huge blind zone above the vehicle. the gun’s vertical speed is 40°/sec and the turret rotation speed is 80°/sec, allowing an excellent capacity to follow even the fastest planes in the game. an AA.52 7.62mm LMG is placed as a coaxial machine gun next to the auto-cannon. A 2nd AA.52 is normally mounted on the roof during operational duty. the AML carry 2200 rounds for the 7.62mm
Mobility
the mobility of the AML HS.30 shall not be much different than the AML 90. The weight of only 50 kg heavier will not give a much noticeable acceleration over the other AML that is currently in the game (and others that could be added)powered by the Panhard modèle 4 HD 4-cylindres engine offering 90 hp, and a weight of approximately 5.5 tons, the tiny vehicles can reach the good speed of 90 km/h. proven highly mobile in all terrain, this little vehicle would be an excellent flanking asset.
an amphibious kit was also tested with the AML HS.30 which was made by covering the hull with a thin metal box filled with Polyurethane. the weight would then reach 6 tons but give the advantage of floating.
Protection
the hull Armor remains very light, to the point the LMG can even penetrate it. it is as far we can tell, identical to the chassis of the AML-90 currently in-game with 10mm of armor all around, the hull is rather vulnerable to all sorts of enemy fire.
the turret Armor however is much better. having the armor un-specified anywhere in the source I found, the photo evidence shows the gun shield has a thicker armor. it can be estimated to be 20-25mm of armor there. which would explain the weight being heavier than the HS.90 turret of the AML-90 in-game. this should allow at least the turret crew to be protected against the HMG from the front. the side is likely 10mm as well
4x smoke launchers are placed at the rear of the turret which would allow a smoke screen to allow some cover to retreat from a fight.
the Amphibious kit is also considered as protection. The kit add about 4mm of armor all around and was filled of polyurethane which was self-extinguishing this very kit was known to detonate HEAT rounds before it hit the hull
Sources.
Jane's World Armoured Fighting vehicles, 1976
Jane's Weapon system 1977
Les Véhicules Blindé Français 1945-1977
Chassis