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Welcome, in this suggestion we’ll be looking at a French SPAA truck, the Renault TRM 2000 with the Giat 53T2 Tarasque anti-aircraft gun
The Tarasque 53T2 is a standard piece of equipment in the French army. It’s a light and effective anti-aircraft system designed around the 20mm GIAT M693 F2 autocannon. The system is usually found on a towed mount, but is also used mounted on the back of a Renault TRM 2000 truck. It’s this latter use that we’re looking at here. The carrier is a standard TRM 2000 truck, the default truck of the French army. This vehicle has been produced since 1983 and estimates put around 5600 of them in the current inventory of the French armed forces. It has simply been equipped with the anti-aircraft mount which is firmly bolted to the back of the truck. The vehicle’s low cost and complexity make it perfect for use as a light and mobile anti-aircraft system, the role in which it is also used by the French army.
The anti-aircraft mount, as mentioned before, is the Tarasque 53T2. This mount features a 20mm M693 dual-feed autocannon as main armament. It is hydraulically operated and has a traverse of 80 degrees/second and an elevation speed of 40 degrees/second. The system can rotate the full 360 degrees and can elevate up to 83 degrees and down to -8 degrees. The weapon itself has a fire-rate of up to 900 rounds per minute and can fire a wide variety of munitions among which HE, HEI-T and APDS. The latter can penetrate up to 20mm of armor at a 0 degree angle over a distance of 1000 m. The mount also features an M348 sight which contains a 1x magnification and a 5x magnification sight.
The total weight of the vehicle is around 4.7 tons, and it is powered by a 117 hp Renault 3.6-liter diesel engine. This gives it an admirable power-to-weight ratio of almost 25 hp/t, making it a very mobile vehicle.
General characteristics
- Crew: 3 (2 in the cabin, one on the gun), but the vehicle can carry 5 crew as well.
- Length: 5 m
- Width: 2.2 m
- Height: 2.7 m
- Weight: 4.7 t
- Engine: Renault 3.6-liter diesel, providing 117 hp
- Maximum forward speed: 89 km/h
- Power-to-weight: 24.9 hp/t
Armament
- Main armament: 1x 20mm GIAT M693 autocannon
- Rate-of-fire: 900 rounds/minute
- Elevation angles: +83/-8
- Elevation speed: 40°/s
- Traverse speed: 80°/s
- Sights: 1x sight + 5x sight
In-game
This light SPAA is yet another option to fill out the French SPAA line. In playstyle it will probably be quite similar to the South-African Ystervark. It’s a fast and unarmored truck that mounts a single, powerful anti-aircraft weapon. Your speed will allow you to move up with your allies or even take up advanced positions. Once in position, the high fire-rate will make quick work of enemy aircraft and light vehicles. The available APDS rounds can also make the vehicle unexpectedly devastating against the latter. This vehicle has the possibility of being a fun and extremely useful addition to the French tree, where it is not only wanted, but also needed.
