Valuk 6x6 ARSV

_YugoSlav · July 20, 2023, 5:10am

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Valuk 6x6 ARSV

History and Description

In accordance with the plans of the Republic of Slovenia to join NATO and cooperate with NATO forces in peace and crisis response operations, the need for more modern armaments and equipment for the SV (Slovenian Army) became apparent. One important factor was the equipping of units with new wheeled armored personnel carriers. The trends and needs were foreseen in the Sistemska Tehnika company, as already in 1993, they bought a license for the production of wheeled armored personnel carrier (6 x 6) Pandur from the Austrian company Steyr-Daimler-Puch Spezialfahrzeug AG. Immediately after signing the contract and receiving the documentation, the production started and in 1994 the first prototype was produced and sent for testing to the SV. The Slovenian version was named after the Carantan prince Valuk. In 1997, MORS (Slovenian Ministry of Defence) decided to order and purchase the first 10 vehicles, which, compared to the Austrian original, were slightly modified, additionally equipped, and adapted to the requirements of the SV and NATO standards. Later, MORS, satisfied with the first vehicles, decided to purchase an additional 10 vehicles and then another 16, so that in 2003 the SV had a total of 36 Valuk vehicles with various equipment and armament, and at the same time, they signed a contract for additional 36 vehicles. By 2006, there were already 85 Valuk vehicles in the equipment of the Slovenian Army.

The LKOV (light wheeled armored vehicle) Valuk has four variants. It comes as transport, ambulance, mortar-carrier, and scout variant. The transport variant has a crew capacity of nine with a 12.7mm machine gun or a 40mm automatic grenade launcher. The ambulance variant has the capacity to carry a crew of seven and it does not have any armaments. The mortar-carrier variant carries a crew of four and CARDOM 120mm mortar.

Around the year 2003 Valuk 6x6 ARSV prototype variant was developed by Sistemska Tehnika jointly with Rafael from Israel. The scout vehicle is equipped with a stabilized overhead weapon station supplied by the Rafael Israel Armament Development Authority. The overhead weapon station OWS-25 is armed with a 25mm Bushmaster cannon and a 7.62mm coaxial machine gun. The OWS-25’s light weight allows it to be installed on the vehicle with the gunner remaining under full armor protection in the hull. The gunner can survey, acquire, and track a target, aim, and fire from inside the turret with a closed hatch or in a head-out position. The gunner’s station has a day and night periscope sighting and observation system. The day periscope sight has a unity magnification window with a collimated aiming circle and an 8× magnification sight with a ballistic reticle. The night periscope sight has a unity magnification window and an image intensifier ×7.5 magnification passive night elbow. The weapon station can also be fitted with externally mounted TOW long-range anti-tank guided missiles. Standard protection of LKOV Valuk is rated to withstand 7.62mm armor-piercing rounds through a full 360°, and 12.7mm armor-piercing rounds over a 30° frontal arc. Rafael has supplied a passive add-on ceramic armor kit for the ARSV version which provides 12.7mm AP round protection over the full 360°. Valuk 6x6 ARSV is equipped with a Steyr 612.95 six-cylinder turbo diesel engine and a hydrodynamically controlled automatic transmission with a torque converter and lock-up clutch with five forward and one reverse gear. The engine provides a power-to-weight ratio of 19.2kW a ton. The 6×6 wheels have automatic tire pressure regulation with a central tire inflation system. The independent suspension system has telescopic shock absorbers on each wheel. There are coil springs on the first and second axle and torsion bars on the third axle. The drive train and steering linkages are protected within the hull of the vehicle. The turning radius is 8.5 m, and man-made obstacles such as trenches up to 1.5 m wide, vertical obstacles to 0.5 m high, gradients of 70%, and side slopes to 40% can be navigated. The Valuk can ford water to a depth of 1.2 m, maximum speed is typically 100 km/h. The ground clearance is 430 mm. The combat weight is 13,500 kg.

Specifications

Essentials
- Length; 5.782 m
- Width; 2.500 m
- Height; 3.205 m
- Ground Clearance; 0.43 m
- Wheelbase 1-2/2-3; 1.530 m/1.530 m
- Mass; 13,500 kg
- Crew; 3
  - Gunner; 2nd-Generation Rafael OWS-25 Gunner Sight
  - Driver: Day/Night Periscope CODRIS
- Six-wheel drive (6x6)
Protection
- Armor; 12.7mm AP round protection over the full 360° arc
- APS; N/A
- ERA; N/A
- Smoke; 2x 3 smoke grenades
Mobility
- Engine; Steyr WD 612.95, 6-cylinder turbo-charged diesel, 191 kW, 256 hp at 2400 rpm
- Power/weight; 19.2 hp/t, 14,2 kW/t
- Transmission; 1 reverse gear, 5 forward gears
- Top speed; 100 kph
- Amphibious; No
- Gradient; 70%
- Side slope; 40%
- Vertical obstacle; 0.5 m
- Trench; 1.6 m
- Fording depths; 1.2 m
- Turning radius; 8.5 m
Firepower
- Main;
  - 25mm Bushmaster
    - Penetration at 10m: 101 mm
    - Belt capacity; 200 rounds
    - Fire rate; 201 shots/min
    - Dual ammunition feed
    - Stabilizer; Yes
    - Vertical; -11° / +60°
    - Horizontal; 360°
    - Rotation speed; ca. 45°/s
    - Zoom; 8x day, 7.5x night
- Secondary;
  - 7.62mm coaxial machine gun
    - 10mm pen at 10m
    - 700-800rpm