4K 7FA FSCV 90

     Notes: This is a fire support variant of the Steyr 4K 7FA-KSPz armored personnel carrier.  The basic chassis is topped with a turret mounting a 90mm French or NATO gun, and ammunition is carried instead of most passengers.  Two passengers are retained as scouts so the vehicle can be used for reconnaissance.  The top hatch is replaced by the turret, but all other hatches are retained, and two hatches are in the turret for the commander and gunner.  This vehicle is used in small numbers by Switzerland and Greece.

     The FSCV 90 has the engine and transmission used in the SK-105 light tank, giving the FSCV 90 a 320-horsepower diesel engine and a transmission with better gear ratios, as well as being a semiautomatic transmission. The tracks are a bit wider than those of the 4K 4FA, and are fitted with rubber track pads.  These track pads can be replaced with pads that incorporate steel claws for use in icy weather.  The shock absorbers have been improved, further smoothing out the ride. The engine compartment has an automatic fire extinguishing system, as does the crew and passenger compartments.

     The driver is in the front left of the vehicle with the engine to his right; his forward vision block can be removed and replaced with an IR vision block.  There is a double door in the rear of the vehicle.  Options include a collective NBC system and air conditioning, but a heater is standard; Swiss examples typically have only a heater, while Greek models have both an air conditioner and heater. Swiss FSCV 90s have a French main gun, while Greek models have a NATO gun. The version with a French gun uses a TS-90 turret, while those with NATO main gun uses a LCST-90 turret.

4K 7FA RASIT

     Notes: This is a 4K 7FA KSPz armored personnel carrier modified to carry the RASIT (Radar de Surveillance des inTervalles) ground surveillance radar and a computerized management system as well as extra radios and a datalink system to higher headquarters.  The M2HB turret is removed in this vehicle, replaced by a machinegun on a pintle mount, but the hatch setup is otherwise similar to the 4K 7FA G-127 APC, though the roof troop hatch is replaced with the mount for the RASIT.

     The radar has a range of 20 km and may be operated by a cable at a range of 30 meters. The radar operates in the I-band and a maximum power of two kilowatts. The radar may operate from its extendible telescopic mount, or be removed from the vehicle and placed on a ground mount (which is carried externally on the vehicle). A skilled operator can distinguish between personnel, vehicles, and low-flying aircraft and helicopters on the fly, but the vehicle includes a computer to help interpret the radar signals.  Results are then disseminated to other stations in the unit and higher headquarters using data-capable radios. The radar may scan a box 2.5x2.5 kilometers, then fix on a particular target and track it automatically upon a command by an operator. While scanning, the operator may scan the entire search box, or automatically scan for moving targets. The tracking cone is 100 degrees wide at 20 kilometers.

     The RASIT-E variation is the same vehicle, but with a higher-power radar with a range of 40 kilometers. The RASIT-E can also function as a counterbattery radar and a fire direction radar. The RASIT-E may operate using a 50-meter cable. RASIT-E has improvements to the radar’s computer that can distinguish between enemy and friendly vehicles (to a point; friendly and enemy units, for example, both using T-72 tanks, cannot not normally be distinguished unless friendly units are using an IFF panel or transmitter).

SK-105 Kürassier

     Notes: While the chassis of this light tank is of Austrian design (a highly-modified 4K 4FA APC), the turret is a modified form of that found on the AMX-13.  The Kürassier, however, is afforded with a better night vision suite and better fire control than the AMX-13 (in most versions), and uses a 105mm gun as standard.  The turret uses the same two-magazine system with 6 rounds each, and as with the AMX-13, the spent shell casings are ejected out of the rear of the turret.  (The weak point of the SK-105’s autoloader system is that when these magazines are exhausted, the crew must manually reload the magazines, with the crew exposing themselves to potential hostile fire.) There are three light tank variations of the SK-105 in service; export customers such as Argentina, Bolivia, Morocco, and Tunisia mostly use the SK-105A1; the SK-105A2 is the version most commonly encountered in Austrian service; and the SK-105A3 was the newest version, in limited production starting in the early 1990s.  In addition, appliqué armor of the same capabilities as that available for the AMX-13 is available for the SK-105 (however, an AMX-13 kit will not fit the SK-105 and vice versa).  The A3, however, does not have an applique armor option, as applique armor is fitted as standard.

     The SK-105 uses the same engine and transmission as the 4K 7FA series of APCs, (or more accurately, the other way around), and delivers 320 horsepower using a semiautomatic transmission. The 4K 7FA was, in fact, based heavily on the SK-105’s automotive sets, allowing a high degree of parts commonality between the two vehicles. The SK-105 was designed for operations in mountainous terrain and the engine is turbocharged for operations at high altitude. The SK-105 can actually climb a 75% slope and mount a 40% side slope. The engine compartment is equipped with an automatic fire suppression system which can also be operated manually. The driver has a hatch on the front left side; he has seven vision blocks covering the front, left, and the right of his hatch.  He can replace the front vision block with a night vision block, and a small windscreen with a wiper can be installed for wet weather operations with the driver’s head out of his hatch.  The commander is in the turret on the right side of the main gun, and the gunner is on the left side of the main gun, with a hatch above him. Ther commander controls the XSW-30-U 950 W white light/IR searchlight, which is mounted to the left of the main gun, with a range of about 3000 meters.

     The Austrians classify and operate the SK-105 as a tank destroyer (Jagdpanzer) and to a lesser extent a fire support vehicle, however, the world at large classifies it as a light tank.

     In 2005, Argentina decided to purchase nine SK-105 hulls, for a test program in which they would mount surplus AMX-13 turrets on the purchased SK-105 hulls.  Eventually, the Argentine Army planned to produce 39 of these hybrid vehicles, for use as scout vehicles.  However, after producing five such vehicles the project was shelved due to lack of funds.  The five already-completed vehicles are in service with the Argentine Army, however. They are designated the Patagon. (In addition, Argentina already has a considerable force of SK-105A2s and early AMX-13s.)

     The Bolivians use an almost standard SK-105A2; however, they mount an M2HB on the commander’s pintle instead of an MG3.