Main battle tank Pz61 (Panzer 61)
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Main battle tank Pz61 (Panzer 61)
The commander and loader have turrets with hatches. Among the tanks of the same type, the Pz61 has the narrowest hull. The tank is armed with a 105-mm rifled gun of the British design L7A1, produced in Switzerland under license under the designation Pz61 and having a rate of fire of 9 rds / min. The ammunition load includes unitary shots with armor-piercing sub-caliber, armor-piercing high-explosive, cumulative, cumulative fragmentation and smoke projectiles.
To the left of the main gun, a twin automatic 20-mm Oerlikon H35-880 gun with 240 rounds of ammunition was originally installed. It was intended for shelling lightly armored targets at medium and short ranges. Subsequently, it was replaced by a 7,5 mm coaxial machine gun. The tower has electro-hydraulic and manual rotation mechanisms, it can be set in motion by the commander or gunner. There is no weapon stabilizer.
Above the loader's hatch on the turret, a 7,5-mm MO-51 machine gun with 3200 rounds of ammunition is installed as an anti-aircraft gun. The tank control system includes a lead angle calculator and an automatic horizon indicator. The gunner has a WILD periscope sight. The commander uses an optical rangefinder. In addition, eight periscopic viewing blocks are installed around the perimeter of the commander's cupola, six are the loader's cupolas, and three more are at the driver's side. The armor of the one-piece cast hull and turret is differentiated by thicknesses and angles of inclination. The maximum thickness of the hull armor is 60 mm, the turret is 120 mm. The upper frontal sheet has an elevation at the driver's seat. There is an emergency hatch at the bottom of the hull. Additional protection for the sides are boxes with spare parts and accessories on the fenders. The tower is cast, hemispherical in shape with slightly concave sides. Two triple-barreled 80,5-mm grenade launchers are mounted on the sides of the tower to set up smoke screens.
In the stern, a German 8-cylinder V-shaped liquid-cooled diesel engine MB-837 Ba-500 from MTV is installed, developing a power of 630 liters. with. at 2200 rpm. The Swiss-made 5LM automatic transmission includes a multi-plate main clutch, gearbox and steering mechanism. The transmission provides 6 forward gears and 2 reverse gears. The swing drive uses a hydrostatic transmission. The machine is controlled from the steering wheel. The undercarriage includes six rubber track rollers and three carrier rollers on each side. The suspension of the tank is individual, it uses Belleville springs, sometimes called Belleville springs.
The track without rubber asphalt pads consists of 83 tracks with a width of 500 mm. Pz61 is equipped with a radio station with two whip antennas on the tower, TPU. A telephone is attached to the rear of the hull for communication with the interacting infantry. There is a fighting compartment heater, a drinking water tank. The production of tanks was carried out at the state plant in Thun. In total, from January 1965 to December 1966, 150 Pz61 vehicles were produced, which are still in service with the Swiss army. Some of the Pz61 tanks were later upgraded, the Pz61 AA9 model was distinguished by the fact that instead of a 20-mm cannon, a 7,5-mm machine gun was installed on it. The performance characteristics of the main battle tank Pz61
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In 1958, the first prototype Pz58 with an 83,8 mm gun was created. After completion and re-equipment with a 105-mm cannon, the tank was put into service at the beginning of 1961 under the designation Pz61 (Panzer 1961). A characteristic feature of the machine was a one-piece cast hull and turret. Pz61 has a classic layout. In front of the case there is a control compartment, the driver is located in it in the center. In the tower to the right of the gun are the places of the commander and gunner, to the left - the loader.
