The Zielfahrzeug 68 ("Target tank 68") was a decommissioned
Panzer 68
The Panzer 68 was a Swiss main battle tank developed by the Eidgenoessische Konstruktionswerkstaette in Thun in the late 1960s, and was the main tank of the Swiss Army until the late 1990s.
History
The Panzer 68 was based on the Panzer 61, ...
, which was converted to the target vehicle role. A total of ten of these vehicles were in use.
Conversion
The
Swiss Army
The Swiss Armed Forces (german: Schweizer Armee, french: Armée suisse, it, Esercito svizzero, rm, Armada svizra; ) operates on land and in the air, serving as the primary armed forces of Switzerland. Under the country's militia system, re ...
ordered from the company
Eidgenoessische Konstruktionswerkstaette
''Eidgenössische Konstruktionswerkstätte'' English: "Federal Constructions Works", short K+W, was a Swiss state-owned enterprise, with the aim of making the Swiss military independent of foreign sources for its equipment needs. It was establishe ...
"K + W Thun" ten of these vehicles, which were produced between 1972 and 1974. The turret was removed and replaced by a steel tower with additional welded steel plates. Wheels and tracks came from the
Panzer 61
The Panzer 61 was a Swiss Cold War era medium tank later reclassified as a second-generation main battle tank. The tank had a weight of 36.5 tons and was powered by a 630 hp diesel engine, which gave it a top road speed of . The primary ar ...
. The tracks were protected by easily replaceable steel side protection plates, which were fixed with screws. As extra protection, steel aprons were attached on the side. The surface was provided with a welded-steel thickening, the drivers hatch was strengthened and provided with 360 ° slotted sights. The whole tactical equipment was removed, under the tower a platform made from aluminum was installed. The tower had a hatch of the same type as the driver's hatch. The tank was usually only used with one crew member, the driver, although there was enough space for an observer or a commander. Tower and driver positions were connected, so in case of a jammed driver's hatch, the driver could exit the tank through the hatch in the tower.
Concept of operations
The target 68 tanks were used as moving target for the training firing of the anti-tank guided weapon "
M47 Dragon
The M47 Dragon, known as the FGM-77 during development, is an American shoulder-fired, man-portable anti-tank guided missile system. It was phased out of U.S. military service in 2001, in favor of the newer FGM-148 Javelin system.
The M47 Drago ...
" American-made
anti-tank missile
An anti-tank guided missile (ATGM), anti-tank missile, anti-tank guided weapon (ATGW) or anti-armor guided weapon is a Missile guidance, guided missile primarily designed to hit and destroy Armoured fighting vehicle, heavily armored military v ...
. The vehicles carried the identification numbers (M-numbers) "M77870" - "M77879" and were from 1974 to 2007 in the service of the Swiss Army. The tank with the number "M77876" was stationed on the shooting range Les Rochat and is now in the
Military Museum Full. The vehicles were driven usually by members of the Army motor vehicle park (civilian employees of the Military), not from Military tank troops. It was used together with the
Mowag 4x4 armored reconnaissance vehicle (armored dummy)
*Consumption = 200 L/100 km road, 440 L/100 km off road
References
* Book Urs Heller: Die Panzer der schweizer Armee von 1920 bis 200
* Military Museum Full AG Switzerland
External links
*
German language Specifications of the Zielfahrzeug 68
armeemuseum.ch{{in lang, de
Action shots from privately owned Panzer 68 and 61
Military vehicles of Switzerland
Post–Cold War main battle tanks
Main battle tanks of Switzerland
Main battle tanks of the Cold War