The successful TPz 1 Fuchs 6x6 all-terrain wheeled armored personnel carrier forms the basis of the American M93 Fox NBC vehicle as well. By Staff Writer
The Transportpanzer 1 (TPz 1 or "Fuchs") is a 6-wheeled armored personnel carrier designed from a West German requirement. The requirement centered along the lines of designing a full family of armored vehicles that were of similar production so as to make their systems and components interchangeable. Not only a cost-sensitive move, but this way of thinking allows the operator the ability to reuse parts from damaged or destroyed vehicles in new vehicles needing some repair. The family of vehicles was to consist of various 4x4, 6x6 and 8x8 designs and the 6x6 design appeared as the TPz 1 in 1979.
The TPz 1 design is dominated by its six large road wheels. The hull roof is flat while the rest of the hull features various angled armor plates. The TPz 1 system is fully amphibious and propelled by it's two propellers hidden in the rear lower hull. Power-steering is utilized on the forward-most two sets of wheels and appliqué armor is available for added crew protection as optional.
The Luchs was designed from the beginning to be a most adaptable platform, meaning that the weapon system is not limited to the standard 7.62mm machine gun configuration or even the standard APC role. Other weapon loadouts can include 81mm or 120mm mortars and anti-tank missile systems (including the MILAN and TOW missile launchers). Armament loadout is at the discretion of the customer as well as its intended battlefield use. Fuchs can also be adapted to fulfill the roles of battlefield ambulance, battlefield engineering vehicle, reconnaissance, armored recovery vehicle or infantry fighting vehicle (IFV).
The United States Army utilizes the Luchs NBC variant and is known as the M93 Fox while the United Kingdom also serves with the Luchs NBC model. Israel received several Luchs armored personnel carrier models during the Operation Desert Storm (1991) and Venezuela purchased up to ten such vehicles from Germany in 1983.
We can only get better if you tell us how. You can contact MilitaryFactory.com at MilitaryFactory at gmail dot com (replace "at" with "@" and "dot with ".") with any questions, comments or corrections. We also accept related military imagery that you approve for us to use on our website. Keep in mind, however, that due to volume, we may not directly respond to your inquiry. Please add us to your list of non-blocked recipients!
Armored Vehicle Quick Profile
Image Courtesy of the United States Department of Defense.
1979
Designation:Rheinmetall Landsysteme Transportpanzer 1 Fuchs (TPz 1) Classification Type:Armored Personnel Carrier Contractor:Rheinmetall Landsysteme GmbH - Germany Country of Origin: Germany Number Built: 1,125
Operators: Germany, Netherlands, Saudi Arabia, the United Kingdom, the United States and Venezuela.
Variants
TPz 1 - Base Production Model Designation.
TPz 1/Standard - Armored Personnel Carrier Designation; 10 passenger seating
TPz 1A3/ABC - NBC Reconnaissance Vehicle; 140 examples produced; also known as the "Spurpanzer Fuchs".
TPz 1 Eloka - Electronic Warfare Vehicle; 87 examples produced.
TPz 1A2/Funk - Served in two sub-variants in the Fufu and PARA models.
TPz 1A2/Fufu - Command and Control Vehicle; fitted with specialized communications gear and generator.
TPz 1A2/PARA - RASIT Radar Carrier Vehicle
M93 "Fox" - US Army Designation for NBC Fuchs vehicle.
Supply Carrier / Forward Ambulance - 220 examples produced.
Engineer Vehicle
Material presented throughout this website is for historical and entertainment value and should not to be construed as usable for
hardware restoration, maintenance or general operation. Please consult manufacturers for such information.
Site Contact: militaryfactory at gmail dot com(replace "at" with "@" and "dot" with ".")
Dimensions:
