Jaguar 2 Tank destroyer [with TOW]
Jagdpanzer Jaguar 2 mit Panzerabwehrlenkflugkörper TOW
In the early l960’s the West German firms of Hanomag and Henschel created the Jagdpanzer 90-mm SP anti-tank gun and the Raketenjagdpanzer SP launcher with SS-11 ATGM (manual guidance system) based on the standardized tracked chassis. There were 770 and 370 such pieces of combat equipment respectively delivered to Army antitank subunits. After several years of operation a decision was made to refit these mounts as SP antitank missile systems to improve their combat capabilities.
In the mid-1970's, the bulk of the self-propelled ATMs in NATO armies comprised launchers mounted on light military vehicles without any protection for the combat crew from enemy fire. Examples are—the American self-propelled TOW (on the 1/4 ton M151A2 jeep and the 1/2 ton M274 mechanical mule), the British Vigilant and Swingfire (on variously modified Landrovers), the West German Cobra 81 OB (on a 1/4 ton jeep), the French ENTAC (on the M201) and others. Combat experience in the Middle East showed that the effectiveness of unprotected launchers under enemy fire is significantly reduced. Their survivability on the battlefield was also lower, which required that these weapons be employed primarily from ambush.
The self-propelled ATMs, mounted on armored vehicles available in the U.S. and West Germany, did not fully satisfy the apparent requirements. For example, the self-propelled TOW fielded in the U.S. Army (mounted on the M113 APC, did not provide sufficient armor protection for the combat crew, while the West German Jagdpanzer Rakete was armed with an obsolescent French SS-11 ATGM, with a manual fire control system. Therefore, in the 70»s in the leading NATO countries, work was begun to develop self-propelled ATMs with better armor protection, greater mobility and combat readiness, operating with high effectivness directly in combat units both in the defense and offense. By the beginning of the 80s, fielding in the armies of these countries had already begun.
The self-propelled Jaguar-2 ATM, which entered service in the Bundeswehr in 1982, is modeled after the Jagdpanzer 90-mm self-propelled anti-tank gun. In the period from 1983 through 1985 some 162 of 770 Jagdpanzer SP antitank guns were rearmed with the TOW antitank missile system, and the others were transferred to territorial forces. The new SP set was called the Jaguar-2. The launcher is depressed when shifted to a traveling position. The AN/TAS-4 thermal-imaging sight is used for supporting fire under night conditions.
The launcher has been redesigned and the vehicle body reinforced with additional armor (similar to the Jaguar-1). The TOW launcher, which can be moved within the parameters of +/-300 in azimuth and from -10 to +15° in elevation, is located in the fighting compartment, on the elevating carriage, with the hydraulic drive. Armored hatches provide protection for the gunner during firing.
The Jaguar-2 is equipped with an air filtration system, a night-driving device, radios, and smoke-grenade launchers. As opposed to its predecessor, it has just one 7.62-mm machine gun, which is mounted on a gun ring on the commander's cupola. The TOW launcher is lowered for travel. The bundeswehr leaders plan to field about 160 of these models with their ground forces by 1986. Anti-tank companies of tank brigades will be equipped with 12 each.
The armor protection of both SP antitank missile systems was reinforced by attaching additional steel plates to the frontal part and sides of the hull. There were 7.62-mm machineguns installed as additional armament. The systems are outfitted with air filtration and ventilation systems and have radio communications equipment. Maximum highway speed is 70 km/hr and they have a range up to 400 km.
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