8X8 Pandur II / KRPAN 8x8
The PANDUR Family of Vehicles, available in 6x6 and 8x8 and amphibious or terrestrial configurations, serves as a common platform for various armament and equipment systems. It combines high mobility and survivability and protection thanks to its internal drive train concept. The PANDUR ensures logistics commonality, versatility of armament and equipment, simple operation, excellent sustainability, high availability, in-house electronic architecture, and easy maintenance.
Currently, GDELS maintains more than 3,000 PANDUR platforms worldwide. More than 1,000 of these are operated by NATO member countries. Life Cycle costs are minimized thanks to a design that ensures commonalities throughout the complete family and ease of maintenance.
Exceptional mobility is offered due to the high performance powerpack, the independent single wheel suspension and the ADM controlled differentials which provide a 100% locking capability. This unique mobility concept is available throughout the whole family of vehicles. PANDUR was designed for safe and simple operating. All the major automotive components (powerpack, drive train, fuel tank, hydraulics) are installed inside the protected armor steel hull, ensuring protection and offering considerable payload flexibility for armament and mission equipment systems.
The PANDUR family of vehicles is combat proven. As an 8x8 it can offer; Direct fire up to 105mm, Mortar up to 120mm, Infantry Fighting Vehicle up to 30mm two man turrets, Armored Personnel Carrier up to 13 people, Recovery, Reconnaissance, Ambulance, Communication, Command post.
The 105mm HITFACT turret mounted on the 8X8 Pandur II armored vehicle, manufactured by the Austrian company Steyr, is used by the Portuguese army in a troop transportation version. The turret represents a brand new concept in some principal subsystems (electrical control systems, new, special barrel steel, the latest generation of fire control systems and recoil brakes) and is the fruit of close on 50 years experience in the area of 105mm guns and follows the production of approximately 500 Centauro turrets.
In tests conducted in December 2008, excellent results were achieved in all conditions, from stationary vehicle to stationary target to the more difficult situation of a moving vehicle shooting at a moving target. Spectacular scenes were also provided by the mobility demonstration, which included clearing a mud-filled trench and the steep slope of a dried-up gravelly riverbed, finished off with its return amidst sprays of muddy water. There to witness the tests was the National Armaments Director, a number of representatives from the Portuguese army and Defence Ministry, the Italian Military Attaché and representatives from the Italian Defence Ministry, not to mention an official American observer. The final day was dedicated to the press and local television channels, which were eager to find out all the technical details and the system's special features.
KRPAN 8x8 represents a new generation in the range of modern 8x8 wheeled vehicles. KRPAN 8x8 is the next step in the advancement of the successful VALUK 6x6 (Pandur 6x6) which has found service with several national armies worldwide. It is an integrator, stimulator and engine of slovene defence industry. Due to its vehicle construction and its modularity, it can be equipped with different weapon systems up to cal. 105 mm or mortar cal. up to 120 mm without changing basic construction of the vehicle.
The various KRPAN 8x8 versions (partly amphibious) share the same platform and therefore minimize the efforts of logistics and maintenance. Increased vehicle dimensions (compared to vehicle 6x6) and improved drive train guarantee outstanding mobility in heavy terrain combined with a large utilizable interior space and sufficient payload. The KRPAN 8x8 infantry fighting vehicle is entirely produced in Slovenia by the help of Slovenian and foreign partners. It combines decades-long tradition at the production of armour and artillery equipment as well as Slovenian knowledge and experience gained at more than a decade long production of Valuk 6x6.
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