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German border forces and police armored personnel carrier From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The MOWAG MR 8 (WOTAN) is a border force and police armoured personnel carrier.[1] It was developed by Mowag in Switzerland and built under licence in West Germany.[2][3][4]
| MOWAG MR 8-01 WOTAN | |
|---|---|
MOWAG WOTAN prototype at the Swiss Military Museum | |
| Place of origin | Switzerland |
| Service history | |
| Used by | Germany |
| Production history | |
| Designer | MOWAG Motorwagenfabrik AG Kreuzlingen |
| Manufacturer | Büssing (Germany) Henschel (Germany) |
| Produced | 1963 |
| No. built | 600–700 |
| Variants | SW1, SW2 |
| Specifications | |
| Mass | 8,200 kg (18,100 lb) |
| Crew | SW1: 7 (driver, commander, and five passengers in the rear) SW2: 4 (driver, commander, and two passengers in the rear) |
Main armament | SW2a 20mm autocannon SW2b MG 3 machine gun |
| Engine | 6-cylinder diesel engine Büssing / Henschel / Daimler Benz 118 kW / 161 PS |
| Transmission | ZF transmission, 5 forward gears, 1 reverse |
| Suspension | 4x4 wheeled |
Operational range | 300 km (190 mi) |
| Maximum speed | 85 km/h (53 mph) on road 42 km/h (26 mph) off-road 12 km/h (7 mph) through water |
The WOTAN was introduced in 1963 in West Germany (Federal Republic of Germany) as a Special Vehicle (Sonderwagen) in versions SW1 and SW2 for the Federal Border Guard (Bundesgrenzschutz) and the Readiness (Riot) Police (Bereitschaftspolizei) of the German states.[1][2][3]
The special vehicle SW1 had no armament of its own and featured an unusual split-open observation turret-hatch (cupola), whereas the special vehicle SW2 came in two versions featuring a one-man 360° rotating turret: SW2a with a Hispano-Suiza HS.820 autocannon, later upgraded to a Rheinmetall Mk 20 Rh-202 300-round autocannon (carrying 200 HE and 100 AP rounds), and SW2b with a 500-round dismountable MG 3 machine gun.[1][2][3][4] Additionally, the SW2 had three smoke grenade launchers on each side of the turret.[1] Both the SW1 and SW2 versions featured roof-mounted Bosch RKLE 90 or Hella KLJ 60 blue police light beacons.[2][3]
The Federal Border Guard referred to the SW1 and SW2, also as Kfz 91 and Kfz 92, respectively Kfz stands for Kraftfahrzeug, meaning motor vehicle.[1] MOWAG delivered the first 20 special vehicles, and around 600–700 were built under license by Büssing and Henschel in West Germany,[1] with the armoured chassis supplied by Blohm+Voss.
Other variants were built, such as a mortar launching vehicle,[1] but these found no buyers. A WOTAN prototype, which was tested by the German Federal Border Guard, is now in the Swiss Military Museum.[5][6] An amphibious version was marketed as the Mowag Grenadier.
The MOWAG MR 8 was replaced from 1983 by the Thyssen-Henschel TM-170 armoured personnel carrier.[7]
The four-wheel drive (4×4) vehicle had a small turning radius and was equipped with 2-axle steering. The arrangement of the engine installed in the rear left allowed the crew to park the vehicle and exit from the side and rear.
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