TH-495
TH-495 was a Tracked vehicle infantry combat vehicle being proposed by German-based Thyssen-Henschel for NATO countries, but it was primarily being pitched to the Canadian Forces and the then government of Brian Mulroney in the 1990s.[2][3] While designed in Germany, the TH-495 would have been produced by a newly established Thyssen-Henschel Canadian subsidiary called Bear Head Industries Limited in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia. [4] The proposal was scrapped by the incoming government of Jean Chrétien, which opted to purchase the LAV III from GM Defense instead.
TH 495 Infantry Combat Vehicle (ICV) | |
---|---|
Type | Infantry Fighting Vehicle |
Place of origin | |
Specifications | |
Mass | 21.6 t |
Length | 5.97m |
Width | 2.94m |
Height | 2.39m |
Crew | 3 (+ 6 or 7 passengers) |
Main armament | Oto Melara T25 25 mm chain gun with TIS with 630 rounds [1] |
Secondary armament | 12.7mm guns |
Engine | 500 Kw/680 HP |
Operational range | 500km |
Maximum speed | 75 km/h |
The lobby process for this vehicle by Karlheinz Schreiber and the involvement of Mulroney has led to a public inquiry The Oliphant Commission.
Design
Armament
The TH-495 is fitted with a two-man turret, armed with a stabilized T-25 25 mm caliber chain gun and coaxial 7.62-mm machine gun.[5][6] One more 12.7 mm machine gun is positioned on top of the turret.[6] The ammunition capacity is approximatively 1200 rounds; 630 rounds ready to fire and 510 in storage.[7]
Mobility
The TH-495 is powered by a diesel engine developing 680 horsepower, and can reach speeds of 75 kilometres per hour.[1] The TH-495 is fitted with a modern dual circuit brake system.[1] The TH-495 has a maximum road range of 500 kilometers. The TH-495 offers quieter movement for improved stealth, greater speed over good terrain, and higher ground clearance for protection against mines and improvised explosive devices.[8]
Protection
The basic armor of the TH-495, covering the standardization agreement STANAG 4569 level 4, which provides an all-round protection against 14.5x114mm. The modular add-on armor plating can be easily and quickly exchanged to adapt to the ballistic protection requirement of each variant for each mission threats situation.[1] The TH-495 was designed to produce a very low and very compact structure to minimize radar and IR-signatures.[1] The TH-495 is fitted with a nuclear, biological, chemical (NBC) filtration system accompanied with a chemical detector and radiation detector systems.[1] The TH-495 also uses heat-absorbing filters to provide temporary protection against thermal imaging (TIS), image intensifier and infrared camera (IR).[6]
Variants
- Command Post Vehicle (CPV)
- Infantry Section Carrier (ISC)
- Combat Engineer Vehicle (CEV)
- Observation Post Vehicle (CPV)
- TOW Under Armour (TUA) anti-tank
- Air Defense Anti-Tank System (ADATS)
- Armored Gun System (AGS)
- Ambulance
- Transport
See also
References
- "Henschel Defense Technology TH 495 Infantry Combat Vehicle (ICV)" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-07-14.
- TH 495 ROLLOUTSeptember 28,1992THYSSEN HENSCHEL KASSEL, GERMANY
- TH 495
- http://www.karlheinzschreiber.ca/docs/Tab%2014%20-%20Bear%20Head%20Industries%20general%20info.pdf%5B%5D
- "GERMAN TH 495 SET FOR MALAYSIAN ARMY TRIALS,". Retrieved 1994-11-05. Check date values in:
|accessdate=
(help) - "TH 495 Infantry Combat Vehicle (ICV)" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-07-14.
- "Thyssen Henschel" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-07-14.
- "Bear head Industries LTD" (PDF).
External links
- "SECOND PROTOTYPE TH 495 COMPLETED". www.janes.com. 11 December 1993.