Mowag MR 8
| 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 | approx. 700 |
| Variants | SW1, SW2 |
| Specifications | |
| Mass | 8,500 kg (18,700 lb) |
| Crew | 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 118 kW / 161 PS |
| Transmission | ZF transmission, 5 forward gears, 1 reverse |
| Suspension | 4x4 wheeled |
Operational range | 400 km (250 mi) |
| Maximum speed | 80 km/h (50 mph) on road 42 km/h (26 mph) off-road 12 km/h (7 mph) through water |
The MOWAG MR 8 (WOTAN) is a border force and police armoured personnel carrier. It was developed by Mowag in Switzerland as the "MOWAG MR 8" and built under licence in West Germany.[1][2][3]
History
[edit]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 Bundesgrenzschutz (Federal Border Guard) and the Bereitschaftspolizei (rapid response riot police) of the German states.[1][2]
The special vehicle SW1 had no armament of its own and featured a small observation turret-hatch, whereas the special vehicle SW2 came in two versions featuring a 360° rotating turret: SW2a with an Oerlikon 20 mm cannon, 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] Additionally, the SW2 had three smoke grenade launchers on each side of the turret, and both the SW1 and SW2 versions featured a roof-mounted blue police beacon.[1][2]
The Federal Border Guard referred to the SW1 and SW2 as Kfz 91 and Kfz 92, respectively (kfz stands for Kraftfahrzeug, meaning motor vehicle). Around 700 special vehicles were built under license by Büssing and Henschel in Germany, with the armoured chassis supplied by Blohm+Voss.
Other variants were built, such as a mortar launching vehicle, but these found no buyers. A WOTAN prototype, which was tested by the German Federal Border Guard, is now in the Swiss Military Museum.[4][5] 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.[6]
Design
[edit]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 right allowed the crew to park the vehicle and exit from the side and rear.
Variants
[edit]- MR 8 "SW1": also known as Kfz91. Armoured personnel carrier with a small observation turret-hatch and no integral weapon. Crew: 6; commander (right-hand side), driver (left-hand side), and four equipped infantrymen in the rear compartment.
- MR 8 "SW2a": also known as Kfz92. Armoured personnel carrier with a 360° rotating turret, initially equipped with an Oerlikon 20 mm cannon, later upgraded to a Rheinmetall Mk 20 Rh-202 300-round autocannon, and three smoke grenade launchers on either side of the turret. Crew: 4; commander (right-hand side), driver (left-hand side), and two equipped infantrymen in the rear compartment.
- MR 8 "SW2b": also known as Kfz92. Armoured personnel carrier equipped with a 500-round dismountable MG 3 machine gun and three smoke grenade launchers on either side of the turret. Crew: 4; commander (right-hand side), driver (left-hand side), and two equipped infantrymen in the rear compartment.
- MR 8-09: 20 mm Rheinmetall Mk 20 Rh-202 autocannon upgrade.
- MR 8-20: unguided rocket and ATGM variant, with provision for twin 8 cm unguided missile launchers.
- MR 8-23: heavy fire support and tank hunter vehicle with 90 mm medium-pressure gun and 7.62 mm coaxial machine gun
- MR 9-32: 120 mm mortar carrier.
Gallery
[edit]-
10th anniversary of the Federal Border Guard (BGS, Bundesgrenzschutz) in SW1 armoured personnel carries; parade in the presence of Federal Minister of the Interior Gerhard Schröder and BGS Brigadier General Alfred Samlowski, Lübeck, May 1961. -
SW1 armoured personnel carrier of the Federal Border Guard (BGS, Bundesgrenzschutz) guarding the Federal Chancellery ("Palais Schaumburg"), Bonn, May 1975. -
SW1 armoured personnel carriers of the Federal Border Guard (BGS, Bundesgrenzschutz) taking part in Exercise Reforger, West Germany, 1986.
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d Kalinowski, Patrik (2015). "Einsatzfahrzeug: BGxx-xx - Büssing - SW 2 (a.D.)" [Service Vehicle: BGxx-xx - Büssing - SW 2 (retired)] (in German). BOS-FAHRZEUGE.INFO. Retrieved 2024-08-17.
- ^ a b c d Kalinowski, Patrik (2015). "Einsatzfahrzeug: Geschützter Sonderwagen II (a.D.)" [Service Vehicle: Armoured Special Vehicle II (retired)] (in German). BOS-FAHRZEUGE.INFO. Retrieved 2024-08-17.
- ^ a b "Panzer, Kanonen und andere Waffenträger Geschützter Sonderwagen II (SW II) 4 x 4: beim Bundesgrenzschutz" [Tanks, cannons and other weapon carriers Armoured Special Vehicle II (SW II) 4 x 4: of the Federal Border Guard] (in German). Ashampoo Air & Car Services GmbH & Co. KG. 2015. Retrieved 2024-08-17.
- ^ Militärmuseum Full Switzerland
- ^ Marcus Bauer, Nutzfahrzeuge der MOWAG Motorwagenfabrik AG, Fachpresse Goldach, Hudson & Company, 1996 ISBN 9783857380563
- ^ "Military Vehicles Forecast: TM 170 - Archived Report 8/2004". Forecast International: Intelligence Center.