TPz Fuchs

TPz (Transportpanzer) Fuchs ("fox") is an armoured personnel carrier developed by Daimler-Benz and built by Thyssen-Henschel in 1979. It was the second wheeled armoured vehicle to be fielded by the Bundeswehr. It is used for tasks including troop transport, engineer transport, bomb disposal, NBC (Nuclear, Biological and Chemical) reconnaissance and electronic warfare. In selecting models and retrofit kits, more than 90 combinations are possible; 32 have been produced. The TPz Fuchs is thus referred to as a "retrofit platform".

The engine is a Mercedes-Benz Model OM 402A V-8 liquid-cooled 320 HP diesel. Its top speed is 105 km/h and the range is 800 km. It is 7.33 m long, 2.98 m wide and 2.37 m high. It weighs 18.3 tons with the capability to carry 6 tons in equipment. The 6x6 APC has high performance over many terrains, with low noise. Its rear-mounted propellers with 360° turning range enable it to take water obstacles at 10 km/h.

Armament
The TPz Fuchs can be equipped with three Rheinmetall MG3 general purpose machine guns, one of which is mounted on a manually controlled turret.

Fuchs' of the Armoured Reconnaissance Battalion, Panzergrenadiers mechanized infantry, the Franco-German Brigade, the mountain infantry and the Jäger (rangers) of the German Army are armed with MILAN anti-tank-guided missiles and a maximum of two MG3s. Fuchs' deployed in Afghanistan were equipped with a GMG grenade launcher or an M2 Browning heavy machine gun instead of a MG3.

Improvements over the years
Improvements concentrated on the ability to withstand high-performance, armour-piercing ammunition fired from small arms and lightweight carriage-mounted machine guns, as well as shrapnel (e.g. from artillery rounds), and anti-personnel and antitank mines.

Due to the weight and volume restrictions, advanced armour materials are used to meet the protection specifications, which compared to equally effective steel or aluminum alloy armour, can reduce weight by 50%.

The modular armour protection system has six harmonized elements that, in part, operate in a coordinated fashion:


 * Add-on armour mounted to the exterior of the vehicle housing
 * Anti-mine protective plating in the wheel cases
 * Reinforced bullet-proof windows
 * Reinforced bullet-proof visors for shielding the window exteriors
 * Spall-lining of all interior surfaces of the vehicle compartment
 * A shielded gun mounting (except on the medical vehicles)

Users
Most vehicles are in service with the German Army (1,003 - 144 upgraded), the rest are in the armed forces of Saudi Arabia (36), The Netherlands (23), USA (123, as M93 Fox) and Venezuela (10). The Fuchs served in the Gulf war, in peace-keeping operations with German KFOR troops in the former Yugoslavia and with German ISAF in Afghanistan. The United Kingdom operated 11 vehicles until 2011 at which point they were placed into storage, when the Joint Chemical, Biological, Radiation and Nuclear Regiment ceased to exist. In May 2013 the vehicles were transported back to RAF Honington so engineers from Rheinmetall Landsysteme could assess their condition to enable cost estimates to be drawn up with the possibility of returning the vehicles to service or selling them if they are no longer required by the British Armed Forces.

With the cooperation of Germany, an Algerian-German joint venture was created in Algeria to locally produce the Fuchs armored personnel carrier. The Algerian army plans to acquire up to 1200 Fuchs.