Combat vehicles / Armored personnel carriers / HS-30
HS-30
General Facts
- TYPE
Armored personnel carrier - ORIGIN
Germany
- NICKNAMES
Schützenpanzer 12-3 (German military designation) - DESIGNED
1950's - DESIGNER
Hispano-Suiza - PRODUCTION
1958 - 1962 - PRODUCERS
Germany
- QUANTITY
2.176 of all variants - UNIT COST
DM 238.000 in 1962 (average per vehicle) - CHARACTERISTICS
Small silhouette
Powerful armament
Carries only 5 troops
Limited reliability
Difficult maintainance
Introduction
The HS-30 is an armored personnel carrier of German origin. The HS-30 design was acquired as infantry fighting vehicle to accompany the Panzergrenadiers in combat. For its time it was very well armed. The thought was that the HS-30 could engage enemy positions and light vehicles, allowing tanks to focus on enemy tanks. Over 10.000 vehicles were to be acquired but due to mechanical problems only 2.176 were delivered before the program was cancelled, leading to the HS-30 political scandal.
Layout
The HS-30 is a rather small vehicle with a low silhouette. Due to its size it could only carry 5 infantry. The crew of three is seated in the front and the turret with 20mm autocannon is mounted on the right. The infantry compartment is in the middle and is entered through roof hatches. The engine and drive train are mounted at the rear.
Firepower
The main armament of the HS-30 is a 20mm HS-820 autocannon placed in a one man turret. A total of 2.000 rounds are carried. Compared to other armored personnel carriers of its time it is very powerful. For this reason the HS-30 can be considered the first infantry fighting vehicle. There is no secondary armament although a 106mm recoilless rifle can be fitted. Variants include a tank destroyer with SS-11 missiles and mortar carriers.
Protection
The HS-30 is well armored, especially over the frontal arc. The steel armor is up to 30mm thick and protects the crew from small arms fire and shell splinters. Over the frontal arc heavy machine gun rounds up to 14.5mm are resisted. Two banks of 4 smoke grenade dischargers are fitted.
Mobility
The HS-30 has a limited mobility. The tracked chassis performed well off road but the engine was to weak for a vehicle of this weight. The Rolls Royce 235 hp petrol engine was to power a 9 t vehicle, not a 15 t one. As a result fuel consumption is very high. Early vehicles had many automotive failures, but most problems were solved during overhauls.
Users
The HS-30 was the standard infantry fighting vehicle of the German army in the 1960's. Due to technical problems only 2.176 of 10.000 planned vehicles were acquired and the Marder program was started in the late 1960's as a replacement. A batch of vehicles were sold to Peru.
Schützenpanzer
The standard infantry fighting vehicle of the HS-30 is the Type 12-3 which is better known as the SPz 12-3. SPz 12-3 is short for Schützenpanzer 12-3, which is German for . The SPz 12-3 is armed with a 20mm HS-820 autocannon in a one person turret. Up to 5 infantry can be carried in the troop compartment. Some SPz 12-3 have been fitted with a pintle mounted 106mm M40A1 recoilless rifle as a fire support vehicle. There also is a Type 21-3 command version known as the FüFu. FüFu stands for Führungs- und Funkfahrzeug, which is German for commando and radio vehicle. The Type 81-3 is an artillery observation vehicle based on the SPz 12-3, but without the turret. The
- Specifications:
- SPz 12-3
Type | Armored personnel carrier |
---|---|
Crew | 3 + 5 (commander, driver, gunner, 5 infantry) |
Length | 5.56 m |
Width | 2.54 m |
Height | 1.85 m |
Ground clearance | ? |
Weight | 14.6 t |
Ground pressure | ? |
Wheelbase | Tracked chassis, 5 roadweels, idler front, drive sprocket rear |
Turn radius | ? |
Engine | Rolls-Royce B81 Mk 80F V8 petrol, 235 hp |
Power ratio | 15.9 hp/t |
---|---|
Transmission | ? |
Speed | 58 km/h |
Fuel | ? |
Range | 270 km |
Wall | 0.6 m |
Trench | 1.6 m |
Gradient | 60% gradient |
Fording | 0.7 m |
Armor | Steel, up to 30 mm |
NBC equipment | No? |
Night vision | No? |
---|---|
Smoke | 2x4 smoke grenade dischargers |
Remarks | - |
Armament | 20mm HS-820 autocannon |
Weapon1 | 20mm HS-820 autocannon 2.000 rounds manual elevation and traverse, non-stabilized |
Weapon2 | - |
Weapon3 | - |
Weapon4 | - |
Weapon5 | - |
Weapon6 | - |
RaketenJagdPanzer 1
The Type 3-3 is a tank destroyer based on the HS-30 chassis. It is better known as the RakJPz 1, which is short for RaketenJagdPanzer 1. It is armed with two pintle mounted launchers for the SS-11 missile at the front of the vehicle. Only one missile can be launched at a time, during which the other missile is reloaded. The RakJPz 1 can be distinguished by the later RakJPz 2 which also carried a two SS-11 launchers as it has a longer fighting compartment and is not as wide as the later model.
- Specifications:
- RakJPz 1
Type | Tank destroyer |
---|---|
Crew | 4 (commander, driver, gunner, loader) |
Length | 5.56 m |
Width | 2.54 m |
Height | 1.70 m |
Ground clearance | ? |
Weight | 13.0 t |
Ground pressure | ? |
Wheelbase | Tracked chassis, 5 roadweels, idler front, drive sprocket rear |
Turn radius | ? |
Engine | Rolls-Royce B81 Mk 80F V8 petrol, 235 hp |
Power ratio | 18.1 hp/t |
---|---|
Transmission | ? |
Speed | 51 km/h |
Fuel | ? |
Range | 270 km |
Wall | 0.6 m |
Trench | 1.6 m |
Gradient | 60% gradient |
Fording | 0.7 m |
Armor | Steel, up to 30 mm |
NBC equipment | No? |
Night vision | No? |
---|---|
Smoke | 2x4 smoke grenade dischargers |
Remarks | - |
Armament | SS-11 missile launcher (2x) |
Weapon1 | SS-11 missile launcher (2x) 10 missiles, 2 ready to fire manual elevation and traverse, non-stabilized |
Weapon2 | - |
Weapon3 | - |
Weapon4 | - |
Weapon5 | - |
Weapon6 | - |
Mörserträger
The HS-30 chassis was also used as a mortar carrier. The open roof of the crew compartment made it easy to mount a mortar. Its ammunition was carried within the vehicle. The early Type 51-3 carried and 81mm mortar and was later refitted with the 120mm Brandt smoothbore mortar and designated the Type 52-3. In German service it was known as either the Panzermörser or Mörserträger.
- Specifications:
- SPz 52-3
Type | Self-propelled mortar |
---|---|
Crew | 2 + ? (commander, driver, mortar crew) |
Length | 5.56 m |
Width | 2.54 m |
Height | ? |
Ground clearance | ? |
Weight | ? |
Ground pressure | ? |
Wheelbase | Tracked chassis, 5 roadweels, idler front, drive sprocket rear |
Turn radius | ? |
Engine | Rolls-Royce B81 Mk 80F V8 petrol, 235 hp |
Power ratio | ? |
---|---|
Transmission | ? |
Speed | ? |
Fuel | ? |
Range | 270 km |
Wall | 0.6 m |
Trench | 1.6 m |
Gradient | 60% gradient |
Fording | 0.7 m |
Armor | Steel, up to 30 mm |
NBC equipment | No? |
Night vision | No? |
---|---|
Smoke | 2x4 smoke grenade dischargers |
Remarks | - |
Armament | 120mm AM-50 mortar 7.62mm MG3 machine gun |
Weapon1 | 120mm Brandt AM-50 mortar in crew compartment fires over frontal arc manual elevation and traverse non-stabilized |
Weapon2 | 7.62mm MG3 machine gun on pintle mount manual elevation and traverse, non-stabilized |
Weapon3 | - |
Weapon4 | - |
Weapon5 | - |
Weapon6 | - |